Show me a good coach, and I’ll show you a good goalie.
Hockey Night in Canada icon Don Cherry buys into that old adage fully.
So when the former coach was asked Monday on Dean Blundell & Co. to pinpoint the greatest reason for the Western Conference–leading Edmonton Oilers‘ turnaround, Cherry looked towards the net.
“It’s [Cam] Talbot,” Cherry said. “Even Todd [McLelland, the Oilers’ coach] said, ‘You don’t mind winning but you gotta outshoot the teams once in a while.’ “
LISTEN: Don Cherry talks Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Oilers, Senators
The Oilers have burst out to a 7-2-0 record despite surrendering 31.3 shots per game (eighth most) and only firing 29.6 shots per game.
Talbot, the first true No. 1 goalie Edmonton has had this decade, has posted a .936 save percentage with two shutouts and an NHL-best seven wins. Even though sophomore Connor McDavid leads the league with 12 points, Cherry argues that Talbot is more responsible for Edmonton’s place in the standings.
“Funny, those goaltenders. They go along three or four years and they’re mediocre, then bang, all of a sudden they turn into something,” Cherry said. “He is fantastic. He’s the guy.”
Talbot is also a class act. Following Sunday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators, he made a point to stay on the ice and applaud Sens goalie Craig Anderson’s emotionally charged shutout:
Underscoring the importance of the goaltending position are the stats of the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carey Price, whom Cherry called the NHL’s best player, and backup Al Montoya have backstopped the Habs to the league’s best record (8-0-1) and best goal differential (+17), and yet Montreal has been outshot by 1.5 shots per game.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs rank first overall in shots (34.7) while giving up only 30.2 per game — and they’re 2-4-0 and last in the Atlantic Division. Neither Frederik Andersen nor Jhonas Enroth has a save percentage above .876.
“That’s exactly their problem, their goaltending,” Cherry said. “I would’ve never got rid of [James] Reimer. He was the guy, as far as I’m concerned, and they made a big mistake.”
