.jpg?w=1280 "Goalie Report Card Grades")
Goalie Report Cards for All 32 NHL Teams So Far
We're approaching the midpoint of the NHL season, and keeping tabs on how the goaltending is going around the league will make your head spin. Whether your favorite team has an absolute No. 1 star in goal or they're feeling their way through the season searching for the hot hand to carry them, very few teams seem to have things nice and settled.
Since we last checked in on our grades, we've seen one seismic trade go down between the Penguins and Oilers, changing each team's situation in goal. Stuart Skinner went to Pittsburgh while Tristan Jarry headed to Edmonton. Apart from that major deal, we've seen other situations change drastically for the better and the worse, too.
Consider this our midterms, and grades have to go out no matter what. Teams that need help are more than aware of that by now, while those who have a good thing going are keeping their fingers crossed tightly that it stays that way.
How did your goalies grade out halfway through the year? Let's dig in.
Anaheim Ducks
1 of 32
After the rip-roaring start, the Ducks got off to a good start to the season. Reality and injuries caught up to them in recent weeks, and their exciting, high-flying brand of hockey showed it has a double edge.
The Ducks lost starting goalie LukĆ”Å” DostĆ”l for a short time, which disrupted the team's play and DostĆ”l's. Between DostĆ”l and Petr MrĆ”zek, the goals against continued to pile up, and although both are doing their best to save more of the high-danger chances against them, they're allowing the 10th most shots against per game (28.8) and the third most high-danger chances against at 5-on-5 in the league (via Natural Stat Trick).
Yes, goalies have to make saves, but they could also stand to get a lot more help from their teammates, too. DostƔl leads the team with a .894 save percentage, and MrƔzek (.868) has been outplayed by fellow veteran Ville Husso (.884) in a similar number of games, and those kinds of performances make sure that DostƔl stays in the net. Fortunately for Anaheim, the teams they're competing with for the top spot in the Pacific also have a lot of questions in goal as well.
Grade: C
Boston Bruins
2 of 32
The Bruins are starting to get an idea that a season living on a roller coaster can make everyone feel a bit queasy, but they've been able to keep things relatively calm in goal.
Jeremy Swayman continues to play well. According to Moneypuck.com, he's tied for 10th in the league in goals saved above expected with 14.4, and his .901 save percentage is above the current league average (.898). Considering the Bruins have allowed the sixth most high-danger chances against at 5-on-5, Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo have had their hands full many nights this season.
Korpisalo hasn't fared as well in a backup role with minus-4.8 goals saved above expected and an .882 save percentage. No doubt that Korpisalo and the Bruins would like to see those numbers improve, but Boston allows the fifth most shots on goal per game in the league (30.1), and seeing the Bruins play as loose as that has to be making head coach Marco Sturm and GM Don Sweeney a bit frustrated.
Grade: C
Buffalo Sabres
3 of 32
The Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL, riding an eight-game winning streak, and a big part of their resurgence has been thanks to goalies Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Lyon has been stellar with a .907 save percentage and 7.2 goals saved above expected. Luukkonen, meanwhile, has won three of his past five starts, including wins against Winnipeg and New Jersey, and has been a monster at home, going 5-1-0 with a .926 save percentage this season.
With rookie Colten Ellis still sidelined after a concussion, having the duo of Lyon and Luukkonen holding things down and coming up with big saves in key moments, fans in Buffalo are feeling good about the Sabres for the first time in a long time.
Grade: B
.jpg?w=256 "Bills Broncos Football")
Calgary Flames
4 of 32
We were pretty tough on the Flames the last time we handed out our grades, and while we're not going to take credit for them turning things around, Calgary fans have to like that a rough start couldn't keep Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley down.
Since the start of December, Wolf is 6-2-0 with a .911 save percentage and is up to 4.5 goals saved above expected for the season. Compare that to the first two months of the season when he went 6-12-2 with an .890 save percentage, and what you've got is a goalie finding his game and his groove again.
What's made it less stressful is how well Cooley has played when called upon, as he's 4-4-2 with a .914 save percentage on the season and has 12.2 goals saved above expected. Although Wolf is starting basically three out of four games, Cooley shutting the door whenever he starts is a huge boost for the Flames and gives Wolf peace of mind that he can have a night off without worrying.
Grade: B-minus
Carolina Hurricanes
5 of 32
We're positive Hurricanes fans hate having to hear about goaltending about as much as we don't like having to harp about it year after year, but the arrival and performance of Brandon Bussi could put all of that fretting to an end.
