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Gyro_Hero · 07-13-2024, 11:53 AM

This is a bit of an unusual case, as I'd like to take these next 600 words or so to discuss the performance of two players over the course of a single 5-game series, and then move towards a broader point about just how incredible impactful a good goalie can really be.

Let me set the scene - it's round one of the playoffs, between the Saint Louis Scarecrows

and the Nevada Battleborn

, and nobody really knows what will come of it. Nevada is the favourite to win, as even many of the Scarecrows will quite readily admit, but while defensemen and wingers battle it out, behind their respective creases, both goalies Murray and Suchanek are absolute powerhouses. While their stats might not look the most impressive at first blush, I believe them both to be extremely potent goalies, and names to keep tabs on in the coming seasons.

Let's start with Murray; a career 0.883 save percentage is already wild, considering the sheer number of shots seen in a typical game - but that's even more impressive, given that the defence core of the Scarecrows, aside from Booth, is rather lacking in TPE - leaving Murray with considerably less support than he really deserved. Consider this in the shots taken in that eventful series that made me want to talk about goalies so much; an average of 36 shots every single game is no joke, especially against some of the highest shot% forwards the J has to offer (Outside of Maine but c'mon, that team is insane). Lower that save % by just two percent, and you'd be looking at around 2 extra goals let in every 3 games - that's more than enough to swing a series. While defensemen and defensively-minded forwards can certainly help mitigate the threat of an opposing team, ultimately, the player in the crease needs to be the one who makes the difference, as is certainly the case here.

Now, on to Suchankek; with a career save % even higher than Murray, this goalie is more like a brick wall than a person - while he has the tremendous offense of his team to back him up and keep the heat off of him, he still faced 154 shots on goal throughout the 5 games of the playoffs - often facing shots from dedicated snipers, rather than dump shots from defensemen with shot%s in the high single digits. No, nearly all of those shots were sent off by dedicated forwards, and Suchanek stopped an absolutely incredible amount of them.

Let's talk about game 5. Game five was an absolutely incredible back and forth, and if you haven't watched the sim for it, I highly recommend you do - both goalies stood on their heads, with only 3 goals being let in the entire game. Watching the sheer volume of fire being flung both ways is genuinely exhilarating, and the incredible performance put on by both goalies is as inspiring as it is incredible - Suchanek facing down 26 shots from extremely accurate Scarecrow shooters, and really only letting in one - the other being a mad scramble in the crease. Across the ice, Murray faced down a relentless 44 shots, blocking all but one, and earning himself the ever-elusive perfect 100 on his game rating, despite the game not being a shutout. His being one of the stars of the game was inevitable.

Now, why am I being so obsessive about these two guys in particular?

Simple.

Both of them are only now wrapping up their second seasons - meaning that not only is the J not free from these immovable objects in the crease, they're only going to grow stronger, more refined, and more well-integrated in their teams as time goes on. I really haven't heard enough spoken about just how much a goalie brings to the table, but once you've been put on one's back and practically carried over that finish line?

Yeah.

You'll get it, too.

***Anthique*** · 07-16-2024, 08:33 AM

Nice to see another STL goalie doing great in the playoffs!!!

chetib · 07-26-2024, 11:54 AM

Approved @Gyro_Hero @CptSquall

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