Saint Louis Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak has lost his mojo. He's lost four-straight games, having allowed 19 goals, and getting the hook in one of them. And he didn't help matters when he made the misplay of the year on Wednesday night, scoring on himself, thereby giving Detroit Red Wing Drew Miller his first goal of the year. That's the bad news (okay, the really bad news). The slightly good news is this: maybe Miller can hook him up with his brother out of gratitude, get him to give Halak some tips, because nothing else seems to be working right now.
His stickwork? Clearly sloppy. His lateral mobility? He looks like he's slipping and sliding in KY jelly. His glove hand? Wonky to the point that he'd have more success grabbing and holding onto Carey Price's jock, which is saying something considering it was just last week that Halak was making the Montreal Canadiens goalie look like the prodigal son up north, only with the slight twist that after trading Halak the Habs had to take in Price for lack of another crazy-enough person to suit 'em up and let people take turns hitting him with vulcanized rubber (because, really, isn't that just what all goalies are, bat-crazy?). And, finally, Halak's once-icy-veined composure? Well, when you're being lit up to the point that he's been, it's just logical to assume the heat, at least from the goal light, will start getting to you. So the goalie who once withstood the pressure of an entire hockey-mad city at the most intense time of year now is just not cutting it.
Get well, Halak, because a world in which Price is outplaying you is one in which we can't make fun of him anymore. I don't think anyone wants that.
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