Bussi, a former Boston Bruins prospect and Florida Panthers farmhand, signed with Carolina in the offseason and, thanks to injuries at the NHL level, got his shot to show what he can do and has been lights out. He's gone 12-1-1 with a .912 save percentage and greatly outplayed both Pyotr Kochetkov (6-2-0, .899) and Frederik Andersen (5-8-2, .869) this season.
Bussi has come up big when faced with the tough chances (12.0 goals saved above expected) while Kochetkov (1.4) and Andersen (minus-3.9) haven't done as well.
We know that three goalie setups in the NHL are uncomfortable for everyone, to say the least, but if Bussi is going to continue to play like this while his veteran counterparts can't take the net back when they get to play, Carolina will be more than happy to erase one of the most frustrating questions come playoff time.
Grade: B-plus
Chicago Blackhawks
6 of 32
After the start of the season, with how well Spencer Knight and Connor Bedard were playing, we were deeply curious how well they could keep that up as the season dug in. Bedard's injury has stung them, but the sky-high start that Knight got off to eventually cooled off.
Knight is still among the league's top goalies with a .910 save percentage, and he's tied for 10th with 14.4 goals saved above expected. These are very good numbers, but December has been rough. He's 2-6-1 with an .891 save percentage and gave up four goals in nine shots before being pulled against the Penguins on Sunday night. When it rains, it pours.
Arvid Sƶderblom has struggled as a backup, going 4-7-1 with a .873 save percentage and with minus-1.0 goals saved above expected. Knight has played so well most of the season that Sƶderblom's struggles haven't taken away from how the team has played, but if Knight's struggles keep up, the spotlight on the position will grow much larger.
Grade: C
Colorado Avalanche
7 of 32
Trying to find something the Avalanche don't do well is nearly impossible this season, and goaltending has been just as good as any other facet of their play.
Scott Wedgewood's play in net continues to be outstanding. He's gone 17-1-4, and after needing to be the starter when Mackenzie Blackwood began the year injured, he's owned the net, putting up a .919 save percentage with two shutouts.
To Blackwood's credit, he's also been fantastic since he returned to action. He's gone 11-1-1 with a .924 save percentage with two shutouts in 14 games played (12 starts).
Wedgewood is 14th in the league in goals saved above expected with 14.1, and Blackwood is right behind him in 15th with 13.0. As a team, the Avs have the league's best save percentage at .919, and even though the Wild are on their heels (.914), things drop off after that pretty quickly. It's been as good a first half of the season as any we've seen in years.
Grade: A
Columbus Blue Jackets
8 of 32
We're not about to take a victory lap just yet for our insistence that Jet Greaves could be A Guy in Columbus this season, but we're feeling pretty good about our ability to eyeball talent.
Greaves continues to play very well for the Blue Jackets, and while his 10-9-5 record might not knock your socks off, he's put up a .907 save percentage and is ninth in the league in goals saved above expected with 14.5. After a few very strong years in the AHL with Cleveland, Greaves seized the opportunity in Columbus and has made it tough for incumbent starter Elvis Merzļikins to take the net back.
Merzļikins' play has stayed about the same from last season. He's 6-6-1 with an .877 save percentage, although he has minus-3.3 goals saved above expected. Merzļikins could be doing much better, but now that Greaves is getting the majority of the starts (23 to 14), it indicates that Greaves is their top guy right now.
Grade: C
Dallas Stars
9 of 32
It's really funny to think we were getting a little nervous about Jake Oettinger right out of the gate.
Dallas has been one of the hottest teams in the league lately, and a big reason why is the play of both Oettinger and Casey DeSmith. Oettinger is 16-6-3 with a .910 save percentage, while DeSmith 9-1-4 with a .915. Their performances since our last grading session have been outstanding, showing the magic of smaller sample sizes in action.
Oettinger has posted two shutouts, while DeSmith has one of his own, and both goalies are among the best in the league in goals saved above expected. Oettinger's 14.7 is the eighth most in the league, while DeSmith's 14.4 has him in a three-way tie for 10th with starting goalies Jeremy Swayman and Spencer Knight.
The battle in the Central Division is going to be absolutely wicked, and while catching Colorado seems impossible right now, with goaltending like this, the Stars won't be too far away in the standings.
Grade: A
Detroit Red Wings
10 of 32
It's tough to get harsh in the grades for a team that's at the top of their division.
