Top 10 Playoff Goalies of all Time #7 (Post-Expansion)

[blundluntman]

Pretty simple premise: Who are your top 10 playoff goaltenders of all time post-1967?

Rank	Player	% of Vote	Link to Poll Discussion
1	Patrick Roy	49/103 (47.6%)	Poll 1
2	Dominik Hasek	19/32 (59.4%)	Poll 2
3	Ken Dryden	48/121 (39.7%)	Poll 3
4	Martin Brodeur	40/72 (55.6%)	Poll 4
5	Billy Smith	8/32 (25.0%)	Poll 5
6	Ed Belfour	11/63 (17.5%)	Poll 6

If you have a recommendation, please make a small case (a sentence or two will do) for the player you want to be added.

Click to read more...

 

[blundluntman]

As a participant, I'm not sure who to take between Lundqvist and Price in all honesty. Henrik was on a better team for the most part but he's also always been unbelievably dialed in once the post-season starts and is one of the greatest game 7 goalies of all time if not #1. Price has been able to put up equally stellar numbers with lesser teams though so he has just as good of an argument as Hank. I might lean towards Price here but I could be swayed if there's a good enough argument. Thomas is up there too but only has 3 post-season runs so I have to question his consistency/longevity.

Besides those two, you also have the a bunch of Conn Smythe winners in Bernie Parent (2x), Andrei Vasilevsky, Tim Thomas, Jonathan Quick, and JS Giguere. It's crazy to think that more likely than not, only one of them's actually gonna crack the top 10 when it's all said and done. I might keep going after Poll #10 so we can see the discussions play out if enough posters have strong opinions on the matter.

 

[Romang67]

As a participant, I'm not sure who to take between Lundqvist and Price in all honesty. Henrik was on a better team for the most part but he's also always been unbelievably dialed in once the post-season starts and is one of the greatest game 7 goalies of all time if not #1. Price has been able to put up equally stellar numbers with lesser teams though so he has just as good of an argument as Hank. I might lean towards Price here but I could be swayed if there's a good enough argument. Thomas is up there too but only has 3 post-season runs so I have to question his consistency/longevity.

Besides those two, you also have the a bunch of Conn Smythe winners in Bernie Parent (2x), Andrei Vasilevsky, Tim Thomas, Jonathan Quick, and JS Giguere. It's crazy to think that more likely than not, only one of them's actually gonna crack the top 10 when it's all said and done. I might keep going after Poll #10 so we can see the discussions play out if enough posters have strong opinions on the matter.

I'm not entirely convinced Lundqvist or Price is the best playoff performer from their generation, even if you cut off Thomas because of lack of games. Holtby is right up there with them. I'm personally very glad he ended up getting his cup after being eliminated in the 2nd round against the Rangers (Holtby save percentage .935), Rangers (Holtby save percentage .944), and Penguins (Holtby save percentage .942).

His only blemish before he fell off due to age was in 2017, but he battled back and was a major part in their 2018 championship the year after.

 

[Machinehead]

I've voted for Thomas in like the last...at least three.

 

[blundluntman]

I'm not entirely convinced Lundqvist or Price is the best playoff performer from their generation, even if you cut off Thomas because of lack of games. Holtby is right up there with them.

Almost forgot about Holtby, you're absolutely right. I'd assume it's because his regular-season resume (and the franchise he played for) isn't quite the same caliber as the other two but he has 5 absolutely elite playoff appearances under his belt. It's probably also because he only made it out of the semi-finals once in his career but his numbers definitely look good no matter who you match him up against.

 

[blundluntman]

I've voted for Thomas in like the last...at least three.

As far as post-season peaks go, he's probably in my top 5 with Roy, Giguere, Quick and Hasek. But only having 3 playoff runs does make it harder to measure him up against other guys' bodies of work. He belongs in the conversation for sure though.

 

[Machinehead]

As a participant, I'm not sure who to take between Lundqvist and Price in all honesty. Henrik was on a better team for the most part but he's also always been unbelievably dialed in once the post-season starts and is one of the greatest game 7 goalies of all time if not #1. Price has been able to put up equally stellar numbers with lesser teams though so he has just as good of an argument as Hank. I might lean towards Price here but I could be swayed if there's a good enough argument. Thomas is up there too but only has 3 post-season runs so I have to question his consistency/longevity.

Besides those two, you also have the a bunch of Conn Smythe winners in Bernie Parent (2x), Andrei Vasilevsky, Tim Thomas, Jonathan Quick, and JS Giguere. It's crazy to think that more likely than not, only one of them's actually gonna crack the top 10 when it's all said and done. I might keep going after Poll #10 so we can see the discussions play out if enough posters have strong opinions on the matter.

Let me help you out.

GAA

Lundqvist - 2.30
Price 2.39

Sv%

Lundqvist - .921
Price - .919

Goals Saved Above Average

Lundqvist - 21.7
Price - 6.2

Goals Saved Above Expected (this one is for the "Price was on AHL teams" crowd)

Ludunqvist - 54.44
Price - -1.22

Game 7 Records

Lundqvist - 6-1
Price - 3-1

Records Facing Elimination

Lundqvist - 16-11 (.640 - most wins all-time)
Price - 11-7 (.611)

sv% Facing Elimination

Lundqvist - .935 (highest all-time)
Price - .928

Where is the argument? This is a paddling. It's objectively Lundqvist out of those two.

