By Darren Pang Special to ESPN.com The Matchup: Brian Boucher vs. Ron Tugnutt
It's difficult to compare Boucher and Tugnutt; Boucher has never played in the playoffs, and Tugnutt has seen playoff experience, but had never won a first-round series until now. They are inexperienced but energetic goaltenders. It's easier to discuss the variable Tugnutt brings to the locker room than it is to break down his strengths and weaknesses as a goalie. Pittsburgh seems to really enjoy his enthusiasm. The Penguins seem to be marveling at this smaller goaltender who tries hard all the time and takes the blame when it's necessary. In return, they play hard for him. Against Tugnutt, the Flyers' goal will be to jam the net and make plays from behind. For a smaller goalie, moving from side to side takes more energy, so I'm sure the Flyers will work on keeping the puck down low and then try to cash in on rebounds, going up high on him. It's the same against all small goaltenders. Boucher's demeanor under fire has impressed me the most. While his demenaor has been a big positive, it might attributed more to naivete, having never been in an NHL playoff situation before. In the first round, he was more active around the net than I thought he would be. He made a lot of plays with his stick against Buffalo and more unpredictable saves than I had seen from him during the regular season. Buffalo, though, didn't heavily test him. Although he didn't have to dominate the series, he won the only game in which he faced 30 shots or more. It's difficult to play a playoff game and not face a lot of shots. But Boucher remained mentally sharp in those games. Tugnutt merits an edge over Boucher because he is not facing players like Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka who hold onto the puck. What Tugnutt will face is players barrelling down the wing and shooting the puck. It will be more difficult for Boucher, who will need a great deal of patience in the net in order to make sure that he is staying up while the Penguins still have the puck. One thing Jagr will want him to do is go down early and rifle one over his shoulder. Darren Pang is a hockey analyst for ESPN. | |||||
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