Halak scores on himself, goalies bucking trends

After an impressive start in a harrowing division, the St. Louis Blues have hit a bit of a rough spot.  In last night’s contest at Joe Louis Arena, Blues newcomer Jaroslav Halak surrendered 7 goals, and one was more embarassing than the rest:
 

 
Meanwhile, former teammate Carey Price is playing lights out in Montreal and the early kneejerk reactions to his shaky preseason have gone the way of Ryan Getzlaf’s hair.

To state the obvious for those who can’t figure out the context clues: goalies are streaky. 

It’s far from a new phenomenon, though the cries of fans and the media through blogs, forums, and Twitter would have you believe otherwise.  Case in point, Marc-Andre Fleury, Cup-winning Penguins goaltender turned pariah.  After an atrocious start that led to Brent Johnson taking over the #1 spot in Pittsburgh, Fleury has righted the ship with a 3-1-0 stretch that includes last night’s 29-save win against the high-powered Vancouver Canucks.  Another example is Boston’s Tim Thomas whose name was only mentioned this offseason when bemoaning inflated contracts.  Fast forward a few short months and Thomas is the unquestioned starter with early numbers that rival his Vezina year

With most teams only one quarter of the way to 82, there’s still plenty of time for this year’s top goaltenders to falter and the mediocre ones to take a miraculous turn for the better.  You hear that, Brian Elliot?  There’s hope for you yet.

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