Bernier looking to get on track

Will tonight’s game be something of a fresh start for Jonathan Bernier? Expectations were high for Bernier at the start of the season, given that he excelled in the preseason and given that Terry Murray indicated he might view Bernier as more than just a backup goalie if Bernier’s play dictated it. So far, that hasn’t happened. Bernier didn’t look sharp in his first start, against Buffalo in Berlin, then allowed three goals on 23 shots in the game against New Jersey, after Jonathan Quick’s three consecutive shutouts. Bernier did get his first win on Nov. 8 against Nashville, when he stopped 27 of 30 shots, and today Bernier gets his fourth start of the season. I asked Murray if he was able to assess Bernier’s play so far this season…

MURRAY: “His game, I can compare it to the end of the year last year. Post-All-Star break, he got a point for us in every game that he played. His game is not quite there. It was through the training camp. I thought he was real sharp and had some great efforts in the exhibition games. Then, for whatever reason, something happened when he got into that second game that we played in Europe, against Buffalo. There were plays, that he was making in training camp, that found the back of the net on him. So, it’s only his second year really, in the sense of being a full-time player in the NHL. You’re going to have to go through a little bit in order to become a better player. His work ethic, his focus on the detail part of the game throughout the practices since the start of the year, has been very good. We’re looking for a big performance here tonight.’’