Panthers Tender Goal-tandem Situation
In his last two starts Tomas Vokoun has been pulled from the Panther goal. It has become a common occurrence this season. Apart from the early games in October, Vokoun has not been given a consistent chance to show his ability. Head coach Peter DeBoer has rather gone with a tactic of low tolerance, pulling the start goaltender if he lets in a couple of “soft” goals or three or more altogether.
To begin with this tactic played off in tremendous fashion. Especially back-up goaltender Craig Anderson saw his ice time increase rapidly. Some stellar performances later and it could be questioned if he was the back-up still, or indeed the starting goaltender. Vokoun responded in a professional manner, worked on his game and looked sharp when given the chance; culminating in two straight shutouts just before the Christmas holiday.
The strong goaltending was seen by many, including DeBoer himself, as a main reason for the remarkable Panther upsurge from bottom dwellers to playoff contenders. However, after the Christmas holiday something has happened and Florida are again scrambling to get goals on the board, while leaking at the other end. Of these four defeats, three came against the team that was dead last in the standings – at the time of the games. Undoubtedly this is cause for concern. But what can explain this sudden downturn in fortune?
While Hockey obviously is a team game and no part in itself can be responsible solely for the results, good or bad, there may still be reason to analyze some parts closer – in search for clues. The defense has not looked confident and the forwards are perhaps not working hard enough, it could be claimed. But my greatest worries are not found in the outfield play; but rather between the posts. Neither Tomas Vokoun nor Craig Anderson has been playing like before the Christmas break and DeBoer has been quick to pull them to try and change things around.
Conversely, this is my grievance. While Anderson has played well and racked up some nice stats, it could be argued that he is a less complete goaltender than Tomas Vokoun. So, common Hockey sense would tell us that a team needs to have a No.1 goalie in addition to a solid back-up. Who is that for Florida? Looking at the actions of Head coach DeBoer that seems like a surprisingly difficult question to answer. If he truly had confidence in Vokoun you would expect Tomas to be playing more often and not being pulled as frequently. DeBoer has been in charge long enough to be able to choose who his No.1 is and if that indeed is Vokoun; should he not be given more time to prove himself?
The constant yanking of goaltenders from games, and Vokoun in particular, after a couple of goals – is clearly starting affect their levels of confidence (and perhaps also the team’s confidence in their keeper). Tomas himself stated after the Islanders game:
“Obviously, some of those goals should have been stopped,” Vokoun said after the game. “People make mistakes all the time. This has never happened to me in my career. But I’m not blaming my mistakes on anybody else. When you get pulled three of the last four games, it’s going to shake your confidence.”
DeBoer on the other hand said: “Really it was four goals on 20 shots. Even the first one that didn’t count looked like it went in to me. That was reason enough.” [Quotes from the Panther website]
Now, admittedly, I only saw the highlights of the game, but in my book Vokoun could not be personally held for any of the goals. While changing the momentum of the game could be reason enough one could argue, and DeBoer has done that on several occasions, I think the long term consequences, when it comes to goalie confidence, could be detrimental. We are already seeing this in the performances of Tomas. He doesn’t look himself in goal, and it’s not because he’s not a good goalie still, rather I think it goes back to the lack of self-belief. And when it comes to the keeper of the net in particular – no one can doubt the importance of this.
Tomas is at his best when he assertively steps out on the crease and challenges the opposing forwards. And the thing is; you can’t manufacture or replace confidence since it comes from within. It must be nurtured carefully – for when it blooms it can truly be magnificent. In fact, this could be said about several other underperforming players like Horton or Olesz. Maybe coach DeBoer needs to learn a few new tricks; discern which players require a gentle pat on the back and which revel when put in pressure cooker. A good coach can handle players that are different in an individual approach – to get the best out of each player. DeBoer has yet to prove he has this.
Now, I can’t say what’s happening in the dressing room or at practice, but I can see what’s unravelling on the ice, and there is clearly not enough Panther poise in rink at the moment. Not even Craig seems to be on top of his game anymore. Perhaps it is; that which once worked, pulling goalies and creating an environment of uncertainty, is no longer working. Now question is: What other tricks does DeBoer have in his hat?
A change of tune may be necessary, not least when it comes to the goaltender situation. Having a good goaltender tandem is important, but having a great No.1 goalie is perhaps even more important, not least when the team as a whole is struggling; they need someone calm and self-assured at the last outpost, fending off the pucks with poise.
I guess it has become a trend in the NHL to pull goalies during games. I still stand behind my argument that goalies have special personalities and fragile egos – which means they will perform poorly if and when the coach shows no confidence in them.
I understand teams are after results, and that the NHL is not kindergarten – but isn’t it part of the coach’s job to instill confidence in his players?
I won’t rant too much about this as I think I have already said enough, but let me just add that you are spot on here with your article. very well written and detailed just enough!!!!