NHL Power Rankings: Rating Each Team's Goaltending Coming Down the Stretch

The difference between the teams who play in the Stanley Cup Final and those who don't is goaltending.

Last year we saw the Boston Bruins ride goaltender Tim Thomas to a championship, and this season there are several teams, like the New York Rangers, who hope their goaltending tandem can be productive in the playoffs.

Let's rate each team's goaltending coming down the stretch.

Note: Each team will be rated on a 1-5 star scale, with one being the worst and five being the best

Anaheim Ducks: 3 Stars

The Anaheim Ducks have a good goaltender in Jonas Hiller, but he hasn't played at the high level the team hoped for this season. 

Hiller is 26-25-11 this season and has given up three goals in three of his last five games. With veteran Dan Ellis not performing well as his backup, the Ducks will have to continue riding Hiller down the stretch.

Boston Bruins: 4 Stars

When the Boston Bruins learned that star backup Tuukka Rask was lost for the season with a lower-body injury, the team's strong goaltending depth took a big hit. 

With Rask unavailable for several weeks, the team signed veteran Marty Turco to back up Thomas.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, Thomas has allowed three or more goals in four of his last five games, and in three of those games he's allowed four goals.

The Bruins' goaltending is still strong, but it's in a slump right now.

Buffalo Sabres: 4 Stars

Ryan Miller is still an elite goaltender, but the Buffalo Sabres still rely too much on him to win games. In the team's recent climb back into the playoff race, Miller has played fantastic.

Jonas Enroth is not an amazing goalie, but he's a capable backup that can lead the Sabres to a win if Miller needs a night off.

Calgary Flames: 4 Stars

Calgary Flames star goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate with the way he's carried the team despite not having a capable backup.

Kiprusoff is one of the most talented goalies in the league and is 31-18-9 this season for the Flames.

Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Stars

Cam Ward is another goaltender that has been forced to play a lot of games this season, and unfortunately, his teammates haven't done him many favors by playing poor defense and not giving him enough offensive support.

The Carolina Hurricanes have one of the better goaltenders in the NHL, but need to find a capable backup to give him adequate rest.

Chicago Blackhawks: 3 Stars

Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have been an inconsistent goaltending tandem this season for the Chicago Blackhawks, but they have played better of late after a bad losing streak in February.

When Crawford has struggled, Emery has done a nice job filling in, going 15-9-3 on the season.

Colorado Avalanche: 2 Stars

Semyon Varlamov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere have been just average this season and neither has stepped up and dominated in the starting role.

If the Colorado Avalanche want to make the playoffs this season, their goaltending needs to improve.

Columbus Blue Jackets: 1 Star

The Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltending is awful, and it's the primary reason the team has the worst record in the NHL.

Steve Mason and Curtis Sanford are a combined 22-39 this season and have not been consistent at all. Without upgrading their goaltending in the summer, the Blue Jackets will again be a bottom feeder in the Western Conference next year.

Dallas Stars: 4 Stars

Kari Lehtonen and Richard Bachman have been a solid goaltending tandem this season going a combined 36-18-5, and have helped the Dallas Stars compete for the Pacific Division title.The Stars will be tough to beat down the stretch with Lehtonen playing so well.

Detroit Red Wings: 5 Stars

Whether the Detroit Red Wings play starter Jimmy Howard or backup Joey MacDonald between the pipes, the team has a great chance to win.

MacDonald did a great job earlier in the season when Howard was lost for a few weeks with an injury, and is 8-4-1 on the season.

Howard was having a Vezina Trophy-caliber season before he got hurt, and has become a legitimate goaltending star this year.

Edmonton Oilers: 2 Stars

Nikolai Khabibulin has not played well for the Edmonton Oilers since starting the season strong, and with backup goalie Devan Dubnyk not playing well this season either, it's no surprise that the Oilers are near the bottom in the Western Conference standings.

The two have a combined record of 26-36-7 this season.

Florida Panthers: 3 Stars

As the Florida Panthers look to win the Southeast Division title, they can take comfort in the fact that starting goaltender Jose Theodore has the experience of being on such a run before.

He's not the goalie he was in Montreal when he won the Hart Trophy, but Theodore is still reliable.

His backup Scott Clemmensen is also reliable and can give Theodore a break while helping the Panthers win games.

Los Angeles Kings: 5 Stars

Goaltending is the least of the Los Angeles Kings' problems since starter Jonathan Quick and backup Jonathan Bernier are one of the best duos in the game.

Quick is 28-19-11 with an amazing 2.00 GAA and an awesome .929 save percentage, making him a worthy Vezina Trophy candidate.

Minnesota Wild: 3 Stars

With Niklas Backstrom battling injuries this season, backup goaltender Josh Harding has had to play a lot of games. Harding's  record is only 9-10-4 and he's allowed 13 goals in his last three starts. Simply put, he isn't giving the team much of a chance to win.

If Backstrom cannot be consistently healthy down the stretch, then the Wild have no chance to make the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens: 4 Stars

Carey Price is one of the best goaltenders in hockey and does very well under the enormous pressure that comes with being a starting goalie for the Montreal Canadiens.