The Red Wings lead the Atlantic Division, and they're coming away with clutch wins almost routinely these days. If you look at the overall numbers that goalies John Gibson (.891 save percentage) and Cam Talbot (.889) have posted, you're not going to be wowed.
However, when you dig into what Gibson's done in December, things change a bit. Gibson is 8-1-0 with a .922 save percentage and two shutouts and has led the surge Detroit has done over the past month. Although his first couple of months were just OK, he's more than made up for that heading into the new year. Talbot hasn't fared as well, but he's won his last two starts against Washington and Toronto, both in overtime, and allowed four goals on 60 shots (.933).
The Wings will need Gibson to stay hot like this if they're going to stay ahead in the battle royale for the postseason that the division is shaping up to be, but right now they're digging their way out of the goal differential hole they were in early on and have him to thank for that.
Grade: C-plus
Edmonton Oilers
11 of 32
The Oilers had to do something about their goaltending and found the right move to make in trading Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh for Tristan Jarry. After all, Skinner was struggling terribly again, and Jarry was playing very well once again for the Penguins. Add in Jarry's history of playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings in his junior days, and it was a true no-brainer move.
Of course, Jarry got all of three games before he was injured, which forced backup Calvin Pickard into the starting role and got Connor Ingram back into the NHL from Bakersfield. Although Jarry's stats in those three starts weren't so hot (.887) the Oilers went 3-0-0 in those games and that's all that matters.
Pickard has struggled all season (3-5-2 record, .861 save percentage) and hasn't fared much better since Jarry went out. Ingram, meanwhile, found his game again, going 2-1-0 with a .915 save percentage.
The Oilers have turned things around, and their offense getting hot is a big reason for that, but their goaltending is seemingly a touch better than it was, and they've actually addressed the position at long last. We buried them for inaction last time, so we'll ease up this time around.
Grade: D-plus
Florida Panthers
12 of 32
The stats may not look stellar, and the Panthers may not totally seem likeĀ the PanthersĀ we've gotten to know, but with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal and healthy, all that matters for them are the wins, and now they're starting to come more often.
Although Bobrovsky was off to a bit of a slow start the first two months, his save percentage through December was back up to .898, and with a 6-2-1 record to go with it, that's just what Florida wants to see, and it's gotten them out of the Atlantic basement and right into the playoff picture again. Even with the very average overall stats, Bobrovsky still has three shutouts this season. If they get to the playoffs again, do you want your team dealing with them in the first round?
Backup Daniil Tarasov has handled his spot starts reasonably well, going 4-6-1 with a .900 save percentage with 2.3 goals saved above expected. The Panthers don't ask for too much from their backups apart from being able to hold down the fort in their starts, and Tarasov has essentially done that.
Grade: C
Los Angeles Kings
13 of 32
Darcy Kuemper is continuing to have another great season. His .917 save percentage is among the best in the NHL, and although he's got a 10-6-6 record with two shutouts, there's no question the Kings are doing as well as they are because of his steady play.
At this point in the season, Kuemper should be in the discussion for the Vezina Trophy, but it's a crowded field right now, especially while teams get their situations in order. In L.A., however, the net is Kuemper',s and he's been very good.
What's also helping the Kings out is that they've gotten strong play from backup Anton Forsberg. He's gone 6-5-3 with a .905 save percentage with a shutout, and when you've got two goalies with save percentages well above the league average, you've got a good thing going.
The Kings have the third-best save percentage in the NHL at .908, and their 2.49 goals allowed per game are second only to the Colorado Avalanche (2.19). If their offense can ever figure things out (2.59 goals per game), they could be a very difficult team come playoff time.
Grade: A
Minnesota Wild
14 of 32
It's genuinely impressive how much things have changed since our last report cards went out for the Minnesota Wild.
Rookie Jesper Wallstedt is a sensation. The "Wall of St. Paul" leads the NHL in save percentage with an astounding .931 mark and a league-leading four shutouts. He's gone 11-2-2 in 15 games, and after biding his time in the AHL the past few seasons, he's looking like he's here to stay in the NHL.
What's even more incredible is that he's made Filip Gustavsson a side note, and he's had a great season as well. He's got a 12-8-4 record with a .912 save percentage and three shutouts of his own. The Wild's seven shutouts are the most in the league, and Gustavsson being one behind his teammate for the top spot in the league is incredible.
