SIMMONS SAYS: Bobrovsky should rediscover his sense of timing

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Wayne Gretzky hardly ever hesitates when requested to call the best goaltender of all time.

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He doesn’t make the apparent decisions comparable to Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, or Martin Brodeur, or the legendary picks comparable to Ken Dryden, Glenn Corridor or Jacques Plante.

He sticks along with his former teammate, Grant Fuhr, who he occurred to win 4 Stanley Cups and two Canada Cups taking part in alongside.

The rationale he loves Fuhr: The timing of his huge saves. He by no means had one of the best goals-against common, one of the best save share or one of the best of any statistic. However he made the save when it mattered most.

He made the cease within the third interval of a high-scoring tie sport that modified the end result.

Sergei Bobrovsky was identified for having some Fuhr in him as he took the Florida Panthers to 3 consecutive Stanley Cup finals and two straight championships. He would, his coaches will let you know, let in a foul aim early in lots of video games after which take a couple of again within the third interval on the most dramatic of moments.

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His teammates got here to like him for that. His sense of timing. His really feel in an in depth sport.

However not this season, so far, with the Toronto Maple Leafs. What has made Bobrovsky particular prior to now has gone lacking in his first 10 begins with the Leafs. His goals-against common isn’t significantly horrible — contemplating the state of the Leafs defence — and his save share is so-so on the time when these specific numbers are dropping in all places. However the huge cease — the one he didn’t make in Seattle on Wednesday night time — hasn’t been there.

The Leafs have invested $21 million for 3 seasons of an growing old Bobrovsky. It’s too early to fret that he’s in decline. But it surely’s early sufficient for absolute concern.

The Leafs want some Fuhr of their No. 1 goaltender. And so they want it now.

THIS AND THAT

Nikita Kucherov at all times has been thought of one thing of a hockey savant. He does issues nobody else can do. He’s a closed e-book that claims little and few have gotten to know him in his sensible string within the Nationwide Hockey League. The bomb that dropped Friday night time — that Kucherov needs to be traded, which actually means he needs much more cash than the Tampa Bay Lightning is providing the pending free agent — was reasonably gorgeous. So was the timing. On Thursday night time, the Lightning honoured Kucherov for changing into the profession main scorer in franchise historical past. He was his typical uncomfortable self because the video performed. The following night time, somebody, doubtless his agent Dan Millstein, leaked that he needed out. Kucherov has gained two Hart Trophies and two Stanley Cups in his sensible time with Tampa Bay. The Lightning says it gained’t commerce him. One piece of reality: No Hart Trophy winner has ever been traded the season after profitable the award. Kucherov is deserving of the $20-million quantity that appears to be floating round for one of the best gamers in hockey. Due to lack of state taxes, Tampa Bay hardly ever pays its gamers what others make across the league. They could be pressured to take action right here … Kucherov, by the best way, is off to a sluggish begin for him … Earlier than the season started, I might not have positioned Auston Matthews among the many high 10 gamers within the NHL. Now, nearing the primary quarter of video games, he can be in my high 5 … It’s no shock to see the Edmonton Oilers among the many worst penalty-killing groups within the league. That’s one thing that has moved round with Mike Babcock. In his three playoff sequence losses in Toronto, the Leafs penalty-killing was so inept it in all probability price them every of these first-round sequence … No shock to see Gavin McKenna having success on the facility play play early in his first season. It jogs my memory of Yvan Cournoyer in his early years in Montreal. Cournoyer scored 41 of his first 54 objectives with the person benefit.

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HEAR AND THERE

That is an historic season of types for William Nylander. He has handed George Armstrong, Frank Mahovlich and Rick Vaive in profession Toronto goal-scoring by means of the primary 15 video games. He’s not distant from passing Armstrong and Tomas Kaberle in assists and may transfer into fifth in factors this season, passing Armstrong, Mitch Marner and Borje Salming. By the top of this marketing campaign, assuming good well being, Nylander ought to be fifth in Leafs scoring behind Mats Sundin, Darryl Sittler, Dave Keon and Matthews. And he’s not the form of man you consider as an all-time nice … A query was requested of me this week that I’ve been requested earlier than: Ought to Vaive’s identify be raised to the rafters at Scotiabank Enviornment? He did scored 50 objectives in three straight seasons, the primary Leaf to take action. The problem in answering: Vaive by no means performed for a Leafs workforce that gained extra video games than it misplaced. You can also make a case for him, and a case in opposition to him … Being within the Atlantic Division is a tricky place if the Leafs goaltending doesn’t get higher. Tampa Bay has Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boston has Jeremy Swayman, Montreal has the tremendous rookie Jacob Fowler, Ottawa has Linus Ullmark. Solely 5 groups, most, can qualify for the playoffs out of the Atlantic … Drew Doughty took a shot at Leafs coach Jim Hiller — and former coaches with the Los Angeles Kings — when he identified how his groups had by no means practised 3-on-3 hockey earlier than this season with Peter Laviolette now teaching … Additionally off to quiet begins: Sidney Crosby, Macklin Celebrini, Alex Ovechkin, Robert Thomas, Wyatt Johnston and Sam Reinhart.