Price is having another stellar season, but with injuries to key players in front of him, the Canadiens are not going to be a factor in the playoff race.

Nashville Predators: 4 Stars

Pekka Rinne is once again having a Vezina Trophy-caliber season and is proving to the team that he's worth the massive seven-year contract they signed him to earlier this year.

With Rinne performing at an elite level, the Predators will be very tough to beat down the stretch and in the playoffs.

New Jersey Devils: 4 Stars

Martin Brodeur is not an elite goaltender anymore, but he's still very capable of leading the New Jersey Devils on a deep playoff run by making the big saves under pressure.

Brodeur has a ton of Stanley Cup experience, and as usual, he'll make the Devils a tough team to beat down the stretch.

New York Islanders: 3 Stars

Evgeni Nabokov has played well this season, however his record isn't great because the New York Islanders defensemen in front of him have not provided him much support.

Nabokov has a respectable .915 save percentage this season and has not been a disappointment with the Islanders.

New York Rangers: 5 Stars

New York Rangers starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is the best goalie in the world right now and is the leading Vezina Trophy candidate. He should also be a top candidate for the Hart Trophy.

Lundqvist is second in save percentage and third in GAA, and has been dominant this season for the Rangers going 32-14-5. With backup Martin Biron having an 11-4-2 record, the Rangers have a great tandem between the pipes.

Ottawa Senators: 3 Stars

Until starting goaltender Craig Anderson returns from his recovery after surgery, the Ottawa Senators will have to rely on a few inexperienced goalies to lead them to a division title.

Ben Bishop has been one of the best AHL goaltenders this season, and will be counted on to provide the team a stable force in net down the stretch.

Philadelphia Flyers: 3 Stars

Ilya Bryzgalov has been a huge disappointment this season for the Philadelphia Flyers, but has a chance to redeem himself with a great performance in the playoffs.

Both him and backup Sergei Bobrovsky have struggled with inconsistency, and the Flyers need one of them to step up down the stretch and carry some momentum into the postseason.

Phoenix Coyotes: 3 Stars

The Phoenix Coyotes have played very well this season and are a contender for the Pacific Division title despite dealing with a ton of distractions surrounding relocation.

Starting goaltender Mike Smith is 30-17-8 in his first season with the Coyotes, but he doesn't have a ton of experience in a playoff race. 

Pittsburgh Penguins: 4 Stars

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been on fire since February, and while the strong performance of superstar forward Evgeni Malkin is a big reason for the team's recent success, the play of Marc-Andre Fleury has been huge for the Penguins this season.

Fleury is a proven playoff performer and knows what it's like to be in a playoff race late in the season. He will make the Penguins incredibly tough to beat down the stretch and into the postseason.

San Jose Sharks: 3 Stars

Antti Niemi has Stanley Cup-winning experience, but he's been inconsistent heading down the stretch this season, and as a result, the San Jose Sharks are in danger of missing the playoffs unless they start to play better real quickly.

The Sharks are 1-3-2 in their last six games.

St. Louis Blues: 5 Stars

The St. Louis Blues have the best record in the NHL and it's because of their fantastic goaltending tandem of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak.

The two are a combined 45-18-7 and have been very consistent throughout the season. Elliott is ranked No. 1 in GAA and save percentage this year.

With Elliott's strong play and Halak's postseason experience, the Blues are a team no one will want to face in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Star

If the Tampa Bay Lightning had a good goaltender, they would likely be in a playoff spot right now. General manager Steve Yzerman thought he could get away with being cheap when it came to spending money on goaltending last offseason, and the team is paying for that decision right now.

Dwayne Roloson is 8-13-2 this season with a .876 save percentage.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 1 Star

The Toronto Maple Leafs' disastrous month of February happened because of some really poor goaltending by Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer.

The two of them are 28-17-8 thus far and neither has been very consistent this season. The Maple Leafs' defense has not played well of late, but their goaltenders have been the reason for the team's demise since the New Year.

Vancouver Canucks: 5 Stars

With star goaltender Roberto Luongo and backup Cory Schneider giving the Vancouver Canucks two very good goalies down the stretch, the Canucks will be a very tough team to beat in the postseason.

If Luongo struggles in the playoffs, Schneider is more than capable of going into a hostile environment and winning, like he did in Boston against the Bruins on January 7th.

Luongo and Schneider are one of the elite goalie tandems in the NHL.

Washington Capitals: 3 Stars

The Washington Capitals are on a three-game winning streak and the strong play of their goaltending is a big reason for their recent success. However, Tomas Vokoun has not been consistent this season and will need to be a reliable No. 1 if the Capitals are to clinch a playoff berth.

Winnipeg Jets: 3 Stars

Ondrej Pavelec is a very good goaltender but his lack of big-game experience may be an issue late in the season. 

Pavelec is one of the biggest reasons the Jets are in the hunt for the Southeast Division title, but will be forced to play most of the games for Winnipeg down the stretch without a reliable backup.