New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist Has Become NHL's Best Goaltender

The New York Rangers allow the fewest goals scored per game in the NHL this season and it's because they have the league's best goalie, Henrik Lundqvist.

Lundqvist rarely gets the respect he deserves as an elite goaltender, and has never won the Vezina Trophy. He's only been nominated for the award three times, which, to me, is a joke.

He consistently is a top goalie and has not had a dominating defenseman or an incredibly talented roster in front of him for much of his career.

However, this season, Lundqvist and the Rangers are playing very well. New summer signing Brad Richards has filled in nicely so far, and sniper winger Marian Gaborik is healthy.

The real reason the Rangers are third in the Atlantic division (having played four less games than Pittsburgh atop the division) is because Lundqvist has dominated between the pipes. He is fourth in the NHL in save percentage (.935) and is eighth in GAA (2.05).

Lundqvist has carried the Rangers throughout his career because the team has not been a very good goalscoring team during his tenure in New York.

In his career, the Rangers have been in the top half of the league in goals scored per game just once, making Lundqvist's job so much more difficult that it needs to be.

Not only does he perform well under immense pressure to lead his team to victory every night, he plays in a ton of games and has proved quite durable.

He's never played in fewer than 68 games in a season and has played in 70 four times. 

Lundqvist is also very fundamentally sound. Rarely is he out of position and he always has his glove in the right spot. He doesn't panic on breakaway's and won't give up an angle for the shooter to score on. With that said, it's not hard to understand that Lundqvist is the all-time leader in shootout wins.

The Rangers are currently 14th in the league in goals scored per game, and are only going to improve as their young core gets even better.

Lundqvist is certainly capable of making a Tim Thomas-like run in the playoffs. Thomas carried the Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship last season with his fantastic performances that earned him the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe award as playoff MVP.

We've seen what Lundqvist can do with great talent around him when the stakes are highest. He won the gold medal at the 2006 Olympic Games with Sweden against Finland.

The Rangers are going to be one of the NHL's best teams for many seasons to come, and Lundqvist will be a major reason why.

He is the best goalie in the NHL and is asked to carry his team more than any other top goaltender. This season he must be looked at as a Vezina Trophy finalist, because it is a crime that he hasn't won the award yet.

No matter how bad his team's play on a given night, whether it is Sweden or the Rangers, his teammates can relax because with Henrik Lundqvist in net the game is never over.

Follow Nicholas Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.