Even with these gaudy numbers, the Wild are second in team save percentage to the Avalanche and are in a deeply competitive three-way race in the Central Division with Colorado and Dallas. Even still, the Avs are 11 points ahead in the standings with two games in hand. But with Wallstedt and Gustavsson performing like this, Minnesota is shaping up to be a nightmare team to meet in the playoffs, with Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes leading the charge.
Grade: A
MontrƩal Canadiens
15 of 32
The good news for the Canadiens is they can score goals like mad. The bad news for them is they may have a problem figuring out what to do about goaltending.
Veteran Samuel Montembeault has had a terrible start to his season, and, unfortunately for him, his recent injury absence and subsequent demotion to the AHL have helped the team sort things out in net. Sort of.
Second-year netminder Jakub DobeÅ” is the clear No. 1, and rookie Jacob Fowler is now pushing him for starts. DobeÅ” is 12-5-3 with a .886 save percentage, while Fowler is 3-1-2 with a .905 save percentage and a shutout.
Fowler's outstanding play in the NCAA for Boston College ignited Habs fans' fervor for him, and his limited AHL action only added to it. MontrĆ©al didn't need to be younger, especially in goal, but with how poorly Montembeault played and how good DobeÅ” was last season, winging it with two very young netminders might be the best thing for them.
It'll bear watching closely because of how close everything in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference is setting up to be.
Grade: B-minus
Nashville Predators
16 of 32
It's been another tough year for the Predators so far, and while they've always been a team that's relied heavily on their goalies to cover up for shortcomings elsewhere, they've just been unable to do that so far.
Juuse Saros is having a perfectly average season with a 14-12-3 record and an .898 save percentage, which is the league average. While his goals-against average is under 3 (2.92), they've needed him to be superhuman to get them out of the gates the right way. Even though he has 4.5 goals saved above expected, they need more from him to really establish Nashville in the wild-card race. Then again, they could use more offense, too, but one thing at a time here.
Backup Justus Annunen hasn't fared well, going 2-5-1 with an .871 save percentage. His minus-4.4 goals saved above expected is one of the lowest marks in the league, but with Saros getting the vast majority of starts, he's a bit lost in the mix.
Grade: C-minus
New Jersey Devils
17 of 32
Even though the Devils, on paper, are Jacob Markstrƶm's team, it's Jake Allen who's taken charge for them this season.
The two veteran netminders have virtually split the net evenly this season (Allen with 19 starts, Markstrƶm with 18), and their records are also virtually identical, with Allen going 10-8-1 and Markstrƶm going 9-8-1, however, their save percentages diverge completely.
Allen leads the way with a .910 save percentage with one shutout, while Markstrƶm has an .883 mark. Seeing numbers that are different yet records that are basically the same is amazing. Even more remarkable is that the amount of goal support they get is basically the same as well, with Allen getting an average of 2.54 goals-for and Markstrƶm getting 2.58.
Unsurprisingly, the difference between their stats comes in on the power play, where Allen has allowed just five goals and Markstrƶm has given up 19. This is really getting into the weeds comparing the two of them, but the Devils have the 10th-best team save percentage in the NHL, and that's what's helped them survive going without Jack Hughes for so long.
Grade: B
New York Islanders
18 of 32
It's remarkable how quickly the Islanders were able to shake off years of playing like the 90s Devils and yet still get the kind of goaltending you'd expect from that era.
The duo of Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich has been outstanding all season. Sorokin is again among the best in the NHL with a .910 save percentage and three shutouts, although his 12-10-2 record will leave everyone scratching their heads. The same applies to Rittich, who's gone 9-4-2 with a .919 save percentage in his starts and given coach Patrick Roy the goaltending a Hall of Fame goalie loves to see. Their team's save percentage of .907 is tied with Dallas for the fourth-best mark in the NHL.
The play of Sorokin and Rittich has the Isles back in the playoff picture, and with rookie Matthew Schaefer invigorating the fan base with his exciting play on the blue line, the Islanders could be a real feel-good story if they get back to the playoffs.
Grade: A
New York Rangers
19 of 32
It's so easy to dump on the inconsistent play of the Rangers this season, but the only area of the team that's been on top of things game in and game out is their goaltending.
Igor Shesterkin has been a rock all season long, and seeing him back among the league leaders with a .910 save percentage after a disappointing season a year ago is genuinely great to see. When Shesterkin is on his game, he's among the most exciting goalies in the league to watch, especially when he's got the Madison Square Garden crowd behind him.
