COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Brian Boucher is largely responsible for one of the longest, most frustrating and ultimately unpleasant nights in the history of the Penguins’ franchise.
The former goaltender made 57 saves in a five-overtime playoff classic won by the Flyers, 2-1, at Mellon Arena on May 4, 2000. It was a signature performance in a dazzling rookie season that saw Boucher lead the NHL in goals against average (1.91) and guide the Flyers within one win of the Stanley Cup Final.
The organization’s belief was so strong in the 23-year-old goalie that it traded veteran John Vanbiesbrouck at the 2000 NHL Draft. Boucher had a clear path to a coveted No. 1 job — and all the responsibilities and expectations that go with it.
“I was the darling rookie, I couldn’t do anything wrong,” recalled Boucher, an NHL analyst for NBC. “I had played 35 games the season before. We had gotten to the conference final. My contract was up and there were contentious negotiations because there were really no comparables. I ended up putting too much pressure on myself. It’s not like I got a big-time deal, but you want to prove you are ‘all that.’”
Boucher endured a difficult second season in Philadelphia, where goalies typically come and go like Browns’ starting quarterbacks. He lost his job to Roman Cechmanek and was shipped to the Coyotes in 2002.
“I probably needed Vanbiesbrouck to be there with me for another year or two, and I didn’t have it,” Boucher said. “That’s where it all went sideways.”
Success in goal at the NHL level is as much about what goes on between the ears as between the pipes. Supplanting a veteran netminder is sometimes easier than maintaining the new role once the incumbent is jettisoned from the roster. Boucher wasn’t the first goalie to struggle after the safety net was removed, and he won’t be the last.
Which brings us to Tristan Jarry and a fascinating storyline that’s developing within the Penguins’ division. Jarry, 25, is one of three young goalies expected to take the reins for their teams when the new season opens next month.
Jarry became the Penguins’ primary puck stopper after the organization traded two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray to the Senators in the offseason. In New York, Igor Shesterkin, 24, gets the chance to be the Rangers’ franchise goaltender with the departure of Henrik Lundqvist. In Washington, Ilya Samsonov, 23, is being entrusted with the Capitals’ job in the post-Braden Holtby era.
How these players handle the transition from time-share goalies to primary owners of the net will play a critical factor in their clubs’ postseason chances.
“We have a lot of confidence in Tristan’s ability,” Jim Rutherford told DK Pittsburgh Sports this week of a goalie who outplayed Murray last season and earned an All-Star Game nod. “Fundamentally, he’s very good. He had a good season last year. He’s had a few good years now, really, through his development stage. He’s really blossomed.
“But, I don’t have an answer for your question. He’s now going to be in a different role, and until you get in that role, you don’t have a good answer. Nobody does. Certainly, he has the ability to be a No. 1 goalie. The adjustment comes with the extra pressure, the ability to handle more games. That’s something we will be watching for.”
‘A DIFFERENT PRESSURE’
There’s no position in hockey like that of goaltender. Forwards and defensemen routinely move up and down lineups, sometimes within the course of a single game. The same can be true in other sports.
But goaltender, like football quarterback, doesn’t lend itself to much in-game shuffling. There’s certainly no such animal as the “Wildcat” goalie.
While load management is becoming increasingly popular at hockey’s most important position, most franchises still prefer having a clear-cut No. 1, especially heading down the stretch of a regular season. That figures to be even more crucial this campaign with the condensed schedule expected to be under 60 games.
Jarry, Shesterkin and Samsonov all thrived in the 2019-20 season with more decorated netminders on the rosters. Their fine play made it easier for their respective decision makers to cut ties with Murray, Lundqvist and Holtby for various reasons.
Now, it’s about being the man who follows the man.
“It’s easy to say it, but it’s still the same white ice, black puck, red and blue lines,” said former goalie Kevin Weekes, an NHL Network studio analyst. “But it’s amazing how the gravity of the situation can mess with you a little bit. It can play on guys’ minds.”
Both Weekes and Boucher believe Jarry, who owns a career 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage in 62 appearances, has earned his promotion. But as Rutherford cautioned, there’s an unknown factor in how his goalie will adjust to the scrutiny and workload, not to mention having 29-year-old Casey DeSmith — a veteran of just 50 NHL games —as his backup.
Adding to the intrigue is that Jarry, Shesterkin and Samsonov likely will face each other numerous times this season if the league opts to play only divisional games. Another youngster in the equation is Islanders prospect Ilya Sorokin, 25, a highly-touted Russian coming to Long Island to be paired with Semyon Varlamov.
“When you are the 1B (goalie), you have the security of the other guy being there,” said Boucher, who played 13 NHL seasons. “But when he’s gone, you have all that pressure. That pressure can buckle some guys. Other guys, it doesn’t. That’s when you find out if that guy truly wants to be a No. 1, or just wants to be paid like a No. 1.
“When you are the backup or the 1B, guys love that goalie in the locker room and they play hard for him and in a lot of ways you have nothing to lose in those situations. Guys can feed off that energy and play well in those circumstances. But when you are expected to be the No. 1 guy and play 55 to 60 games — sometimes playing hurt, sometimes playing on back-to-back nights — it becomes a different pressure, a different type of expectation.”
‘FLOWER’ POWER
Weekes is the answer to a delicious bit of trivia. Name the last Rangers' goaltender to be their opening-night starter other than Lundqvist? It came on Oct. 5, 2005 in a 5-3 win over the Flyers. That's 15 years ago.
