Coaching by " Feel " or Conventional Practice?

New York Islander Fan Central | 2/20/2009 01:21:00 PM |
If Scott Gordon is making starting goaltender decisions based on feel as he said the other day he sat Joey MacDonald off a win on Monday and lost on a bad goal Wednesday, he sat Yann Danis off a four game winning streak and lost before that.

Sure MacDonald could have started Wednesday and played terrible, he let in a very bad goal in the previous 5-4 Msg loss. Danis could have started against Carolina and with the breakaways MacDonald faced could have allowed ten goals.

That's not my point here, it's more about conventional coaching regardless of result.

I have no idea about the coaches feel and a very easy second guess from someone with a hockey blog but conventional hockey coaching says you ride the hot hand/lineup in goal which most NHL coaches will tell you all the time. That's not second guessing from the keyboard, this is what NHL coaches do.

It's what Scott Gordon has done most of this year.

Scott Gordon keeps going against standard practice and one he lived by early this season running MacDonald more games than even DiPietro would normally play if completely healthy.

I understand that's not absolutely necessary give the standings but no goalie is sitting for a week at a time either.

Just another item that makes me wonder about this head coach regardless of the on-ice results. I did my preview Wednesday and had no doubt MacDonald would start at Msg.

I cannot tell you it would have made any difference on the ice or game results at all but I can write it's the conventional move to ride the hot/winning goalie.

Having written this Scott Gordon has gotten NHL playoff level goaltending out of two AHL journeyman goaltenders this season.





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