Let's face it, no matter what anyone says, great team play triumphs elite goaltending

[Bjornar Moxnes]

While there are some exceptions and yes goalies can definitely steal games and possibly series, let's be honest long term sample size a team that has excellent metrics and elite skillset triumphs goalies that put on legendary performances. While all of the cup winners have had at the very least good goaltending, the last time we truly saw an elite goaltending performance cup winner was Tim Thomas (ANd even then before the Canucks series, the Bruins as a whole generally outplayed the opposition). Heck the Hawks won the 2010 finals with awful goaltending from Niemi. Even take a look at the Flames this season. When Smith was awful, yet the Flames thoroughly outplayed their opposition, they were winning back and forth. Now Smith is actually playing great yet because the Flames are being outplayed thoroughly they are down 3-1 in the series. This belief that a team needs an elite goalie to win a cup needs to die.

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[Bleedred]

I don't think you need an elite goalie to win the cup, but you probably need a goalie that's at least hot (and isn't having a horrific season) to win the cup.

I wouldn't say Bobrovsky or Lehner stole their first round sweeps, but both were really good. Grubauer has been excellent these playoffs, but Colorado has also been the better team.

 

[Alexei Yashvalev]

Goaltending these days doesn't lend itself to legendary performances really.

Stick technology has gotten so good that it's not really humanly possible anymore to have the reflexes to stop a lot of these shots. So goaltenders try to read the play, make themselves big and put themselves in a position where there's a good percentage chance the puck hits them. It relies a lot on your team defending right and sometimes they just get unlucky and even though they're doing the right thing they get scored on because a low percentage chance thing happens.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Hasn't this been the thought for a while now? Certainly, as you say, as far back as 2010. Back to Osgood on the Wings.

To win the Cup, you need most things going your way. You need the depth guy stepping up in the case of injury. You need a John Druce too. Even though the Caps didn't win the Cup in 1990, every Cup winner has that one guy that produces very good numbers, at least for a series, for no rational reason.

Goaltending in hockey(and soccer to an extent) might be the oddest position in sports. No other player plays the entire game(NBA stars rarely play every minute), but only on one side of the game, and is completely reactionary. A goalie stopping shots in invaluable, and you can't win without him doing it, but the rest of the team must do something. On average, about 1 out of every 10 shots will find a way into the net, no matter how good the goalie is.

 

[HabsDood]

Well, Patrick Roy did it, at least once (86), others too

Price was taking us there the Krider year.

I'm not going back to Ken Dryden

 

[Legionnaire]

Well, Patrick Roy did it, at least once (86), others too

Price was taking us there the Krider year.

I'm not going back to Ken Dryden

And 93

But hey, why bother posting when no matter what you say he's righr.

 

[ledzeppelinfan1]

Look at the Blues and Jets: Binnington has been ridiculous and the Jets are walking the Blues out the door regardless.

Small sample size but still...

 

[HabsDood]

And 93

But hey, why bother posting when no matter what you say he's righr.

Well, didn't knew.. So no, G can't steal a cup

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I think a hot goalie can steal a series, and an elite goalie can take you further than normal if he plays to his normal level. He can take you all the way to the Stanley Cup in '99, in fact, only to have your hopes dashed, your dreams shattered, life now a meaningless abyss filled with pain, suffering, and disappointment.

Sorry, what was the question?

 

[Alex K]

Even if you don't need elite goalie, you need your goalie to be hot or all your efforts will be in vain.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

Would the Sharks be in a better position in the series if Jones and Bob were switched though?

 

[Theodore450]

Disagree. Go watch the Kings run

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Disagree. Go watch the Kings run

Is it bad that my first thought is "half of them are too old to run"?

 

[Theodore450]

Is it bad that my first thought is "half of them are too old to run"?

Lmao no that’s gold! You wouldn’t be wrong

 

[cgf]

I dunno, the avs are up 3-1 right now & goaltending was our only advantage heading into the series...

...I think the bigger lesson is that extreme parity + the small sample sizes of a tournament = massive unpredictability...

 

[T REX]

Both Number 1 seeds have never been both knocked out in the first round

 

[Nordique]

I don't think you need an elite goalie to win the cup, but you probably need a goalie that's at least hot (and isn't having a horrific season) to win the cup.

I wouldn't say Bobrovsky or Lehner stole their first round sweeps, but both were really good. Grubauer has been excellent these playoffs, but Colorado has also been the better team.

I agree, but I'll add:

Bobrovsky turned the tide in game 1 during the 2nd period, for that 20 minute span he was the difference maker, allowing his team to capture the momentum back after trailing 3-0 on the road. From that point on, he simply did his job competently and effectively, while the team in front of him took over the series, scoring 4 unanswered goals and dealing a psychological blow to TB that they never really recovered from.

He as the series MVP imo, all because of that game 1 second period.

 

[Loosie]

Look at the Blues and Jets: Binnington has been ridiculous and the Jets are walking the Blues out the door regardless.

Small sample size but still...

That series is tied at 2 currently is it not?

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

Yeah I think ever since Osgood people have well assumed you don't need the goalie to be the best player, however an elite goalie can steal a series, like as you stated with cases like Tim Thomas or Quick (both ironically against the Canucks).

 

[Balance]

Even with great team play, what if the other team you are playing against has great team play/system? Or what if they are very good team with elite goal-tending?

But there are so many scenarios. Sometimes average/sub-par goalies just absolutely steal a game or a series at that. You can't just make some generalization. There is so much to hockey with how each forward line is doing, the PP, the PK, the defense, the coaching system, adjustments to the team you are playing, injuries, weaknesses vs. strengths against specific teams and their makeup, goaltending. So much into it. People make a mistake by isolating a team by one specific player, its just never the case. Its why McDavid has been out of the playoffs 3/4 years. It never will be one forward, one defenseman, or one goaltender. Its a team. Its a franchise. There are so many components. You cannot take a system as a whole and isolate it into parts. A system only works by the inter-functioning of the various parts.

 

[deckercky]

And we forgetting how fleury's elite play last year was enough to get vegas to the finals? Or the year before how fleury's play was the main difference maker when the pens beat the caps? Rangers making the finals on the back of lundqvist's heroics? Crawford's elite play for the 2013 and 2015 cups? Quick in both LA cup runs?

 

[BMOK33]

Both Number 1 seeds have never been both knocked out in the first round

Didn't they both get knocked out in 1998 or 1999?

 

[SotasicA]

I say bad goaltending will lose you the game no matter how well you play as a team.

 

[T REX]

Didn't they both get knocked out in 1998 or 1999?

Not sure - heard it on NHL Sirius this morning.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I think it’s more a case that the gap between the top goalies and the rest has narrowed over the years.
Probably because of improved coaching, conditioning and technique.
The days of one elite goalie consistently separating himself from the pack seem to be over. At least for now.