What's even more amazing is how veteran backup Jonathan Quick owns the net in his starts.
Quick has a .937 save percentage in nine starts this season and has a shutout. The Rangers' erratic and mostly dormant offense, however, reflects itself in Quick's 3-5-1 record. If a guy is stopping that many shots and posting a 1.79 goals-against average, he ought to have a much better record.
If the Rangers' offense ever finds its way back this season, they'll be a brutal team to deal with, given how good their goaltending has been. They've got the NHL's sixth-best team save percentage at .905, and yet their 104 goals scored this season are the fewest in the Eastern Conference.
Grade: A
Ottawa Senators
20 of 32
It's both good and bad news for the Senators that not much has changed since we last gave out our goalie report cards. They're still scoring a lot of goals (124) and have a positive goal differential through 37 games (plus-4). Unfortunately, they're still giving up a ton of goals (120) and have the NHL's lowest team save percentage at .873.
Starter Linus Ullmark is 14-8-5 with a .881 save percentage with a shutout, while backup Leevi MerilƤinen is 4-6-0 with a .874 mark. Considering the league average is .898, that kind of play generally isn't going to help out when trying to land a playoff spot.
And yet, despite all of that, Ottawa has 41 points in the standings and is a point out of the wild card. The Eastern Conference is just like that this season, but it underscores the importance for the Senators to see Ullmark (who just took a leave of absence for personal reasons) and MerilƤinen turn their collective games around to improve their chances.
What they have to fix most of all is their penalty kill. They've allowed 30 power-play goals this season, tied for second most in the league, while at even strength they've been middle of the pack.
Grade: D
Philadelphia Flyers
21 of 32
It's kind of wild to think about where the Flyers would be if they hadn't signed Dan VladaÅ. Mind you, we know it's an odd situation to pose at first blush because Dan VladaÅ wasn't a premier goalie available in free agency after he was backing up in Calgary, but he's been the exact right player for Philadelphia this season to put them in a position to return to the playoffs.
VladaÅ has been excellent, going 13-6-3 with a .909 save percentage. He's made the saves he's supposed to make and plenty of others he maybe shouldn't have. His 11.6 goals saved above expected are the 19th most in the league via Moneypuck, and that going above and beyond gives the Flyers the type of goaltending they haven't had in a few years.
With backup Samuel Ersson, he's played similarly to how he did a year ago, and his 6-4-4 record with a .872 save percentage falls in line with that. The save numbers aren't ideal, and he hasn't been able to take a step forward, but with VladaÅ now in charge as the No. 1, the stress level for new coach Rick Tocchet is a bit lower.
Grade: B
Pittsburgh Penguins
22 of 32
It was more than a bit curious to see the Penguins move on from Tristan Jarry in favor of Stuart Skinner in goal, and while we recognize that getting defenseman Brett Kulak as part of that trade goes into it, you wonder how much of a lottery-ticket move this was for Pittsburgh.
Arturs Silovs has played well this season, going 6-5-6 with a .888 save percentage and a shutout. It's Silovs's first real opportunity in the NHL, and after winning the Calder Cup for Abbotsford last season, playing behind Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson is a big one.
But Jarry was playing well for Pittsburgh once again, and in Skinner's first three starts with the Penguins, he's 0-3-0 with a .831 save percentage and a 4.18 goals-against average. The Pens started the season out hot and with dreams of the playoffs, but this trade made the future a bit fuzzy and in need of more evaluation of how this will go. The last time the Penguins allowed less than three goals in a game was Dec. 1 against Philadelphia.
Grade: C-minus
San Jose Sharks
23 of 32
Something to keep in mind for the NHL's most surprising and exciting team this season, the San Jose Sharks, is that their collective youth will both make and break your hearts, and their goaltending has not been immune to that.
After a brutal first month, Yaroslav Askarov went on the kind of heater in November that helped grab everyone's attention. That month, Askarov went 8-2-0 with a .944 save percentage. His performance helped push the Sharks into the playoff discussion, where they're still hanging out now. Although he's cooled off in December (4-4-0 record; .870 save percentage), the Sharks are in a wild card spot in the West thanks to his scorching November.
Veteran Alex Nedeljkovic has been steady with a .895 save percentage, although his 5-7-2 record looks tough. That said, the Sharks have scored nearly a goal more per game for Askarov than Nedeljkovic (3.26 to 2.37). Overall, the goaltending can be better, and we've seen it be better, but this is the ride young teams take everyone on, especially the goalies.
