New York Rangers: Ranking the NHL’s top ten goaltenders
The NHL Network recently ranked the top 10 best goaltenders in the NHL today. so we figured we should also rank our top 10 using everything available to us.
In a league that boasts so much skill in the crease, it can become almost impossible to rank the best in the world of goaltending accurately.
However, using advanced stats, a more definitive list was created. While there are arguments to make about all of the following 10 goalies, one thing is for sure; this is the most accurate list we could make.
From players like Carey Price to Anders Lindback, each goalie possesses a unique skill set that sets them apart from their counterparts. The advanced stats used to sort the top ten made it very clear in showing who was more dominant in net.
The following list uses statistics from Dispelling Voodoo. The stats that are used in this article are broken down in order to more easily understand how this would play a role in a 60-minute game. Now without further ado, here is our ranking of the NHL’s top 10 goaltenders…
10. John Gibson-
John Gibson made his NHL debut at the tender age of 21 years old against the Vancouver Canucks. In that game, he shut out the opposition and played as the Ducks starter for the rest of the season. Since then, Gibson has moved up the depth chart from third string goalie to starter in a matter of three short years. Most recently, Gibson was the backbone of the Anaheim Ducks and their finish in the third spot in the Western Conference.
Gibson is placed at number 10 because, despite his solid numbers, he is still too young to be holding a place in the top five. Also, his high danger save percentage, (HDSv%) is considered below standard as he currently holds an 80% average in that category. Other than that, the 24-year-old is robust and above normal in other categories.
However, Gibson and his inability to make critical saves when it counts, unfortunately, put him at the bottom of our list.
9. Matt Murray
A lot of you must be thinking why a two time Stanley Cup champion is ranked close to the bottom of our list. The answer is quite simple; he plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
For a long time now, the Penguins have relied on a stellar offensive play to win championships, while leaning back on a sub par defensive/goaltending. However, despite being ranked number nine, Murray is a talented goaltender.
The one big issue with Murray is his expected goals per 48 minutes total (xGA/48). While his 2.03 is average, it is the third highest figure amongst the top 10. Given the fact that Murray gives up at least two goals in slightly under 2.5 periods of play, it is likely that he will let the third goal in, giving the Penguins offense a tougher job.
Ultimately, his performance in net has not wavered the Penguins chances of winning a Stanley Cup. In fact, since he began playing with the team in the 2016 playoffs, he has been their backbone.
8. Cory Schneider
Being the only constant for a consistently disappointing Devils team is tough. Cory Schneider makes it work though. Despite the wretched records the Hudson River rivals have put up in the past number of years, Schneider has set himself apart as an elite netminder with the Devils and with his home country of the United States on the international stage.
Sadly for Schneider, he is hanging out on the bottom of the list because he does play for the New Jersey Devils. On top of that, his small danger save percentage (LDSv%) is extremely below average. The mean number in that category is 98%. In what would seem to be not far off, Schneider has a 97.2%. However, this makes a big difference during a full NHL season. This means situations in which most times there wouldn’t be scoring, there is.
That one statistic could potentially make or break a team’s season. For the Devils, it’s been breaking.
7. Scott Darling
Advanced stats tell us that last season, Darling was the better of the two goalies in Chicago. Make no mistake though, Crawford is the better of the two regarding basic statistics.
In situations of high and medium danger, Darling performs above average. Like Schneider however, his LDSv% is below standard as he puts up numbers equivalent to 97%. Most of Darling’s success comes from the team in front of him, and their ability to play better when he is in goal. In categories of high, medium, and low danger shots against, Darling narrowly edges out his former starter.
Also, Darling also has smaller goals average against per 48 minutes (xGA/48) with 1.97. Crawford sits a little higher with a 1,98 xGA/48. So to sum it up, Darling who now resides in Carolina playing for the Hurricanes, has put himself above many with his consistent play for the Blackhawks. If he continues at this rate, he can maybe do the same with the Hurricanes. Perhaps he could lead them to the playoffs too.
6. Cam Talbot
In just his second year with the Edmonton Oilers, Cam Talbot led his team to the second round of the playoffs. More amazingly, he did this on a team with a subpar defensive core.
Since his departure from the Rangers and goalie master Benoit Allaire, Talbot has solidified himself as an elite goalie in the NHL. Unfortunately for him, he sits at six in our rankings for a number of reasons.
The first issue is Talbot’s HDSv% which sits at the NHL average of 81.1%. Now as mentioned before, the defense Talbot is working with is lackluster. The best defenseman this team possesses is Andrej Sekera, and that says a lot.
