Rolston's slapper can't save Devils in shootout

Brian Rolston said he would do it again. In fact, he said he's had success before going for the slap shot on a shootout attempt.

Just not tonight.

Rolston had a chance to push tonight's shootout with the Toronto to a fifth round, but his slap shot went off the left shoulder of goaltender Vesa Toskala and crashed off the glass. That give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory tonight at Air Canada Centre.

The Leafs won the shootout, 2-1, with Jason Blake scoring the deciding goal in the top of the fourth round on a spinaround backhand. I'll get to that a little later, but first Rolston's slap shot. 

“It got his shoulder,” Rolston said. “It was good save. He played very well tonight for them. We had a couple of lapses in the game, but they played a strong game and their goaltender was very good tonight.”

 

Rolston said he has had success with the slap shot in shootouts before.

 

"I have acutally, but [tonight] it caught his shoulder," he said,. "It is what it is."

 

Rolston thought he might be able to surprise Toskala, but was unsuccessful.

 

"He was deep on all the other ones, so that's what I was doing," Rolston said. "But I think he was kind of knew that I was doing it. It was a good save and he made other good saves on Patrik [Elias] and Zach [Parise]. He played good tonight."

 

Devils coach Brent Sutter thought that Rolston missed the net, but said he had not seen a replay of the shot before he spoke to reporters after the game.

 

"I haven't seen a replay, but he didn't hit the net, did he?" Sutter said. "If it doesn't hit the net, it's not a good play."

 

Rolston is now 9-for-25 for his career in shootout attempts. That was his first as a Devil.

 

Now to Blake's shootout winner. Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen wasn't crazy about it, but conceded that it''s been become an accepted move in the NHL.  He said that Blake did make contact with him before he scored.

 

"When you come in ,you back in," Clemmensen said. "You can't see that he's doing it. You inadvertently do it when you're going to pull a move like that. But It's a legal goal."

 

Should it be?

 

"It's not for me to determine," Clemmensen said. "As a goalie, I would like to say, 'no'. But the league has set the precendent that it is legal and that's it." 

 

Clemmensen was unsure if Blake came to a stop, but that wasn't his biggest issue with the play.

 

"I don't think that's so much the case," he said. "I think the case is more of the puck moving forward and backward and then forward again. That's the whole issue there. And then maybe inadvertent contact with the goalie. Obviously, he didn't mean to. But when you turn your back like that it's going to happen. 

 

"Like I said, the first time somebody tried -- the first year of the post-lockout -- they ruled it was a good goal."

 

Devils coach Brent Sutter said he did not have a problem with Blake's goal.

 

"I've seen it happen before and they counted it and obviously the refs felt it was OK," Sutter said. "I've seen it happen before watching goals on TV and stuff."

Comments

[Erik Carlson]

I found putting Rolston out there in the shootout with the game on the line strange, and that's putting it nicely. It it was still tied, I wouldn't have cared.

[Robbie]

Lags is off my list. Rolston just got on my list

[Bartosz]

why gio wasnt in the shoot out line up?

[Speedz]

I just think Sutter was trynig to give Rolston some confidence but it's just such a risky way to go out. I think if some one else went, things would have most likely been different.

[AK47]

Don't get me wrong I love this team but WTF is going on. 4 great chances to be on top and we blew it. Madden, what were you thinking yo have to score on the breakaway like that same goes for Travis. I just hope they will play better tomorrow. And Rolston oh boy,what can you say, its to painful to watch.

[JCdevs]

TG- heading to Buffalo tonight or driving down in the morning?

[Vishal]

They all left tonight. Well at least Chico, Steve and the team did. Weather is kind of crap in Toronto. Hopefully everyone go there alright. I ran into Mr. Chere, but didn't see Mr. Gulitti there.

[Pat D'Amico]

I've always had a problem with the spin-o-rama moves if the player makes contact with the goalie I don't think it should be legal.

[Brodie30]

Clem is right. With no defender the puck should never be behind the shooter. It became an issue with Martin St. Louis two years ago with that stupid move he used to do. But the league will take as much gimmicky publicity as it can. Even if it is a trip to the circus.

Lay off Rolston a little bit. He's coming back from injury and signed with the Devils when more than half the league was making a pitch. His shot on the PP is impossible to control and with a few bounces, even if it doesn't go, someone is going to bury the rebound half the time. Remember when Zubrus was a lost cause? Now all of the sudden he is a number one center again.

And I've never seen a shootout where he didn't take the slap shot. And look at his record. Unfortunately when you miss with the slapper, you miss bad.

[Salvatore from Garfield]

I'm with Brodie30. Let's not all board the rolston hate bandwagon. Not now. Not ever.

[Falcone]

Langs scored, but I was surprised to see him out there. Where was Gio? Gio, Parise and Elias are our 3 "finese" players. And I agree with Brodie30, leave Rollie alone. He'll come back and come back strong.

[TG]

I'm driving down to Buffalo this morning.

And Blake's shootout goal is no big deal to me. My problem -- as it has been for three-plus years -- is with deciding games in a shootout to begin with. The whole idea is a gimmick that has very little to do with actual hockey. They've already thrown out 98 percent of how the game works by going to a shootout in the first place. If you're going to do that, you might as well let the shooters do whatever they want.

Bring back the tie and bring back integrity to the game and the standings, which are a joke because of all the bonus loser points they hand out.

Otherwise, go to three points for a regulation win and only two for OT or a shootout. I used to be against the three-point win, but now I think it would be better than sticking with what they have.

That's my rant for today.

[Jason]

Has a slap-shot EVER worked in a shootout? Rolston is such a predictable player. If he were a baseball player he would be called a 1-tool guy. Because other than that slap-shot, he has NOTHING. That is why he has been so useless this season. Other teams have completely shut him down from taking the slap shot. Why Sutter would use him on the shootout is crazy.

[Vishal]

Rolston has scored on the slapper 5n the shootout.

[Festus]

Totally agree with TG about shootouts...they are lame attempts to market superstars even more. Use them in preseason and/or the all star game, which don't effect the season, but not in the regular season when playoff spots are on the line. The rags are the perfect example...Lundquist is good at shootouts so they lead the division, straight up records with ties and they are just another team in the pack.

I thought Blake's shootout goal was questionable, but it looked good so the NHL will allow it.

I wish they would dump the shootouts and get back to marketing hockey as a team game

[Peter]

Every other place in the world accepts ties as part of their games. I hate to think that US/Canadian sports fans, in general, are so feeble-minded that they can *only* deal with a win or a loss. But I think it's true.

How about this? Have your five-minute OT, and have three rounds of the shootout. If it's still tied at the end of round 3, the game ends in a tie.

3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss...whenever it happens.

That way the NHL can keep their gimmick, but playing for the tie might cost you. I'd prefer to see teams play hard in overtime for what they can possibly get (3 points), rather than play hard because of the cheap point they have been given already.

[Jason]

Uhhh...Baseball doesn't accept ties.

[Peter]

Baseball is an exception, and is an American game.

Besides...in Japan, if the score is tied after the 12th inning, the game ends in a tie.

[Nick]

I think it should just be 5 minutes of 4-4 OT then 5 more minutes of 3-3 OT. After that if the game is still tied, it just ends up being a tie. Then maybe teams needing the points would go all out and play for the 2 points. Not this whole 'play for the loser point' mentality. It completely ruins the standings and makes it a joke. Need to bring back ties and get rid of the shootout.