Grade: C
Seattle Kraken
24 of 32
When Lane Lambert took over as coach of the Kraken, the first thing we all should've expected was how much tighter they'd be defensively and the overall positive effect that would have on goalies Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer. What we didn't figure out was how aggressively good it would be for them.
Seattle has a team save percentage of .902, ninth best in the NHL. Daccord is the No. 1, and his .904 save percentage with two shutouts would make you think he's got a juicy record, but his 10-9-4 mark is probably frustrating for him and fans alike. What's more remarkable is how fortunes have turned around for Grubauer, who struggled terribly over the past two years but has a 6-3-1 record and a .917 save percentage.
Seattle needs this kind of play in goal because it desperately needs it to stay in games. Their 2.58 goals per game is the third lowest mark in the league, and Daccord sees an average of 2.41 goals-for in his starts, while Grubauer has gotten 3.10 goals-for in his. Poor Matt Murray has 1.11 in his five games this season, and he's gone 0-2-1 with a .921 save percentage.
Grade: A
St. Louis Blues
25 of 32
If you're wondering why the Blues have been giving their fans agita all season, look no further than goaltending with Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington.
Hofer started the season as the backup to Jordan Binnington, but both players had terrible starts to the season. Binnington went 2-4-2 with an .860 save percentage while Hofer was 1-2-0 with a .793.
While Binnington slowly started to turn his play around in November, it was Hofer who seized the opportunity. Hofer posted a .910 with a 2-3-2 record in November, while Binnington went 4-1-3 with a .899.
In December, however, Hofer has gone 5-2-0 with a .929 save percentage, while Binnington has gone 1-4-1 with a .832 save percentage. It's hard to buy in that Hofer has taken the starting job for good, given how on-and-off both players' performances have been, but Hofer has three shutouts this season while Binnington has yet to record one.
This kind of erratic play must be so frustrating for everyone involved, but if Hofer has turned the corner and taken over the starting job, St. Louis is one point out of the wild card in the West, and after the way they performed late last season and in the playoffs, you can't count them out.
Grade: D-plus
Tampa Bay Lightning
26 of 32
Seeing the Tampa Bay Lightning back near the top of the standings again has that weird comfort to it, and with Andrei Vasilevskiy playing like one of the best goalies in the league once again, it only adds to that sensation.
Vasilevskiy has been lights-out, going 14-7-2 with a .915 save percentage and a shutout this season. Seeing him play like this has us rooting for him to stay healthy all season long, especially because he showed us last season that when he's on his game, he's as dominant as it gets among goaltenders.
What's more important for the Lightning is seeing backup Jonas Johansson handle his business as well as he is. He's 8-6-1 with a .896 save percentage, and that's been more than steady enough to hold it down when Vasilevskiy needs a night or two off. That they trust him enough to spell Vasilevskiy as much as they have is telling.
The Lightning have the league's eighth-best team save percentage at .903, and with goaltending like that in such a crowded playoff race in the East, it's the kind of thing that can set them apart, especially with Vasilevskiy running the show.
Grade: A
Toronto Maple Leafs
27 of 32
For all the drama surrounding the Maple Leafs this season and all the injuries they've had in goal, that position has been calm despite the histrionics.
Three goalies have split the load this season between Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz, and now Dennis Hildeby. Although Stolarz's numbers have taken a big step back (.884 save percentage down from .926 last season), both Woll (.915) and Hildeby (.912) have been good.
Of course, the knock with both Woll and Stolarz comes with their injury histories, and with Hildeby now their No. 3 goalie after they lost Cayden Primeau on waivers back to Carolina, their whole system gets stressed out by it. Seeing Hildeby step in and play well has helped ratchet down some of the drama recently, although with how totally flawed the Leafs are, there's always going to be something. For now, at least, it's not the goaltending making a mess of it.
Grade: B-minus
Utah Mammoth
28 of 32
If the Mammoth are going to get over the hump and into the playoffs for the first time, goaltending is going to have to be a big factor in that. With Karel Vejmelka and Vitek VanÄÄek as their tandem, they have two veterans who should be able to steer them in that direction.
So far this season, the position has been a bit wobbly. Vejmelka has been steady, going 16-10-2 with a .896 save percentage, and his 6.2 goals saved above expected are good. Consistency has been a little bit of a question so far this season, but we've seen him get hot in the past and rally teams into the playoff race. He just did it last season, in fact.
