quoipourquoi
Goaltender
Having caught a lot of New Jersey Devils games in which a defensive breakdown on the powerplay has led to a shorthanded breakaway against Brodeur, I can't help but feel that Brodeur's overall save percentage isn't exactly the most flattering representation of his play. After discovering that he has been beaten on 8 of 23 shots (EDIT: correction) in those situations, I thought about doing a more thorough look at the isolation of even-strength save percentage for notable goaltenders.
Obviously being able to make some big stops in a special teams situation is in itself quite the accomplishment, but the removal of those higher-percentage chances (that occur more often for some goaltenders than others) might give us an interesting perspective. For instance, would you believe that James Reimer (overall .900) and Josh Harding (overall .935) have the same even-strength save percentage this year? The difference is that Reimer gets absolutely abused behind the Leafs' league-worst penalty killing system.
Here are the lists from each season of our current century with Vezina candidates and notable goaltenders of the year/time:
They are sorted by their even-strength numbers, with their overall save percentage in parenthesis.
1999-00
Joseph: .924 (.915)
Roy: .923 (.914)
Hasek : .923 (.919)
Kolzig : .922 (.917)
Belfour: .922 (.919)
Turek: .922 (.912)
Brodeur: .912 (.910)
2000-01
Cechmanek: .932 (.921)
Giguere: .930 (.911)
Roy: .925 (.913)
Hasek: .924 (.921)
Joseph: .923 (.915)
Brodeur: .919 (.906)
Belfour: .917 (.905)
2001-02
Roy: .934 (.925)
Theodore: .931 (.931)
Burke: .930 (.920)
Giguere: .929 (.920)
Hasek: .925 (.915)
Brodeur: .917 (.906)
Joseph: .916 (.906)
Belfour: .907 (.895)
2002-03
Turco: .940 (.932)
Roy: .933 (.920)
Belfour: .924 (.922)
Giguere: .923 (.920)
Brodeur: .921 (.914)
Joseph: .919 (.912)
2003-04
Kiprusoff: .941 (.933)
Luongo: .937 (.931)
Belfour: .928 (.918)
Brodeur: .924 (.917)
Giguere: .921 (.914)
Joseph: .913 (.909)
2005-06
Vokoun: .941 (.919)
Kiprusoff: .941 (.923)
Hasek: .939 (.925)
Giguere: .933 (.911)
Lundqvist: .929 (.922)
Luongo: .926 (.914)
Thomas: .925 (.917)
Brodeur: .922 (.911)
2006-07
Kiprusoff: .932 (.917)
Hasek: .932 (.913)
Lundqvist: .931 (.917)
Vokoun: .931 (.920)
Luongo: .928 (.921)
Brodeur: .927 (.922)
Giguere: .926 (.918)
Thomas: .920 (.905)
2007-08
Giguere: .940 (.922)
Thomas: .933 (.921)
Leclaire: .930 (.919)
Luongo: .929 (.917)
Brodeur: .928 (.920)
Hasek: .928 (.902)
Vokoun: .927 (.919)
Lundqvist: .922 (.912)
Kiprusoff: .919 (.906)
Nabokov: .918 (.910)
2008-09
Thomas: .940 (.933)
Luongo: .936 (.920)
Vokoun: .935 (.926)
Brodeur: .933 (.916)
Rinne: .926 (.917)
Mason: .925 (.916)
Backstrom: .923 (.923)
Lundqvist: .920 (.916)
2009-10
Vokoun: .937 (.925)
Rask: .937 (.931)
Halak: .933 (.924)
Hiller: .930 (.918)
Lundqvist: .929 (.921)
Miller: .928 (.929)
Bryzgalov: .928 (.920)
Luongo: .925 (.913)
Rinne: .925 (.911)
Brodeur: .924 (.916)
2010-11
Thomas: .947 (.938)
Luongo: .934 (.928)
Rinne: .932 (.930)
Price: .931 (.923)
Bryzgalov: .931 (.921)
Hiller: .931 (.924)
Lundqvist: .930 (.923)
Interesting note: Of the Vezina winners of this century, only Tim Thomas (2009 and 2011) led all starting goaltenders in even-strength save percentage.
