Fansided

James Reimer: “Just OK” In 2-1 Win Over Detroit Red Wings

By Catherine Silverman

Dec 10, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Gustav Nyquist (14) tries to score on Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer (34) defended by center Peter Holland (24) in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Toronto won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Gustav Nyquist (14) tries to score on Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer (34) defended by center Peter Holland (24) in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Toronto won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

James Reimer just can’t win with the Toronto Maple Leafs — even when he actually wins the game

If I was James Reimer, I would request to get traded for a skate sharpener at this point.

More from NHL

Apparently, the Toronto Maple Leafs like James Reimer best when he’s adequately rested — his start on December 10th marked the first start he’d been awarded by the team since November 15th.

He looked determined to earn himself a couple additional starts, stopping 41 of 42 shots on goal taken by the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday to lead the Leafs in a 2-1 shootout victory over their divisional rivals. Even with the rest of the team looking like an absolute disaster, Reimer compensated for the inadequate defense in front of him to maintain a tie game through regulation, into overtime — and then won the shootout.

So what does head coach Randy Carlyle do? Naturally, he trolls him.

In Carlyle’s defense, there wasn’t much to say after the game short of offering Reimer an honorary gold medal; his teammates certainly didn’t make the win easy on him. Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard was only required to make eighteen saves over the entire game — a far cry from the forty-one saves made by Reimer. At one point, this was Toronto’s idea of defense:

It’s clear that Carlyle both recognized and appreciated the fact that Reimer’s mere existence was the only thing standing in the way of the Red Wings winning by roughly fifteen goals; still, his reference to last year’s inflammatory comment about Reimer — which led to the almost unanimous assumption around the league that Reimer would be headed elsewhere soon enough — seems like a bad way to praise Reimer, your Savior.

Whatever, though — James Reimer is very clearly the first, second, AND third star of Wednesday night’s game.

More from FanSided

Home/NHL