The second big problem Talbot faces is his xGA/48 which sits way above where it should be with a 2.09. Shockingly, the only goalie on this list with a higher number than Talbot’s is his mentor Henrik Lundqvist.
Those two stats aside, Cam Talbot has the potential to be one of the NHL greats if the Oilers somehow find a way to improve the defense in front of him.
5. Sergei Bobrovsky
Like Talbot, Sergei Bobrovsky led his team to the playoffs in a fast turnaround year. In addition to being the backbone of a team that went on a 16 game win streak, Bobrovsky also won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender.
Despite the recent phenomenal season the Russian native had, Bobrovsky is too inconsistent, which is why he is at number five. While his advanced stat numbers place him high above the rest of the NHL goalie talent, Bobrovsky has simply been all over the place.
In the 2015-16 season, Bobrovsky played just 37 games and amounted a 15-19-0 record. In the previous season, he played in just 51 games and finished with a decent 30-17-3 record. However, in that same year, Bobrovsky finished with some of his career worst numbers including a .918 save percentage and 2.69 GAA
With his biggest shortcoming coming from his LDSv%, Bobrovsky should have continued success with the Blue Jackets if he keeps up his fantastic play.
4. Braden Holtby
Since entering the league in 2011, Braden Holtby has solidified his name in the Vezina Trophy nominations. Also, Holtby continues to make and break career highs in all categories. The latest example of this was in 2015-16 where he finished the year with a 48-9-7 record.
The advanced stats indicate that Holtby exceeds in every category including high danger scenarios. However, Braden Holtby sits at number four on our rankings for the very reason that he does not play well when the pressure is on.
In every single playoff year that Holtby has started in, his team has failed to make it past the second round as a result of crumbling play by everyone on the team, especially the goalie. This was seen especially in his last playoff run in which Holtby had a quality start percentage of 53.8% which is barely average. That seems to make sense though since Holtby and the Capitals in the playoffs are just average.
3. Corey Crawford
Corey Crawford is ranked here in the top three for the same reason that Braden Holtby is not. Crawford has two Stanley Cups to his name while Holtby doesn’t even know what the conference finals feel like.
Besides leading the Hawks to two championships and topping the league in the standings, Crawford has also put up solid numbers in the process.
Crawford last season and for his entire career, has seen a significant amount of shots get taken on him. Of all the goalies on this list, Crawford sees the highest tier danger shots, which for him is about 11 per game. When it comes to stopping these shots, Crawford holds his ground with an 83.4 HDSv%. That is way above the NHL standard
The reason why Crawford is not at number one or two is that he is consistent. When he is winning, everything is great. On the other hand, when Crawford finds himself losing a few games, he goes into a little drought regarding putting up the fantastic numbers he is known for.
Luckily for him and the Blackhawks, he is a big reason of why the Blackhawks have become a modern NHL dynasty.
2. Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist since the beginning has been one of the most consistent goalies ever to play the game. Despite this, as many Rangers fans know, Lundqvist had a pretty rocky season for the team in 16-17. For Lundqvist, the hope is that his good play can one day lead to a Stanley Cup championship on Broadway
Advanced stats tell the full story though. Lundqvist last season faced 10.8 shots a game coming from high danger areas. This is a result of the previously weak defense that consisted of Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Nick Holden, and more. The outcome of this is Lundqvist holding the highest xGA/48 of anyone else on this list with a 2.11.
Aside from that, all other advanced numbers show that Henrik Lundqvist plays above average night in and night out. That is especially useful to know since with the additions of some big time players on the Rangers blue line. With players like Kevin Shattenkirk playing alongside a top defenseman, the wrong numbers such as GAA and high-risk shots faced should be going down.
Lundqvist sits at number two because sadly he no longer is the best in the world. There is a newish face that has emerged as the number one goalie…
1. Carey Price
Even though Carey Price has yet to capture a Stanley Cup like Lundqvist, his repertoire of awards speaks for itself. Price at the young age of 29 has been in four All-Star Games, won an Olympic Gold medal, and has taken home the Hart, Jennings, Lindsay, and Vezina trophies (all in the same year of 2015).
Without any debate, Price’s advanced stats indicate that he is the best of all the goalies in the NHL. This includes having the lowest xGA/48 with a 1.90. Price is above average in all other categories despite the fact he faces large shot totals in high, medium and low danger zones.
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Essentially, what that means is he is playing the best he can and consistently winning even though his defense is not always reliable for him. Price now holds the spot as the face of goaltending in the NHL. His continued success means nothing short of excellence for the NHL and hopefully the Montreal Canadiens.