 

[strattonius]

Where is Luongo?

 

[Voight]

I'm not entirely convinced Lundqvist or Price is the best playoff performer from their generation, even if you cut off Thomas because of lack of games. Holtby is right up there with them. I'm personally very glad he ended up getting his cup after being eliminated in the 2nd round against the Rangers (Holtby save percentage .935), Rangers (Holtby save percentage .944), and Penguins (Holtby save percentage .942).

His only blemish before he fell off due to age was in 2017, but he battled back and was a major part in their 2018 championship the year after.

Holtby has very good playoff stats that aren't talked about enough.

 

[blundluntman]

Let me help you out.

GAA

Lundqvist - 2.30
Price 2.39

Sv%

Lundqvist - .921
Price - .919

Goals Saved Above Average

Lundqvist - 21.7
Price - 6.2

Goals Saved Above Expected (this one is for the "Price was on AHL teams" crowd)

Ludunqvist - 54.44
Price - -1.22

Game 7 Records

Lundqvist - 6-1
Price - 3-1

Records Facing Elimination

Lundqvist - 16-11 (.640 - most wins all-time)
Price - 11-7 (.611)

sv% Facing Elimination

Lundqvist - .935 (highest all-time)
Price - .928

Where is the argument? This is a paddling. It's objectively Lundqvist out of those two.

Ngl I'm pretty surprised by the gap when it comes to Goals saved above average/expected so that's definitely a plus for Hank. Outside of that metric, they're pretty much equal in every other department though, so it makes me wonder if there's more than meets the eye here. I'll have to look into what GSAA/GSAE evaluates since I don't know too much about it but that's a point worth considering

 

[HabzSauce]

I'm going with Quick. Hank and Price of course were dominant too. Can't go wrong with any of these 3

 

[blundluntman]

Where is Luongo?

Lungo is a great goalie but this is about playoff resumes. His is pretty lackluster. Never really occurred to me that I should add him in all honesty.

 

[Romang67]

I think the 2010s might be my favorite period for goaltending in the playoffs. Sure wish my team's goalies had chosen to partake.

Ngl I'm pretty surprised by the gap when it comes to Goals saved above average/expected so that's definitely a plus for Hank. Outside of that metric, they're pretty much equal in every other department though, so it makes me wonder if there's more than meets the eye here. I'll have to look into what GSAA/GSAE evaluates since I don't know too much about it but that's a point worth considering

I think Lundqvist played in the playoffs so often so for long that people tend to forget that many of those Rangers teams were fairly mediocre.

 

[um]

Henry!

Other guys had a great playoff runs, Lundqvist was dominant for a long time though.

 

[blundluntman]

I think the 2010s might be my favorite period for goaltending in the playoffs. Sure wish my team's goalies had chosen to partake.


I think Lundqvist played in the playoffs so often so for long that people tend to forget that many of those Rangers teams were fairly mediocre.

That's true but most of his elite campaigns occurred during the Rangers' contender years so it doesn't really reflect in the underlying metrics. Just looking at his GSAA, it looks like it was highest during NY's good years and was as bad as Price's when they weren't all too great. That's just his GSAA though so his GSAE may tell a different story. Haven't been able to find a website that shows GSAE for the playoffs

 

[Machinehead]

I think Lundqvist played in the playoffs so often so for long that people tend to forget that many of those Rangers teams were fairly mediocre.

A bit of that, and also I think the explanation of "they both played on bad teams" is an oversimplification.

The competitive Rangers teams Lundqvist was on could score a lot better than people remember. They were mostly horrific defensively and their roster building was kind of designed on "who cares if we give up chances? We have Hank." To be fair, they were competitive for a long time doing that.

The Habs teams Price was on were certainly very mid and lacking top-end talent, more so than the Rangers, but according to most analytics, they never defended poorly.

Lundqvist was way more under siege which explains the gap in GSAx.

 

[Romang67]

That's true but most of his elite campaigns occurred during the Rangers' contender years so it doesn't really reflect in the underlying metrics. Just looking at his GSAA, it looks like it was highest during NY's good years and was as bad as Price's when they weren't all too great. That's just his GSAA though so his GSAE may tell a different story. Haven't been able to find a website that shows GSAE for the playoffs

Moneypuck.com has GSAx for the playoffs.

NHL Goalie Statistics

NHL Goalie Analytics, Expected Goals, Expected Rebounds

moneypuck.com

 

[amnesiac]

Gotta be Bernie Parent

The guy has 2 Conn Smythes and 2 Cups

only 71GP but a .916 SV% in the 70s!! Thats better than Dryden, although didnt play as many games.

edit: cant believe he only has ONE vote

 

[blundluntman]

Moneypuck.com has GSAx for the playoffs.

