Bob Over Bryz, The Right Move?

Yesterday it was officially announced that the Flyers will start young goalie Sergei Bobrovsky over Ilya Bryzgalov in the Winter Classic.  While Bob may give the Flyers a better chance to win the Classic, is it the right move in the long run?

This goalie controversy between Bob and Bryz is not something new and has actually been in affect all season long.  Bryzgalov has definitely had his share of bad outings and statistically he is 14-8 with a .890 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average.  Bob on the other hand is 8-2 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA.

In my mind I think Peter Laviolette is a very smart coach and I think he is starting Bob over Bryz today for two reasons.  Number one is the fact that while the Winter Classic is an awesome nationally televised hyped up game, in reality it's just another regular season game against a division rival.  It is a game the Flyers want to win and Bobrovsky gives you the best chance at winning, plain and simple.  If you look at the games between the Flyers and Rangers this season, there is no argument that Bob played better in the November game against the Rangers than Bryz did in their most recent matchup on December 23rd.  Back on November 26th, the Flyers lost 2-0 to the Rangers but Bobrovsky looked great.  Compare that to Bryzgalov's outing on December 23rd in which he allowed 4 goals and your decision of who to start in the Winter Classic is really pretty easy.

I think Lavs is also giving Bob the start because he has a plan for Bryzgalov in the long run.  The facts are simple, Bryzgalov isn't living up to the expectations of his 51 million dollar contract.  He hasn't been the true number 1 that everyone had hoped for and maybe this is Lavy's way of sending him an ultimate wake up call.  If there is one thing I have learned about Laviolette during this season it's that he doesn't tolerate his guys playing soft.  If you look at a lot of the goals Bryzgalov has given up this season, they have been really weird and soft goals that definitely should have been stopped.  Maybe this is Laviolette's way of lighting a fire under Bryzgalov and ultimately getting him to play better.

While many people think that Laviolette not 100% backing Bryz is hurting the goaltender's confidence, I don't think that's the case.  I think Laviolette knows his players better than anyone and he is doing what he thinks is best for Bryz and for the Flyers in the long run by giving Bob the nod tomorrow in the Winter Classic.

I really don't think we have a goalie controversy just yet.  I think this is going to be a huge wake up call for Bryzgalov and we are going to see a brand new Bryz in 2012.  So in conclusion, I like the move made by Laviolette.  I trust him as a hockey coach, and I think this will benefit the Flyers in the long run.