Meanwhile, Holtby has been a dominant presence in Washington since 2012, backstopping the Capitals to a title in 2018.
The transition of goaltending power is much more recent in Pittsburgh. Murray went from minor-leaguer to Stanley Cup champion in the spring of 2016, replacing an injured Marc-Andre Fleury. He took over for Fleury again in the middle of the 2017 championship run —this time due to a coach’s decision.
With the Golden Knights entering the NHL the following season, Fleury was left exposed in the expansion draft. There was no whiff of controversy in keeping the goalie who had won back-to-back Cups in his first two years in the league.
But in the 2017-18 season, the Penguins were bounced in the second round by the Capitals, while Fleury propelled the first-year Golden Knights to the final.
Some might have wondered if Murray and the Penguins missed having the popular Fleury in their goaltending tandem. Jarry served as the primary backup, posting a 14-6-2 record with a 2.77 GAA and .908 save percentage.
“There was more to (Murray’s) adjustment period than becoming ‘the guy,’ ” Rutherford said. “With the early success he had in winning the Cups and the recognition he got and how all that played out, I think there was even more of an adjustment that (made it) really difficult.”
Weekes believes Murray’s decline is attributed to, among other things, the inability to stay healthy and the 2018 death of his father. But the analyst added the loss of Fleury has hovered over a franchise that’s won just two of its last 13 postseason games dating to 2018.
“Marc-Andre Fleury is not only a special goalie, but a special person,” Weekes said. “When those people aren’t around, it changes the dynamic. He’s the type of player guys want to play well for, they want to win for, they want to block shots for. Not every goalie is like that. In certain instances, guys do that in spite of the goalie because their personal skills or social skills might be different. Not everyone is wired the same way. They might not have that level of honey, that level of effervescence every day. The halo effect of not having Flower there in Pittsburgh has had a tough impact on their team. I know that for a fact in talking with a lot of people in that group in Pittsburgh.”
Weekes was not taking a veiled shot at Murray with his statement. He was simply speaking to the character and intangibles Fleury provided the Penguins.
It’s not as if teammates weren’t blocking shots or trying to win games with Murray in net. But the multi-Cup winner played in just 38 games last season, registering a 2.87 GAA and a career-worst .899 save percentage.
Salary-cap constraints forced the Penguins to make a decision on their goalies, who were both restricted free agents at the end of last season.
“In Matt Murray’s case, he’s injured too much for me,” Boucher said. “I know he’s won Stanley Cups and I have all the respect in the world for him. He’s been great at important times, but as far as carrying the ball through an 82-game regular season, there are question marks because he can’t stay healthy enough for the money he was wanting to get.
“I think you can allocate that money in a better way. And I think Jarry is a good goalie. He’s a better puck-handler, a better athlete when I watch him play. I’m confident he’s going to give you as quality of a start as Matt Murray. The only thing Murray has is those two Stanley Cups.”
Jarry had a brilliant start to last season and finished with career highs in wins (20), GAA (2.43) and save percentage (.921). Facing postseason elimination, Mike Sullivan turned to Jarry in a 2-0 loss to the Canadiens in Game 4 of their qualifying-round series. Jarry stopped 20 of 21 shots with the Canadiens scoring the insurance goal into an empty net.
“I’ve really liked Jarry since his days in the (Western Hockey League),” said Weekes, who played 11 NHL seasons. “He had a great year last season. Now, I think it’s a matter of doubling down on what made him an All-Star. ... He’s a five-tool guy. In a sense, I think it will be easier for him not to have Murray there. Jarry can have a bit more swagger knowing he’s the man.”
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Talk about an unforgettable way to celebrate a 20-year anniversary. Few can top the story of Boucher in terms of hockey playoff history.
In August, he was between the benches in Toronto for the Lightning’s epic five-overtime win against the Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their opening-round series. It was the second-longest, modern-day postseason contest behind only the one in which Boucher played at Mellon Arena.
What he saw in Toronto, while calling that game, only reinforces the notion teams can cut bait with a franchise goalie and still be successful. Joonas Korpisalo made an astounding 85 saves in a 3-2 setback to the eventual Cup champions.
A year after the Blue Jackets lost two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, they returned to the playoffs with the young tandem of Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins. Each goalie recorded wins in the qualifying-round series victory over the Maple Leafs.
“It was a bit of a leap of faith and there were some nervous moments along the way,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “But opportunity is a wonderful thing. We had guys that we projected were going to be good and we decided to give them that opportunity.”
Korpisalo earned an All-Star Game bid in his first season removed from the shadow of Bobrovsky, while Merzlikins rebounded from a rough start to his rookie year to finish fifth in Vezina Trophy balloting.
“I think Jarmo felt comfortable all day long with Merzlikins and Korpisalo,” Boucher said. “There’s a good example where moving on from an established goalie like Bob has worked well.”
Now, Jarry, Shesterkin and Samsonov have the chance to make it a trend.
Shesterkin has the least stressful task. The youthful Rangers aren’t Cup contenders, and they boast an experienced backup in 24-year-old Alexandar Georgiev. Samsonov’s mission got a bit dicier Thursday when Lundqvist, who recently signed with the Capitals, announced he won’t be playing to due a heart ailment.
Weekes said Jarry is the one carrying the heaviest burden because the Penguins still fancy themselves as title hopefuls. Certainly no team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can be disqualified from the Stanley Cup conversation.
“There are expectations to win Cups, and there is no veteran safety net for him,” Weekes said. “But Jarry is good, and if he rises to the challenge, he gives the Penguins a chance to get where they want to go.”
