Biron and Leclaire - Early Shutout Sucesses
Goalies Martin Biron and Pascal Leclaire are doing very well so far this season.
When the New Jersey Devils met the Philadelphia Flyers on October 18th, Biron made 38 saves in his second straight shutout.
On the verge of stopping every puck for the second straight game, Martin Biron instead was concerned about the one that might slip into the net.
“Once bounce here or there can turn a game around,” he said….
“Marty played awesome,” Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said. “He made some big saves at the right time…”
The chants in the third period started early for Biron, who was sensational again and became the first Flyers goalie to record back-to-back shutouts since Brian Boucher in 2001.
Unlike recent Flyers goalies who failed to live up to their flashes of brilliance, Biron insists he can help carry the team for the long haul.
“You want to work on consistency, you want to work on durability and going for a long time,” he said.
The Flyers (5-1) have won the first three games of a four-game homestand and are on their first four-game winning streak since March 2006.
Biron has been better than the Flyers expected when they acquired him from Buffalo last season. Stuck as the backup to the Sabres’ Ryan Miller, Biron has flourished in Philly and might finally be the answer to the long-standing quagmire in the Flyers net.
“There’s no question Marty brings confidence to our hockey team,” coach John Stevens. “He’s never rattled. You don’t see any frustration. It looks like business as usual for him.”
For the rest of this article click here .
The Columbus Blue Jackets are tired of being the NHL’s punching bag (at least that is what the article I read said, lol).
Pascal Leclaire made 21 saves for his third shutout of the season and fourth overall when the Blue Jackets squared off against the Buffalo Sabres on October 19th.
Rick Nash scored in the second period, 62 seconds after he was denied by goalie Ryan Miller on the NHL’s first penalty shot of the season.
With seven points, Columbus is off to its best start since joining the NHL in 2000. And after not finishing above 11th place in the Western Conference in their six prior seasons, the Blue Jackets are determined to contend for a playoff spot come April.
“We’re a team that wants to win, and we’re not going to settle for mediocrity,” said Michael Peca, who added a goal and an assist while playing on a line with Nash and Nikolai Zherdev for the second straight game. “We’re not going to settle for complacency. We’re no longer the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets. We want to be a force in our conference.”
That shouldn’t be a problem if they continue to get the type of goaltending they are receiving from three-year veteran Leclaire, and the outstanding two-way play of budding star Nash.
Leclaire was able to bounce back from a 5-1 loss at Colorado last Saturday, and will try to extend a 150:22 home shutout streak that dates back to last year if he plays on Sunday against Vancouver.
“We’ve been solid since the beginning of the season,” he said. “It’s always a team effort in a game like this.”
To read the rest of this article, click here !
Tags: hockey, NHL, goalies, shutout, pascal leclaire, martin biron, columbus blue jackets, philadelphia flyers
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Columbus Blue Jackets, News, Philadelphia Flyers, Players
1 opinion for Biron and Leclaire - Early Shutout Sucesses
Lauren
Oct 21, 2007 at 9:49 am
The unusual suspects. Good for them.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: