Bernier has earned quick distinction
Little doubt who the Leafs’ starter is now
Randy Carlyle never wanted a goalie tandem. From t he beginning, when the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jonathan Bernier in the off-season to theoretically share the net with James Reimer, the team’s head coach was hoping one of them would “take the ball and run with it.”
Of course, no one expected it would happen so quickly.
After just three games, Bernier has won the job for now. Carlyle, who never divulges the next game’s starter, has not said as much. But he did not have to. The evidence was on display in Saturday night’s 5-4 shootout win against the Ottawa Senators.
Reimer started the game but was pull e d midway through the second period after allowing four goals on 21 shots. Bernier came in and he was perfect, stopping all 15 shots he faced and two in the overtime shootout to earn the first star. In two games, he has stopped 46 of 47 shots and has a 0.64 goals-against average.
Beyond the stats, Bernier has looked the part of a No. 1 goalie. His flashy glove saves have been a hit with fans, who chanted his name during the win, while Toronto defencemen no doubt appreciate the fact that he gives up few rebounds.
When Carlyle was asked if Saturday night’s performances changed how he viewed his two goaltenders, the coach was unusually forthcoming. “It makes it easier,” he said. Carlyle never really wanted to utilize a goalie tandem because they are often messy. It is another decision for the coach to make and one more thing to worry about. Having one guy you can rely upon is simpler.
The only reason the Leafs rotated their goalies for the first two games is because the team was playing on back-toback nights on the road and no clear-cut No. 1 had emerged in pre-season. Reimer was good in a 4-3 win against the Canadiens in the season opener; Bernier was slightly better in a 3-1 win against the Flyers. Because both won their respective games, Carlyle had no choice but to keep the rotation going for the following two games.
This formula could have lasted indefinitely had both continued to win. But Reimer’s performance notwithstanding, it is not exactly a surprise that Bernier has temporarily come out on top.
While coaches and management will not admit it, Bernier was the one everyone was pulling for. The former 11th overall draft pick came in with the better pedigree and was signed to the bigger contract in the summer. Still, Reimer was given every opportunity to hang onto his job.
Reimer was named the starter for the season opener and was given the home opener on Saturday. Had he picked up the win against Ottawa, Bernier still probably would have gotten the start against Colorado on Tuesday, but Reimer would have been back in net for the following game.
Now, the window has been cracked open for Bernier to seize the No. 1 job — at least temporarily.
“It’s still a long season,” Bernier said. “You know, our main focus for me and [Reimer] is to win games and that’s the only thing we’re going to focus on. We’re not going to worry about who’s going to play. We’re just going to support each other.”
“I’m not going to sit on the bench and hope my teammate plays bad,” Reimer said. “Bernier had the opportunity to get in there and he played great. He made some big saves, so it’s never a bad thing when you’re winning games.”
You can count on one hand the number of NHL teams that still rely on one goalie to carry the load for an entire season. In most situations, the starter goes through ups and downs or gets injured and you have to rely on the backup.
Reimer was not terrible against the Senators on Saturday. On one goal, Leafs defenceman Cody Franson turned the puck over in front of the net. On another, Reimer was bowled over by his own defenceman.
“I thought James played pretty good,” Bernier said. “It was just one of those games that you get those unlucky bounces and it was more to get the guys into the game and react from that. And they did.”
Indeed, with Toronto down two goals in the second period, Carlyle pulled the plug for no other reason then to give the team a jolt. It was a luxury that the Leafs might not have had l ast season when Ben Scrivens was the backup.
But so far this season, two goalies have been better than one.