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SCENE AND HEARD

As ridiculous because the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen was of their workforce’s World Collection victory, it wasn’t as dominant because the Blue Jays bullpen occurred to be in 1992. Folks appear to neglect about that. The Brewers pen pitched 24.1 innings within the 2026 Collection and gave up 4 earned runs for an ERA of 1.47. The Jays bullpen of Tom Henke, Duane Ward, Mike Timlin, Jimmy Key, Todd Stottlemyre, Mark Eichhorn and David Wells pitched 18.1 innings in opposition to the Atlanta Braves in ’92, yielding one earned run for an ERA of 0.49 … It’s reasonably exceptional, looking back, that the Jays gained the World Collection the next 12 months after Henke, Key and Wells left the membership and Stottlemyre was moved again to the beginning rotation. The Jays bullpen within the ’93 sequence had an ERA of 5.57. However that was nonetheless quite a bit higher than the Philadelphia ’pen, which gave up 19 earned runs in 19 innings, together with a well-known dwelling run … It’s not usually the identical workforce dominates the common season, the early playoffs after which the World Collection. There have been few World Collection champions as full wire-to-wire as this 12 months’s Brewers … So what’s your guess on once we subsequent see baseball? The lockout seems to be 30 days away. It’s only a guess, however I’m figuring for a gap day round June 1 and hoping for one of the best … So many on-line pundits have the Blue Jays signing free-agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who hit 58 dwelling runs the previous two seasons for the Chicago Cubs.

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AND ANOTHER THING

On Media Day, Kawhi Leonard proudly introduced he was in nice form and prepared for the season. The following day, he didn’t participate within the Raptors’ first observe at Quebec Metropolis. That is what you get with the brand new Kawhi: Extra phrases, extra smiles, extra fiction …. Right here’s betting, now that’s he’s injured once more and gone from Toronto, that he gained’t play one other sport till December … The worst half about Jakob Poeltl’s contract: He’s set to be paid $27 million subsequent 12 months and $29 million the 12 months after that. That’s some huge cash for a statue … So-so begin of the Raptors. They received blasted by the one good workforce they’ve performed and may have gained the entire different 4 video games. They gained three … Ernie Johnson is retiring from Inside The NBA. He has turn into like a part of the household over time. Stable, snug, humorous, utterly in cost. Like your favorite uncle … The court docket of arbitration for sport has voted to permit Russia again in worldwide hockey competitions. Nearly each hockey nation on Earth has gone public and disagreed with the ruling. USA Hockey, nevertheless, has but to say something on the matter. You in all probability know why … I actually don’t perceive the Dylan Larkin 10-team commerce record. At the very least half of the groups he appears to have recognized don’t have room on their roster for a Larkin form of deal … How is it that Mike Miller wasn’t a finalist for coach of the 12 months within the CFL when three of 9 coaches are nominated? His Argos didn’t play a house sport till August and so they nonetheless made the playoffs … Edmonton’s Mark Kilam is the clear option to win the award … Undecided why the Argos would announce the big-time contract extension of quarterback Chad Kelly just some days earlier than their playoff sport in opposition to Winnipeg. Positive it’s respectable advertising on the Argos half earlier than a house playoff sport, but it surely put an pointless strain on Kelly to fulfill the $1 million a 12 months that he’s about to be paid. Kelly was simply so-so within the Argos’ 25-22 loss to Winnipeg in Saturday’s Jap semifinal earlier than getting harm on the finish of the third quarter … The contract, by itself, begins a brand new airplane for CFL salaries … John Sweet would have been 76 immediately; Brian Piccolo would have been would been 83; Al Arbour would have been 94. And a cheerful birthday to Tie Domi (57), Antonio Davis (58), Fred McGriff (63), Gary Participant (91), Nick Foligno (39), Mats Naslund (67), Stuart Skinner (28), Stephen Vogt (42) and Artur Akhtyamov (25) … And hey, no matter grew to become of Michael Bishop?

ssimmons@postmedia.com

(Steve Simmons is Canada’s longest-serving sports activities columnist)

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