Goaltender injuries have been all too common this season. Martin Brodeur is likely to miss the majority of the season, Roberto Luongo is suffering lingering effects of his latest injury, and even iron man Evgeni Nabokov has missed a chunk of time.
After taking a knee to the melon, you can add Manny Legace to that list of goalies.
Chris Mason will handle the bulk of net duties in Legace’s absence. How long Legace will be out is sketchy right now, he’s listed as day-to-day, but judging by a clip of him after the injury; he could be out much longer. Legace appeared to be completely disoriented, and even had trouble standing. That’s never a good sign.
Mason has occasionally been brilliant in limited duty this season, but has looked mediocre when given extended stretches of play.
While on the Subject of Goaltenders;
It is not Martin “Darth” Gerber’s fault that the Ottawa Senators chose to pay him like he had just won a Cup. He actually had just won a cup (as the back-up) with Cam Ward and the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He’s equally unlucky and second-rate in terms of his current playing time situation and his ability.
Gerber has only allowed 4 goals in his last two starts, but his Ottawa teammates have only supported him with one goal in those contests. None of that matters though, Alex Auld has been much better (.924 save % vs. Gerber’s .907).
On Tonight: I’ve got plans (drinking) for this evening, so I’ll be watching the last couple periods of Anaheim at San Jose. San Jose has been far and away the best team in the league this season. I’m surprised that the Sharks’ name hasn’t come up in any Mats Sundin conversations; he is after all working out somewhere in California.
Fight! While surfing around hockeyfights.com , I stumbled across Joey Kocur and Link Gaetz in a legendary tilt. Gaetz vs. Probert caught more fanfare the following season, but Gaetz vs. Kocur in 1990 was a knuckle-chuckin’ beaut.
Yahoo! Sports for the Mason Pic
Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers is somewhat of an enigma. He does not possess first-rate talent, but he has managed to find plenty of time on the top lines of the Philadelphia Flyers and with the Predators during his tenure in Nashville.