EDIT: So this doesn't get derailed further, this post isn't about Brodeur's 2011. All I said is that his statistics were the reason I looked up even-strength save percentages in the first place.
Obviously being able to make some big stops in a special teams situation is in itself quite the accomplishment, but the removal of those higher-percentage chances (that occur more often for some goaltenders than others) might give us an interesting perspective. For instance, would you believe that James Reimer (overall .900) and Josh Harding (overall .935) have the same even-strength save percentage this year? The difference is that Reimer gets absolutely abused behind the Leafs' league-worst penalty killing system.
Here are the lists from each season of our current century with Vezina candidates and notable goaltenders of the year/time:
They are sorted by their even-strength numbers, with their overall save percentage in parenthesis.
1999-00
Joseph: .924 (.915)
Roy: .923 (.914)
Hasek : .923 (.919)
Kolzig : .922 (.917)
Belfour: .922 (.919)
Turek: .922 (.912)
Brodeur: .912 (.910)
2000-01
Cechmanek: .932 (.921)
Giguere: .930 (.911)
Roy: .925 (.913)
Hasek: .924 (.921)
Joseph: .923 (.915)
Brodeur: .919 (.906)
Belfour: .917 (.905)
2001-02
Roy: .934 (.925)
Theodore: .931 (.931)
Burke: .930 (.920)
Giguere: .929 (.920)
Hasek: .925 (.915)
Brodeur: .917 (.906)
Joseph: .916 (.906)
Belfour: .907 (.895)
2002-03
Turco: .940 (.932)
Roy: .933 (.920)
Belfour: .924 (.922)
Giguere: .923 (.920)
Brodeur: .921 (.914)
Joseph: .919 (.912)
2003-04
Kiprusoff: .941 (.933)
Luongo: .937 (.931)
Belfour: .928 (.918)
Brodeur: .924 (.917)
Giguere: .921 (.914)
Joseph: .913 (.909)
2005-06
Vokoun: .941 (.919)
Kiprusoff: .941 (.923)
Hasek: .939 (.925)
Giguere: .933 (.911)
Lundqvist: .929 (.922)
Luongo: .926 (.914)
Thomas: .925 (.917)
Brodeur: .922 (.911)
2006-07
Kiprusoff: .932 (.917)
Hasek: .932 (.913)
Lundqvist: .931 (.917)
Vokoun: .931 (.920)
Luongo: .928 (.921)
Brodeur: .927 (.922)
Giguere: .926 (.918)
Thomas: .920 (.905)
2007-08
Giguere: .940 (.922)
Thomas: .933 (.921)
Leclaire: .930 (.919)
Luongo: .929 (.917)
Brodeur: .928 (.920)
Hasek: .928 (.902)
Vokoun: .927 (.919)
Lundqvist: .922 (.912)
Kiprusoff: .919 (.906)
Nabokov: .918 (.910)
2008-09
Thomas: .940 (.933)
Luongo: .936 (.920)
Vokoun: .935 (.926)
Brodeur: .933 (.916)
Rinne: .926 (.917)
Mason: .925 (.916)
Backstrom: .923 (.923)
Lundqvist: .920 (.916)
2009-10
Vokoun: .937 (.925)
Rask: .937 (.931)
Halak: .933 (.924)
Hiller: .930 (.918)
Lundqvist: .929 (.921)
Miller: .928 (.929)
Bryzgalov: .928 (.920)
Luongo: .925 (.913)
Rinne: .925 (.911)
Brodeur: .924 (.916)
2010-11
Thomas: .947 (.938)
Luongo: .934 (.928)
Rinne: .932 (.930)
Price: .931 (.923)
Bryzgalov: .931 (.921)
Hiller: .931 (.924)
Lundqvist: .930 (.923)
Interesting note: Of the Vezina winners of this century, only Tim Thomas (2009 and 2011) led all starting goaltenders in even-strength save percentage.
EDIT: So this doesn't get derailed further, this post isn't about Brodeur's 2011. All I said is that his statistics were the reason I looked up even-strength save percentages in the first place.
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