Goalie spotlight: Phoenix Coyotes
ESPN.com
Sean Burke
|  | | Burke's size is a tremendous advantage. |
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 210 | Age: 33
Experience: 12th NHL season
The lowdown: Phoenix's second-half struggles can't be blamed on Burke, who has been solid -- but not spectacular. In fact, his statistics are better with Phoenix than they were with Florida before his trade.
Burke is an interesting paradox. He has been in the league since 1987, but in his 12 seasons, Burke has just 24 playoff games under his belt -- 17 of which came in his rookie season.
Plus, he hasn't been in the postseason since 1998, and his performance with the Flyers wasn't impressive. So, anyone who thinks the Coyotes have a battle-tested playoff goalie is mistaken. Having said that, however, there's no reason to think he'll play poorly. He's a mature goalie who has been consistent this year.
| DARREN PANG'S ANALYSIS OF SEAN BURKE |
| How to beat Burke |
How Burke beats you |
| You have to be close to the net on wraparounds to beat Burke. A team that works the puck from behind the net to the front will have the best success against him. When you have a goalie that big, looking over his shoulder behind the net, and trying to jam pucks in on wraparounds, it's tougher for a big guy to handle that type of play because he has to expose his legs. If he makes a quick move to poke-check, a lot of pucks being wrapped around the short side go through the legs. |
Burke beats teams with his size. His presence in the net overwhelms a lot of shooters because they can't see any net; they see big pads, a big chest and a Ken Dryden-type of physique. It looks like there is no space to shoot and, often, there isn't. |
Career playoff games: 24 | Career playoff record: 10-14
1999-2000 stats: GAA: 2.58 | Record: 19-19-3 | Save. pct: .913 | Shutouts: 3
Vs. Avalanche in 1999-2000: G: 1 | GAA: 0.00 | Record: 1-0-0 | Save. pct: 1.000
Post All-Star Game stats: G: 24 | GAA: 2.75 | Record: 10-12-1 | Save pct: .904
Career stats: GAA: 3.17 | Record: 218-252-73 | Save. pct: .896 | Shutouts: 22 |
