The second spherical of the Stanley Cup playoffs wrapped up Sunday with the Florida Panthers dominating the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a 6-1 win, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed solely one in all 20 photographs previous him.
Goaltending may make or break a staff’s possibilities to hoist the Stanley Cup. Which goalies have the very best probability of main their groups to the finals? This is a rating in inverse order:.
4. Calvin Pickard/Stuart Skinner | Edmonton Oilers | Subsequent: Sport 1 at Dallas on Wednesday, Could 21
The second-round sequence between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights got here right down to offense, as neither staff’s goalies have performed exceptionally throughout their playoff runs.
Pickard, who missed Video games 3-5 in opposition to Vegas with a lower-body harm, has been slightly extra steady in purpose than teammate Stuart Skinner, who has a 3.06 goals-against common in 5 postseason video games. Per NHL.com, nonetheless, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned Pickard “actually will not” play in Sport 1.
Within the seven video games by the primary two rounds, Pickard has a 2.84 goals-against common and an .888 save share. Nevertheless, he has solely confronted 170 photographs, 19 of them objectives. That is 224 photographs fewer than the opposite Western Convention finals goalie, Dallas’ Jake Oettinger, who has performed in 13 video games.
3. Sergei Bobrovsky | Florida Panthers | Subsequent: Sport 1 at Carolina on Tuesday, Could 20
Bobrovsky and Oettinger are the one goalies left who’ve performed in all of their staff’s video games within the postseason. Bobrovsky, nonetheless, has confronted solely 284 photographs in comparison with Oettinger’s 394. Bobrovsky has a greater goals-against common than Oettinger (2.31 to 2.47), however his save share is simply a .901.
These goalies are on the high of their video games, however Bobrovsky has not confronted the identical kind of high-producing offenses that Oettinger has within the playoffs.
However “Bobrovsky’s lateral motion is pretty much as good as any goalie within the NHL, so it is no shock he is had success on performs and passes throughout the center of the ice even throughout a down season statistically (by his requirements),” wrote Kevin Woodley for NHL.com.
Nonetheless, Carolina may put up massive numbers in opposition to him. Will he handle the stress of defending the Stanley Cup?
2. Jake Oettinger | Dallas Stars
Because of the excellent play of Oettinger, Dallas secured its spot within the Western Convention closing Saturday night time within the lowest-scoring recreation of the six-game sequence. He held Winnipeg to at least one purpose (.957 save %, 22 photographs) throughout a 2-1 win in OT.
Within the third interval, Oettinger had one in all his finest saves of the playoffs as he outdueled Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
