Uh-Oh

This is Mathieu Garon wondering why the pucks along the ice are beating him more this year than last year....hmmm?

What's up with Garon early this season? One thing that I've noticed so far in his games is that Garon seems to be getting pieces of the puck as they go in. As a golatender, that is the worst feeling in the world and a serious confidence shaker. When I'm struggling with my game (as small a game as it is), I find that I get a lot of pieces of the puck - just never enough. It sucks - leaves you with the feeling of "geez I shoulda had that" instead of the "I just got beat cleanly, now shake it off and move on". I'm betting Garon is one frustrated man this day and he's been replaying goals from last nights loss all day in his mind thinking that one more save could have meant a win for his team.

Now, what causes a goalie to get pieces of shots? There's a few reasons:
1. You were in position but just got beat by an unstoppable shot. These ones happen all the time. Physics can tell you the reaction time of a goalie, the speed of his movements, the speeds of shots, etc. Some well placed shots are just physically impossible to stop, no matter how sharp the goalie is. I don't think this is the case with Matthieu.

2. Out of Position and Almost Recovered. These ones are similar to #1, ussually the result of a pretty passing play or fantastic deke where the goalie is momentarily out of position and recovers a split second too late. Again, I don't think this is the case.

3. Illness/Injury Sometimes, being injured or too sick to play is better for a goalie than being 95%. Skaters can play through this stuff a little easier and they can simplify their games a little when something is a little off. Goalies, not so much. Split seconds matter more in this position than any other. Getting little pieces often means for me that I'm a little sore, sick, or tired. I was there, I knew where the shot was going, and, as Maxwell Smart would say, I missed it by that much. This might be the case with Garon - he doesn't seem to cover the bottom of the net as well as he did last season and he may be still feeling the effects of last years season ending injury.

4. Confidence. I think goaltending compares very well with golf from a mental standpoint. Make a bad shot in golf and if you can't stop thinking about it things tend to snowball until ultimately your ball, several clubs, and the guy in your foursome who giggles, all end up in the lake. Bad performances in goal can often lead to others. Soft goals lead to bad decisions around the net. You think pass too much and lose an angle. You play too deep in your net, you play the shooter too aggressively. Not ussually the mark of an NHL starting goalie - ussually back ups and beer leaguers. Is anyone convinced Garon is started material yet? I think this is what's wrong. I think Matthieu is scared to lose and is not performing well as the middle head in the Oilers three headed netminding monster. Prior to the start of last nights game TSN showed a shot of Garon in the dressing room. The dude looked scared shitless - honestly. It gave me a bad feeling. I don't like this one bit.