Goalie spotlight: Ottawa Senators ESPN.com
Tom Barrasso
| | It's been a tough year for Barrasso, but he'll get the nod for the Sens. | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 210 | Age: 35
Experience: 17th NHL season
The lowdown: Patrick Lalime has performed admirably this season, especially the past few games, but the Senators traded for Barrasso for this time of year. Management made the bold move, and they will stick with the veteran Stanley Cup winner.
Barrasso had a turbulent year, with injuries and personal issues that took him away from the rink. Everyone involved would like to have seen Barrasso get a few solid performances before the postseason, but the hope is that his experience will help him settle in for what should be an intense series with Ontario rival, Toronto.
It will be important for Barrasso to play well early on. He needs to gain confidence and a rhythm.
DARREN PANG'S ANALYSIS OF TOM BARRASSO |
How to beat Barrasso |
How Barrasso beats you |
Because he just hurt his stick hand, Barrasso could have a hard time with anything along the ice and on the stick side. That could make life miserable for him and could cause a lack of confidence on that side because of any painful vibrations to his hand. With the pads he wears, teams need to shoot low and hard against Barrasso, leading to plenty of rebounds. |
Mentally, Barrasso has a strong presence in the net. He will also help the Ottawa defense with his playmaking skills. His puckhandling is great, and he is a leader behind the blue line. Everyone knows where he stands. I think he still possesses one of the strong glove hands in the NHL. |
Career playoff games: 113 | Career playoff record: 59-50
1999-2000 stats: GAA: 3.17 | Record: 8-11-2 | Save. pct: .880 | Shutouts: 1
Vs. Maple Leafs in 1999-2000: G: 2 | GAA: 2.50 | Record: 1-1-0 | Save. pct: .898
Post All-Star Game stats: G: 9 | GAA: 3.39 | Record: 3-4-1 | Save pct: .873
Career stats: GAA: 3.27 | Record: 353-259-81 | Save. pct: .891 | Shutouts: 35 |