For VanÄÄek, he's battled. While his .882 save percentage is a bit under league average and his 1.8 goals saved above expected aren't many, he's been skunked out record-wise, going 2-8-1 while getting an average of 1.87 goals-for per game. Tough to win with so little offense to support you. Meanwhile, Vejmelka gets 3.42 goals-for per game. It might not just be the goalies battling with consistency in Salt Lake City.
Grade: C
Vancouver Canucks
29 of 32
Normally, we'd say it's been a tough time for Canucks fans after making such a massive trade as they did, with Quinn Hughes going to Minnesota, but seeing them win four out of five on the road after the trade reminded us that they've still got some players. Players like Thatcher Demko.
Demko has had a solid season, posting a .909 save percentage with a shutout and an unfortunate 8-7-0 record to go with it. Demko has 12.2 goals saved above expected, and when he's played, he's looked a lot like the guy we've seen in the past who's capable of stealing games night after night. As good as he's been when he's been in there, he hasn't been able to always be in there, once again, with injuries.
Backup Kevin Lankinen, who had an incredible season a year ago, came back to earth a bit this season with an .880 save percentage and a 5-10-3 record to go with it. Vancouver's also used Nikita Tolopilo and JiÅĆ Patera this season, and their team's save percentage of .884 is in the bottom 10 in the league.
Grade: C
Vegas Golden Knights
30 of 32
Everything hasn't exactly gone to plan for Vegas in goal this season, but, as in past seasons when the same thing has happened, they've found a way to make it work.
This season, it's been Akira Schmid who's owned the net with Adin Hill out with injury. Schmid has gone 11-3-4 this season with a .896 save percentage and two shutouts. When the highs are there, they're really high, but the lows have been kept to a minimum as the Golden Knights battle with Edmonton, Anaheim, and L.A. for the top spot in the Pacific.
New addition Carter Hart came in to fill the backup void, with Schmid moving to the starting role after Hill was out, and played well after being out of the league for multiple years. Hart is 4-1-3 with an .898 save percentage. Carl Lindbom got his fair share of time as well, posting an .870 in nine games but with a 1-4-2 record.
Even though everyone is playing admirably, given the push up the depth chart, the wait for Hill to return, and the hope he'll be able to get back to his level of play that pushed Vegas in the playoffs the past few years is there.
Grade: C-plus
Washington Capitals
31 of 32
If East Coast Bias is a real thing, then Logan Thompson will be the Vezina Trophy favorite, right?
Thompson is 15-9-3 so far this season, but with a .917 save percentage and, if Team Canada doesn't overthink things terribly, he'll be the starter for them at the Olympics, too. Thompson has two shutouts this season, has the Capitals in a playoff spot right now, and is poised to be one of the top teams in the East.
What's more is that Thompson is second in the NHL in goals saved above expected with 22.5, just 0.3 behind Ilya Sorokin for the top spot, according to Moneypuck.com. He's been outstanding since landing in Washington, and the Capitals aren't where they are without him.
That's not to put down Charlie Lindgren, who's held it down in a backup role, either. He's gone 5-4-2 with a .888 save percentage and a shutout, and to have that kind of play behind the starter means not having to sweat it out too often.
Grade: A
Winnipeg Jets
32 of 32
It's not a surprise that things took a turn for the worse in Winnipeg when Connor Hellebuyck missed about a month after knee surgery, but seeing how he's played since returning a couple of weeks ago and watching the Jets tumble down the standings, it's hard to see that.
Hellebuyck is 1-2-3 with a .893 save percentage since coming back, and not getting Vezina-level performance from him puts Winnipeg in a tough spot. Before surgery, Hellebuyck had a .913 save percentage, which is still down from what's expected of him, but with how quickly he returned from the arthroscopic procedure, you wonder how much longer it'll take for him to get back to his old self. Overall, he's 9-8-3 with a .908 save percentage, which is still good, just not up to his level.
Backup Eric Comrie did his best while Hellebuyck was out (6-8-1; .886), and Thomas Milic got a little bit of action, but seeing Winnipeg tied with the Buffalo Sabres in team save percentage can't have them feeling comfortable about trying to get back in the playoff picture in a brutally competitive Central Division.
Grade: B-minus
.jpg?w=480 "Bills Broncos Football")
.png?w=600 "Winners & Losers From 1st Day of the Playoffs")
