Peter DeBoer announced Martin Jones as the Sharks game one starter on Tuesday, saving us from a potential full-blown goalie controversy.
DeBoer confirms Martin Jones is Game 1 starter #SJSharks
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) April 12, 2016
This is probably the right long-term move for the Sharks. James Reimer will more than likely not play in teal next season and starting him in the first game of the playoffs might torpedo the confidence of the Sharks starter of the future. I know that gets into some #team #chemistry stuff that we, quite frankly, won’t ever really know about — so I think it’s fair to say my assumption is wrong and Jones would be just fine if Reimer got the start.
From a purely numbers standpoint, Reimer is probably the guy. He has a combined .940 even strength save percentage compared to Jones’ .925. If you want to take a look at more recent results (Jones has been much better after his dismal December), Jones has an even strength save percentage of .931 in 2016 compared to Reimer’s .928.
With the recent numbers being so close, going with Jones to start seems like the right move. If Jones struggles, DeBoer knows he has a great backup to turn to. If it were up to me I’d get a bit of a rotation going — but it’s not, and it’s very likely Jones will start every game unless he really lays an egg.
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