Kipper Vs. Khabby: Round 2

by Matthew Dirt on Apr 15, 2009 6:16 PM CDT Comment 13 comments

You probably aren't going to get two teams with more opposing methods of handling their netminders during the regular season than these two. While Khabby and Huet pretty much split the duty right down the middle, Kiprusoff started damn near every game for the Flames.

From what it looked like at the end of the season though it looks like Khabby is going to get the starts against the Flames with Huet mostly subbing in on occasion.

It'd be shocking, and stupid, for the Flames to do anything but start Kipper for every game for this series.

Looking at goalies makes it a lot easier to get all the stats up quickly. First up the Flames goalies - Miikka Kiprusoff and Curtis McElhinney

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Miikka Kiprusoff	76	4418	45	24	5	3	209	2.84	2155	1946	.903	4

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Curtis McElhinney	14	518	1	6	1	3	31	3.59	280	249	.889	0

Against the previously two-headed monster that is/was Khuetibulin:

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Nikolai Khabibulin	42	2467	25	8	7	1	96	2.33	1192	1096	.919	3

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Cristobal Huet	41	2351	20	15	4	5	99	2.53	1087	988	.909	3

Of the 14 games McElhinney played this year only 6 were games game that he started and completed. The rest were starts that ended up with him getting pulled or subbing in for Kipper (such as the Jan 4th game against the Hawks where Curtis played the third). So lets not even focus on him - it's all about Miikka for the Flames.

And it's not been a great year for the Kipper. Since his first full season with the Flames in '05-'06 he's played in a ridiculous amount of games for a goalie in this day & age. The fewest he's played in has been 74 games in the first two full years. The past two he's played in 76. So that's an even 300 games in 4 seasons. Combined, Huet and Khabby have played in 373 in the past 4 (171 for Huet, 202 for Khabby).

And things haven't been going well for Kipper. His GAA has risen every year with the Flames and his SV% has dropped. His 2.84 GAA and .903 SV% this year are his worst numbers since the '02-'03 season with the Sharks when in 22 games he was at 3.25/.879. Part of the decline the Flames saw over the past month and a half was the result of Kipper in poor form.

Meanwhile, Khabby is enjoying some his best stats ever. His .919 SV% is the third best of his career (.920 in '01-02 and .923 in '98-99). His 2.33 GAA is the second best he's ever put up. He had the exact same average in '03-04 which is a season the Flames remember well.

Huet hasn't put up great numbers but he's certainly a better goalie to have in your pocket than McElhinney (who has only played in 19 games total in his NHL career). So lets just leave it at that. If things get really bad though - maybe the Flames can sign this kid:

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Comments

Holy shit that kid is creepy.

… in an awesome kind of way.

NOW STOP IT RIGHT HERE

by mjthor on Apr 15, 2009 6:48 PM CDT reply actions

I have always had a huge crush on Kipper.

I like boobs.

by G.S. Clam on Apr 15, 2009 7:45 PM CDT reply actions

And now, the news:

MacTavish fired as Oilers’ coach…The Brodeurs and Malkin & Crosby LLP taking care of business late in their first games… NYR 4:3 WSH halfway through third… Bettman thanks fans for ZZZZZZZ…..

WAIT FOR THE WHISTLE!

by Sec 326 Bureau Chief on Apr 15, 2009 8:20 PM CDT reply actions

FLASH

NYR 4:3 WSH — FINAL.

Gomez with 3 points, Naslund and Antropov with 2; Henrik with 32 saves. Mike Green with 2 assists but a minus-2 on the night (with over 30:00 TOI).

WAIT FOR THE WHISTLE!

by Sec 326 Bureau Chief on Apr 15, 2009 8:37 PM CDT reply actions

Is anyone worried..

the Flames will take out their ’04 Cup aggression for losing to Khabby on the Hawks this series?

An inspired Jarome Iginla is never a good thing. But I’m not worried when seeing the stats comparison between Kipper to the Bulin Wall. I think our defense holds up, Khabby stands on his head, and the Kane-Toews-Havlat line continues their dominance.

by spell on Apr 15, 2009 8:45 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

I sure hope you're right.

about the last sentence of your post.

NOW STOP IT RIGHT HERE

by mjthor on Apr 15, 2009 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions

The Hawks eat kippers for breakfast.

by the wolf on Apr 15, 2009 10:05 PM CDT reply actions

Who lets their kid dress like that for a hockey game?

What parent wants to lug all that gear into the game with them, then help the kid out of it when he as to pee? I don’t like that kid. I don’t like him one bit.

by Sportsgal on Apr 15, 2009 11:36 PM CDT reply actions

are you kidding? I love that kid. He might be juuuuussstt a bit too old to do that sort of thing.. but it still looks fucking fun.

Oh.. and he’s holding it if he were my kid..

Second City Hockey

by Matthew Dirt on Apr 15, 2009 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions

if you allow your child to dress in full goalie gear for a game, i will hunt you down. that kid is a psycho.

by Sportsgal on Apr 15, 2009 11:40 PM CDT up reply actions

The kid's obssessed, that's for sure.

If some kid was imitating me like that, I’d be kinda freaked out. I wonder if it bothers Kipper to know that some weird child in the stands is copying his every move.

"He shows up every day to play, he plays hard every day, and he shows up to beat your butt." ~Ozzie Guillen on AJ Pierzynski, 3-17-09

R.I.P. Harry Kalas 4-13-09

by HappyHuman on Apr 16, 2009 12:28 AM CDT reply actions

Kipper has met the kid, signed his gear and taken photos with him. Kipper gave some mealy mouth hockey player response about how important fans are or some crap like that when asked about the kid.

I would love it If I had a mini-me copy everything I did.

by Keith M on Apr 16, 2009 6:08 PM CDT up reply actions