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A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 3 december 2019
Net gaiNs

Continued from Page 17 goalies sharp and trying to
have all our players at the
"The trend is definitely go- top of their game come
ing the way that you split playoffs."
the net more," said Boston The New York Islanders have
goaltender Tuukka Rask, alternated Thomas Greiss
who carried the Bruins to and Semyon Varlamov for
Game 7 of the final last their first 24 games and al-
year after starting 46 times low the fourth-fewest goals
in the regular season. "It's a in the league. Anaheim's
tough thing because if your coaching staff pencils in
starter makes $8-9 million, both John Gibson or Ryan
you want him to play. But Miller for all 82 games and
then you want to win the revisits incrementally to ad-
Cup, so you've got to think just for injuries and work-
of it like, well, if this guy loads.
plays 70 games, is he going "It has very little to do with
to play 25 in the playoffs games," Ducks coach Dal-
at the same level? Versus las Eakins said. "It has more
OK we're playing him 45, to do with how much work.
50 really good games and We had a game earlier
then we got the other guy this year where we were
and the A guy's going to overwhelmed in the game
play 25 really good (playoff against Vegas. I think they In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh Penguins goalies Marc-Andre Fleury, left,
and Matt Murray hold the Stanley Cup on stage after riding in the Stanley Cup victory parade in
games)." put up 50 shots, and we Pittsburgh.
Rask and Jaroslav Halak, were in our zone the whole Associated Press
Washington's Braden Holt- time. That went down as
by and Philipp Grubauer in one game for John, but he just your mindset every and he's not alone in want- in every game, but it's not
2018 and Pittsburgh's Mur- really played two, so that's night." ing to grab the net and not realistic," Canadiens coach
ray and Fleury the previous kind of how we look at it." NHL goalies believe mod- let go. Claude Julien said. "We
two years are prime ex- Miller previously preferred ern games are more diffi- "I've felt a lot better every give him some days off of
amples. Jordan Binnington to skip a game with a cult with higher shot totals year I played a lot more practices because that's
didn't make his first NHL start couple days off on each than past decades. Teams games," said Holtby, who not quite as important as
until January, but 32 games end for a mental break. He are averaging 30 shots a led the league with 73 him in games."
of work made him fresh to sees so many teams split- game in 2019-20, while the games played in 2014-15. The most important thing,
help the St. Louis Blues win ting back-to-backs and un- schedule has more back- "It's a little more of a feel of course, is the playoffs. It's
the Cup last season. derstands it but also thinks to-backs. game instead of an analyt- tough for starters who want
It's a delicate balance of battling some old-school "Nowadays there's a lot ics game just because of to play all the time and it
having enough salary cap fatigue can be good for a more work for a goalie: a the speed of it. ... It's one takes an adjustment, but
space to employ two ca- goaltender. lot less hooking and holding of those things everyone's the proof is in the names on
pable goalies with play- "I don't think there's a strict up for the D-men, so there's probably different. It prob- the Stanley Cup that split-
ing time, plotting out the recipe," said Miller, whose a lot more chances or a ably has a lot to do with ting the net works.
schedule for maximum rest career high was 74 starts in lot more in-zone time that how you practice and ev- "Everybody wants to play,"
benefits and collecting 2007-08 with Buffalo. "I think you're actually working," erything." Rask said. "The older you
enough points to make the some adversity is good said Philadelphia's Brian Some goalies are going to get, I think it becomes a
playoffs. to keep your mentality in Elliott, who's part of a suc- play more than others; Flor- little easier to realize that it's
"It's a collaborative discus- the right place. It's not go- cessful tandem with Carter ida's $10 million man, Sergei not about me. I'm resting
sion that all teams have," ing to be a cake walk and Hart. "Even if you're maybe Bobrovsky, or Montreal's for the team."
Vegas general manager then playoffs hit and it's like not getting shots, you're Carey Price, the highest- And resting with the hope
Kelly McCrimmon said. (you're) dialed in. You've looking through screens, paid goalie in the league, that shouldering less of a
"What we're doing is try- got to go through some you're doing a lot of work." could start 60 or more just load now makes a goalie
ing to win hockey games stuff and work through it Vegas coach Gerard Gal- because his team needs more likely to raise a trophy
during the regular season, and battle through the lant appreciates Fleury an elite level of play. over his shoulders at the
trying to keep both of our harder situations so that's wants to play all 82 games, "We'd love to have (Price) end of the season.q

Larrazábal birdies last to clinch victory at Alfred Dunhill

MALELANE, South Africa just ahead of Sweden's Joel I didn't think I was going event where he started that tie for third. Besseling
(aP) — Pablo Larrazábal Sjöholm. Larrazábal said he to play," said Larrazábal. "I his professional career 12 led or held a share of the
won the European Tour's struggled with blisters on his couldn't put my shoe on, I years ago. lead through much of the
season-opening Alfred feet throughout the final couldn't walk to the buggy. Sjöholm's final-round 69 al- final round but he made
Dunhill Championship on round, when he fell three I really struggled on the most saw him through to his bogey on the last after his
Sunday after losing a three- shots behind at one point. back nine. I have a big first European Tour victory. approach flew too far and
shot overnight lead and He made a litany of errors blister on my right toe and Charl Schwartzel (70) fin- landed among some rocks
then making three birdies and closed with a 75 after I said to myself 'If Tiger can ished tied for third at 6 un- behind the green.
on his last four holes for a six bogeys and a double win a U.S. Open with a bro- der on his return to tour- That opened the way for
dramatic one-stroke vic- bogey, but his rousing fina- ken leg…' and I just fought nament action for the first Larrazábal to win it on the
tory. le still enabled him to clinch hard." time in eight months be- last. He laid up with his sec-
Larrazábal birdied the par- a fifth European Tour title The 36-year-old Larrazábal's cause of a wrist injury. Bran- ond and then fired his third
5 No. 18 as the Spaniard and first in four years. victory at Leopard Creek den Grace (73) and Wil shot in close to tap in for
finished 8 under overall and "I woke up this morning and Country Club came at the Besseling (74) were also in birdie and the win.q