BoT Roundtable – Thrown Under the Blunderbuss

Even good players screw up.  Unfortunately for them, those debacles are sometimes remembered more than their exploits.  This is especially true for newer players who don’t have as much of a career to back them up.  To get the writer’s opinions on the two most recent infamous moments, I asked them this:

Who had the worst Playoff own-goal: Boyle in 2010 or Vlasic in 2012?

April 14, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Members of the St. Louis Blues celebrate after San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) puts the puck past Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) for a Blues goal during the first period in game two of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals at Scottrade Center. The Blues defeated the Sharks 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Darryl
It was Boyle, his decided a game but fortunately did not decided the series. The Sharks would have lost to the Blues eventually, Vlasic’s own goal only expedited the process…

Andy
Honestly neither of those are that bad. Boyle’s was a fluke deflection that found the only sliver of daylight between Nabby and the post big enough to fit the puck, and Vlasic’s was in an attempt to try and clear the puck. That’s an at best 50/50 play, and I don’t fault him for that one bit.
But if the question was whose own goal was worse, than I’d have to go with Boyle’s simply because it was in OT and ended the game. Luckily he rebounded nicely next game for 3 points and the boys went on to win the series in spite of that.

Mike
Same [as Andy]. Any own goal that ends a game in OT is like eating spoiled meat. Ugh.

Benny
Neither was that bad. I can swallow them both and move on. Boyle redeemed himself the next game and Vlasic just tried to do the right thing and scored in his own goal. I’ve done the same. Just gotta move on.

Joe
I think both goals were devastating, but that Boyle goal was horrendous. Especially since we were the higher seed in that series, and expectations were much higher.

Gordon
Both of these were shocking for happening in the Playoffs, but both were horrid for separate reasons.  Pickle’s goal was bad skating, wrong place wrong time, and really had no bearing on the series; we were toast before the series started.  Boyle on the other hand was one of those lucky unlucky shots, and despite ending the game he did make up for it the next time.  Based solely on player experience though, Boyle’s was the worse goal.  Every bloody time I hear the stupid “Dan Boyle won a Stanley Cup” line brought up, I counter with this blunder.