Earlier this year, Bryz commented that he was "lost in the woods." In light of his recent musings on 24/7, clearly he is more like a lost space cadet.
Another frustrating loss with some questionable goals, and Flyers fans are freaking out. Clearly the franchise is ruined by Bryzgalov's eternal contract.
Kidding aside, there is no getting around the fact that Bryzgalov is not playing well. He put together a long win streak, but has looked very shoddy in the last few losses. He continues to be plagued by deflections, but at some point he (and the team) has to adjust and not just lament bad luck.
The numbers don't lie. With 14 wins, Bryzgalov is 15th in the NHL, but of those goalies, only Craig Anderson on a terrible Ottawa team is even close to his GAA (3.01) and save percentage (.890). The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to be a Vezina candidate, and at worst, a top 10 goalie in the league. He's nowhere close right now. I previously noted how Bryzgalov was a 3 star selection in 44% of his starts last year in Phoenix. This year? 16% (4/25). He can play much better, and he knows it.
He still needs to figure out how to excel on this team. Maybe you can understand why the Flyers tried to muzzle him early this year, as it looks like he might need to refocus. He's obviously a strange cat, but regardless of anyone's personality, you can succeed. He has to start showing some serious competitiveness to get through this though.
It's too early to jump off the bridge on Bryzgalov, his contract, and incite a good old Flyers goalie controversy, but I do think it's time to give Bob a run of starts.
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