NHL Goalie Statistics

NHL Goalie Analytics, Expected Goals, Expected Rebounds

moneypuck.com

Ah they use an x instead of e, that makes sense, thanks. So I took a look at the metrics and how they're measured and it definitely tells me Lundqvist is more reliable and consistent year in and out all contextual factors being considered. Not sure if Price's blunders can be attributed to more pressure, but being able to perform under pressure is a very important metric so it still ends up dimming Price's light a (sure, MTL is a tough organization to play for, but NY is no cakewalk either I'm sure). Thinking it over a bit, I think I'll actually go with Lundqvist this round and consider Price for #8.

 

[blundluntman]

Gotta be Bernie Parent

The guy has 2 Conn Smythes and 2 Cups

only 71GP but a .916 SV% in the 70s!! Thats better than Dryden, although didnt play as many games.

edit: cant believe he only has ONE vote

Yeah Parent is definitely going under a lot of folks radars like most pre 90s goalies (that weren't on dynasties) do.

While I did consider him, I can't ignore his 4 mediocre/bad playoff runs outside of those two conn smythes. I have him closer to the Thomas/Giguere/Quick tier due to the significant dropoff in his resume outside his very high peak from 74-75. He was great at his best but it was a smaller league with fewer games so I do wonder how he'd fare with an additional round in the playoffs and a more grueling campaign when considering the parity the other guys went up against.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

A lot of Parent's reputation rests on his two consecutive Conn Smythes, but he was an excellent goalie for a longer period of time than most people realize.

Save percentage, playoffs, 1968 to 1975, min 20 games

From 1968 to 1975, Parent had the best save percentage in the playoffs by a comfortable 6 point margin. If you calculate Goals Saved Vs Average, nobody else is even close. Parent faced tough competition (of these 11 goalies, 8 of them are in the Hall of Fame). And the Flyers were a highly penalized team (he faced an unusually high proportion of his shots while his team was shorthanded).

It's true that he fell off a cliff after 1976. That's a strike against him. But he was pretty clearly the best playoff goalie in the NHL over the span of eight seasons. I'm not sure if anyone else up for voting can match that.

 

[strattonius]

Lungo is a great goalie but this is about playoff resumes. His is pretty lackluster. Never really occurred to me that I should add him in all honesty.

Ohhh man my reading needs some work. Didn't see the playoff part thought Roberto was getting snuffed.

I'd agree with you about Luongo. His playoff performances aren't really worth considering on this list. I mean 2007-2008 he was the best goaltender in the world and he carried that team all the way to the 2nd round where a 60-something save performance wasn't even enough. But the body of work ain't there.

 

[blundluntman]

A lot of Parent's reputation rests on his two consecutive Conn Smythes, but he was an excellent goalie for a longer period of time than most people realize.

Save percentage, playoffs, 1968 to 1975, min 20 games

View attachment 849379

From 1968 to 1975, Parent had the best save percentage in the playoffs by a comfortable 6 point margin. If you calculate Goals Saved Vs Average, nobody else is even close. Parent faced tough competition (of these 11 goalies, 8 of them are in the Hall of Fame). And the Flyers were a highly penalized team (he faced an unusually high proportion of his shots while his team was shorthanded).

It's true that he fell off a cliff after 1976. That's a strike against him. But he was pretty clearly the best playoff goalie in the NHL over the span of eight seasons. I'm not sure if anyone else up for voting can match that.

Yeah his resume up to the 75 cup was absolutely phenomenal that's for sure. His 74 smythe in particular when he took down Boston is probably tier 2 as far as all time goaltending performances are concerned.

I took a quick look at the 2010s for goalies that played at least 40+ games and Lundqvist had a .926 in 100 games, tied for 2nd only to Craig Anderson's .929 in 46. I'd say it's comparable to Parent's run due to the volume of games it spanned over. Lundqvist may not have peaked as high as Parent in the playoffs but he was more consistent and has a much bigger body of work. I get part of that was out of Parent's control but it's hard to ignore just how consistent Lundqvist was.

 

[blundluntman]

Ohhh man my reading needs some work. Didn't see the playoff part thought Roberto was getting snuffed.

I'd agree with you about Luongo. His playoff performances aren't really worth considering on this list. I mean 2007-2008 he was the best goaltender in the world and he carried that team all the way to the 2nd round where a 60-something save performance wasn't even enough. But the body of work ain't there.

Yeah Lungo is a strange case given just how much of a discrepancy there is between his post-season and regular-season play. Part of me thinks his legacy would be much better off if he'd stayed with Florida his whole career with less pressure and fewer post-season failures to tack against his resume. There's a lot to be said about the mystique that comes with a great goalie who played for a mediocre/bad team his whole career. I'd assume his playoff numbers would be much better if he only played in Florda as well.

 

[pegcity]

I know the original poster is getting hammered by the 'what about' crowd, but....

Hellebuyck will have 4 nominations and 2 vezina wins after this season.

Only 5 goalies have done this since the vezina winner was changed to voting (in 1981). Belfour, Roy, Brodeur, Hasek, Hellebuyck.

How many Stanley Cups and Conn Smythes does he have? Same amount at Lundqvist.