Last night, the New York Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins, closing out the preseason on a high note.
Overtime ends scoreless, no shootout, and the #NYR close the pre-season with 3-2 win over the Bruins @TheGarden
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 1, 2015
More to come on that later today. Here’s what else is going on.
Ranking the Top 50 Goalies – Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report has come up with one of the most thorough ways to rank goalies.
They’ve thought of everything. Taking years of analytics and accounting for details such as age and adjusted save percentages among other things, their list ranks goaltenders by how well they’ll perform this year.
So based on the last five years, this list tells us who might be the best all-around goalie in the 2015-16 season.
New York Rangers
Guess where Henrik Lundqvist ranks.
The Rangers twine tender came in at number four. He’s up there, as expected. But who’s in front of him may surprise you.
At the third spot, just in front of Hank, is the Boston Bruins’ Tuukka Rask. Next is the New Jersey Devils‘ Cory Schneider in second place. And the number one spot belongs to the Montreal Canadiens‘ Carey Price.
Okay. That last one shouldn’t surprise anyone. But Rask and Schneider? Really?
Bleacher Report acknowledges that their list is a bit controversial. They’ve had to inject some judgement into it.
However, most of the list is comprised with the help of analytics. They even weighed in the fact that goalies spend most of their time blocking shots at even strength than on the penalty kill. So with that said, maybe there’s some truth to this after all.
Bleacher Report notes the fact that Lundqvist is 33 years old. His play is bound to decline soon, if not from this point forward. Both Rask and Schneider have several more years before they reach that point. And Bleacher Report talks about several other factors that help make their ranking a bit more convincing.
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- Chris Kreider has had quite the Summer
- Andy Hosler Takes Helm as Head Athletic Trainer for the New York Rangers, Succeeding Jim Ramsay
Still, something seems amiss.
Maybe the reason why it’s a bit unbelievable to see Rask and Schneider surpass Lundqvist is because both of their teams are currently in rebuilding mode. Meanwhile, the Rangers have their core together and are confident they’ll have a winning team once the regular season begins.
It’s hard to think about the goaltenders without thinking about their team as well. And because of that, it’s especially surprising to see Schneider so high on the list. The Devils have not been as successful as the Bruins or the Rangers.
But once you look at Schneider as an individual hockey player, instead of just the Devils’ goalie, you start to see that Bleacher Report just might be right. Schneider has had to carry his team as their last line of defense. And with that kind of pressure, he’s been forced to work harder. In the regular seasons, Schneider has had to put more individual effort into goaltending than Lundqvist has had to.
When you look at it that way, Bleacher Report is right.
Next: Be Wary of the Blue Jackets
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- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
- Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly