Ilya Bryzgalov came into Flyers Skate Zone on Friday morning and he was smiling, according to goalie coach Jeff Reese.
He came in with a swagger, Reese said. Joking around with his teammates and laughing. Thats a strength of his.
In the span of five games, the affable Bryz went from among the leading goalies in the NHL to the bottom of the pile.
His first three games (3-0-1): 1.99 GAA and .927 save percentage. These last four losses? He is 5.02 and .802, having given up 18 goals over that span.
Which is why the 31-year-old goalie took it upon himself after Thursdays mindboggling 9-8 loss to Winnipeg to say he was terrible, couldnt stop a beach ball, and was lost in the woods.
Reese met privately with Bryzgalov today. The Flyers had an off day on the ice and with reporters. They had a brief meeting with coach Peter Laviolette but only talkedno video session.
Reese believes Bryzgalov is distracted right now, dealing with a large media presence every day, his social interactions on Twitter, the pressure to live up to his 51 million contract, and the expectations in Philly as opposed to Phoenix.
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I know hes a great quote, hes a great personalitybut at the same time he needs to focus on his job, Reese said.
Instead of just worrying about going out and stopping the puck, hes got himself involved in some other things with the press and Twitter and things like that and he has to simply go out and stop the puck.
Reese would not accept that one of the reason Bryzgalovs head is spinning right now is the shoddy play of his defensemen in front of the net.
Too many Flyer D-men are watching plays and not reacting. And that has made Bryzgalov a nervous goalie in net.
Thats not my place to comment on the defenseIm not gonna say that, Reese said. Its still the goaltenders job to make the save. He said that last night in his interview. The offense came through with a lot of goals.
Bryzgalov sacrificed himself to the media after the game with the kind of rare candor we used to see from Ron Hextall. Reese thought it was the correct thing to do.
I like to see him step up and take responsibility, Reese said. I think that goes a long way with his teammates and fans, as well.
Laviolette said that Bryzgalov will be back in net on Saturday against Carolina.
Reese concurred with that decision, saying it was important for teammates to see Bryzgalov back in net and fight through this. He certainly cant give in and hes not going to. Hes a guy who takes a lot of pride in what he does.
The Flyers have had more than a dozen goal deflections, Reese said. That coupled with Bryzgalov facing far fewer shots on a regular basis than he did in Phoenix has been an adjustment for him, much like when Nikolai Khabibulin went from Phoenix to Tampa where Reese coached him.
The whole situation here is an adjustment for Bryzgalov, Reese said.
Reese reiterated that all the distractions around his goalie can get his mind wandering.
His focus should be on the puck. he said. We knew it wasnt going to be all peaches and cream the whole season. Id rather see this happen in October than April.
As for the swagger which is missing in his game, Reese said, That can change awfully quick. I have no doubt he can get that back.
Reese made one prediction on Bryzgalov.
Hes going to figure this out, he said. Hes too big a talent not to turn this around.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
