Has the league finally caught up to Steve Mason?...

Sophomore slump is in full effect for our #1 goaltender and 'Rookie of the Year' winning sensation, Steve Mason. Mason's numbers this year definitely pale in comparison to the 08-09 season, and the answer might be a simple one to address and remedy... Now defensive breakdowns aside ***(Steve Mason is really playing very well, at least in my mind... 90% of his goals against comes from sloppy defensive breakdowns) but there seems to be an increasing obvious chink in the armor of Steve Mason...

...his 5 hole.

This isn't revolutionary I'm sure, a goalie needs to be aware of that oh-so vulnerable area and I am sure he is (not saying Mase is the only one guilty of this, ya know?) but he seems to be  falling victim to opponents opening up his legs and then working that puck 5 hole...I've witnessed this in the last few games that he has played (last night's SO loss to Calgary was a prime example)

It's sad to see Steve seem kind of shaken right now but  I will continue to watch for this in upcoming games and see if it really pans out to be an answer to the riddle of Mason (the riddle of steel, for any Conan fans) or just some coincidence coinciding with our bad stretch of luck right now in Columbus.

Remember, this isn't a harsh criticism of our goalie, I think he is doing just fine and is just going through the process that all rookies move on to entering the next stage in their careers, and his start in the NHL was just so crystal, it is hard to follow that act up. I'm just putting this out there and see what type of responses I get from the Cannon Crew and get your opinions on the matter....

We will bounce back I know it and so will Mason.

Carry the Flag always...

(To all critics of Mason, ask yourself where are the other 2 candidates to last year's Calder trophy? Bobby Ryan and Kris Versteeg remain relatively quiet right now for each respective club)