Goaltending. It’s the most fickle position in the NHL but, also, the most important for success. If you have a netminder who’s struggling, your Stanley Cup hopes are over before they even begin.
A top-end goalie can make all the difference in the world this time of year, and help a team overcome any other shortcomings on defence or offence. While the Tampa Bay Lightning have been stacked in their back-to-back championships, Andrei Vasilevskiy has given no crack for the opponents to get through. He won the Conn Smythe last season largely because of how unbeatable he was in elimination games.
One hiccup in those starts and any goodwill a netminder has built up could wash away.
Goalies will be a huge part of the storylines that are set to unfold in the NHL over the next two months and, whether or not one of them wins the Conn Smythe again in 2022, you can bet the team that lifts the Cup in June will have gotten some solid play in net.
So how should we rank the teams?
As we set to embark on the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, here are the goalie Power Rankings — an overview of who are the best bets to elevate their teams at the most important times.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Vasilevskiy isn’t going to win the Vezina this season. He may not even be a finalist. But there is not another goalie you can feel better about manning your net in the playoffs right now than the Lightning stopper.
His “normal” numbers this season are still outstanding compared to most goalies, but Vasilevskiy is not most goalies. In the past two playoffs, Vasilevskiy has maintained a .932 save percentage, 34-14 record and a sparkling 1.90 GAA. He’s allowed more than three goals in just six of those 48 games and less than three goals in 28 of them.
Now, it is true that Vasilevskiy’s regular season finish in 2022 wasn’t the strongest (.902 SV%, 3.19 GAA in April) so we’ll see if he can quickly turn it around. Not going to bet against it.
2. New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin
The favourite for the Vezina Trophy in 2022, Shesterkin will get some Hart Trophy consideration as well. And while he started to wobble a little in mid-March, Shesterkin got back on track and earned three shutouts in April. He’s peaked again.
Shesterkin’s 44.81 Goals Saved Above Average (per Hockey-Reference) is far and away the best in the league this season and one of the best of the salary cap era. The only goalie to finish with a better mark in that span? Tim Thomas in 2010-11 during his Vezina performance.
