After 16 teams used a whopping 24 goaltenders in Round 1, it’s anyone’s guess as to how Round 2 shakes...
2022-23 playoffs: 4-3, 2.44 GAA, .926 Sv%, 0 shutouts2022-23 regular season: 27-13-3, 2.99 GAA, .887 Sv%, 3 shutouts2022-23 regular season: 2-1-1, 3.14 GAA, .900 Sv%, 0 shutoutsDid anyone pick Grubauer to lead the Kraken past the Colorado Avalanche in the first round? If you did, cash in that ticket. Because the odds must have been unbelievable.
Against Dallas, Grubauer has a career record of 2-4-3 along with a .919 save percentage. But in his only appearance this year against the Stars, the Kraken netminder allowed four goals on 25 shots and took the loss. Dallas has been solid defensively but Oettinger still had to come up big against Minnesota on several occasions. His mechanics are strong. And the spotlight doesn’t seem to faze him.
Since having offseason hip surgery, Brossoit’s mobility has improved. And I also think he’s made a conscious effort to be more vertically active. He’s cut down on bad goals high under the crossbar. And Brossoit has been much more reactive when using reverse-VH. As for Skinner, I think he still has a lot to prove after it took the Oilers six games to beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of Stanley Cup Playoff action. He allowed three or more goals in five of six games against the Kings. And Skinner was pulled from Game 4 after allowing three goals in the first period.
Against the Golden Knights, Skinner had a record of 2-0-1 during the 2022-23 season. But his .878 save percentage and 3.59 goals against average are concerning. Vegas scored nine of 11 goals on Skinner at even strength. That number has to improve for the Oilers to get past the resurgent – and relatively healthy – Golden Knights.
Reason being, I think at this point Florida is ride or die with Bobrovsky. While Lyon did a phenomenal job of getting the Panthers into the postseason, his magic proved unsustainable during Florida’s first-round matchup against the Bruins. And despite having lesser numbers than Lyon, Bobrovsky authored three straight wins for the Cats to close out the series against Boston.
That all said, Samsonov had some extremely shaky moments against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He allowed six goals in the opening game of the series. And despite allowing only three goals on 37 shots in Game 5, Samsonov was caught reaching for pucks and terribly out of position on multiple occasions.
Those are real questions that only Samsonov has the answers to. If he can harness his own energy and play with the control he showed in Game 6, I like Toronto’s chances. But if he starts reaching for pucks and sliding all over the crease again, the Maple Leafs might need to go to the bullpen.2022-23 regular season: 21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 Sv%, 1 shutoutCareer playoffs: 28-23, 2.52, .917, 3 shutouts2022-23 playoffs: 3-2, 2.59 GAA, .906 Sv%, 0 shutouts2022-23 regular season: 12-7-5, 2.44 GAA, .
Brind’Amour is on record saying he has no problem rotating goaltenders in the second round. And I don’t doubt him for a second. The reality is that there hasn’t been much of a performance delta between Andersen and Raanta. And they’re similar enough goaltenders that the Hurricanes can use them almost interchangeably.
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