Breaking down every Round 1 goaltending matchup in 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs

Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The field of 16 is set.

After an 82-game grind, we’ve got the class that’ll go at it in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, set to kick off April 20. It’s the best round of the postseason, with the biggest field and, often, the most drama.

So, what are each team’s strengths and weaknesses in the crease? Who’s hot and who’s not? Here’s a look at every team’s goalie heading into the action this weekend:

BOSTON BRUINS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Boston Bruins

Jeremy Swayman
2023-24 regular season: 25-10-8, 2.53 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-4, 2.79 GAA, .901 SV%, 0 shutouts

Linus Ullmark
2023-24 regular season: 22-10-7, 2.58 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-5, 3.54 GAA, .888 SV%, 0 shutouts

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ilya Samsonov
2023-24 regular season: 23-7-8, 3.13 GAA, .890 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 5-10-0, 3.06 GAA, .902 SV%, 0 shutouts

Joseph Woll
2023-24 regular season: 12-11-1, 2.88 GAA, .907 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 1-2-0, 2.43 GAA, .915 SV%, 0 shutouts

Martin Jones
2023-24 regular season: 11-7-1, 2.70 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 32-27, 2.36 GAA, .917 SV%, 6 shutouts

You’ve got the team with the best goaltending duo from the past two years versus a club that has had three goalies find success at some point over the season but with limited consistency.

Yep. It’s going to be another instant classic from the two rivals.

There’s a serious argument for the Bruins to go with the full rotation approach, something never really seen before in NHL history. That’s what coach Jim Montgomery has done all season long with Swayman and Ullmark, with their numbers being nearly identical. It’s a position of strength for Boston, and given how well they’ve dominated in that area the past two years, they shouldn’t change it for the playoffs.

Swayman has had the better numbers throughout the season, but Ullmark has been Boston’s best option over the past month and should earn the Game 1 start. From there? It’s anyone’s guess, and that makes them truly exciting. Ullmark had a rough go last year in the playoffs against Florida and has just a 4-5-1 record with a .896 save percentage against Toronto in his career. But with the way he’s playing now, and with wins in his last three starts against the Buds, you have to ride the momentum wave while you can.

Toronto is one of the few teams that have effectively deployed a three-goalie lineup for most of the season. When Samsonov struggled, Woll picked up the slack. When Woll got hurt, Jones took over and played some great hockey to keep the Leafs in a playoff position when everything could have easily gone off the rails.

However, finding consistency has been a challenge for the Buds this year. Samsonov has been the best goaltender over the past two months, but even he has struggled at points again. Meanwhile, Woll hasn’t looked the same since his lower-body injury earlier in the winter, so it’s hard to confidently hand the net back to him. At the very least, though, he’s a solid backup to have ready to go, just like he was against Florida last year.

Jones has just three starts since the start of February, so he’s not really in the zone. But as the most experienced playoff goalie of the three, and with some pretty decent numbers to back him up, there’s a reason the Leafs have kept him around the whole time. Have we ruled out a surprise Matt Murray appearance? Send him in for the chaos.

Boston has the luxury of having two of the NHL’s goaltenders in their rotation. If they lose this series, it’s unlikely goaltending will be the reason why. For Toronto, they need someone, anyone, to take the mantle – sound familiar? Boston has the edge here, but the Leafs’ trio have shown they can play hot in stretches.

FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky
2023-24 regular season: 36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 shutouts
Career playoffs: 29-35, 3.03 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 shutout

Anthony Stolarz
2023-24 regular season: 16-7-2, 2.03 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy
2023-24 regular season: 30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 65-42-0, 2.37 GAA, .921 SV%, 7 shutouts

Jonas Johansson
2023-24 regular season: 12-7-5, 3.37 GAA, .890 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Matt Tomkins
2023-24 regular season: 2-2-1, 3.19 GAA, .891 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

We’ve seen a changing of the guard in the state of Florida the past few years. After the Tampa Bay Lightning made it to the Cup final three years in a row, the Panthers carved their own path to the championship series last year – and enter as the top seed between the two clubs this time around.

Bobrovsky is one of the most experienced goaltenders in the playoffs, with his incredible run last year being a career highlight. He’s been fantastic again this year, breaking the 30-win mark for the seventh time in his career. He had six shutouts during the regular season, one more than his past four seasons combined. Given the Panthers were missing key pieces of their blueline for most of the season, Bobrovsky proved last year’s playoff revival was no fluke.

Just as important to Florida’s success this year, though, is Stolarz. After losing Alex Lyon to free agency, and with Spencer Knight remaining in the AHL for the season, Stolarz put up some of the best numbers of any NHL backup. Bobrovsky is still the clear No. 1, but if he turns back into a pumpkin, Stolarz is in a good spot to pick up the slack.

For the Bolts, it’s been a fragile year in net. Vasilevskiy missed time early in the season before coming a second-half workhorse, finishing with 30 wins for the seventh consecutive season. But he did it with a measly .900 save percentage and just two shutouts while posting some of the worst advanced analytics of his career.

Fortunately, Vasilevskiy is a monster in net during the playoffs – at least usually. He was outdueled by Samsonov a year ago, but no goaltender has been more clutch in the postseason over the past decade than the two-time Stanley Cup champion Vasilevskiy. It’s been a few years since he’s been a legit Vezina Trophy threat, and Bobrovsky has the edge based on play this season. But do you really want to doubt No. 88 when the games matter the most?

For Florida, it’s all about sticking to the status quo. Bobrovsky has been excellent, and you shouldn’t expect anything different in the first round. For Vasilevskiy, it’s all about resetting and channeling the energy that saw him win the Conn Smythe in 2021. Florida has the edge right now, though.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

New York Rangers

Igor Shesterkin
2023-24 regular season: 36-17-2, 2.58 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 shutouts
Career playoffs: 13-14, 2.45 GAA, .929 SV%, 0 shutouts

Jonathan Quick
2023-24 regular season: 18-6-2, 2.62 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 49-43, 2.31 GAA, .921 SV%, 10 shutouts

Louis Domingue
2023-24 regular season: 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .962 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-3, 3.45 GAA, .902 SV%, 0 shutouts

Washington Capitals

Charlie Lindgren
2023-24 regular season: 25-16-7, 2.67 GAA, .911 SV%, 6 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Darcy Kuemper
2023-24 regular season: 13-14-3, 3.31 GAA, .890 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: 17-10, 2.72 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 shutouts

Hunter Shepard
2023-24 regular season: 2-1-1, 3.19 GAA, .894 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Just for fun, let’s call this the Henrik Lundqvist bowl.

Remember when Rangers fans were concerned about Shesterkin’s first-half play? They had every reason to be. Quick, 38, was outperforming him prior to the all-star break, which, obviously, wasn’t ideal. But no goalie has been better since those few days in Toronto, with Shesterkin boasting a league-leading 12.12 GSAA over his final 23 games. The Russian goalkeeper was as important to the Rangers Presidents’ Trophy victory in that second half as anyone, including Artemi Panarin.

Quick’s performance tapered off a bit as Shesterkin soared, but Quick was still better than advertised as a backup, making just over the league minimum. The three-time Stanley Cup champion used to be one of the best playoff performers in the league, but Father Time has obviously caught up a bit. Still, in spurts, Quick showed this year he can steal games.

At the other end, there might not be a goaltender who was more important to their team’s run to the playoffs than Lindgren. After years of trying to find stability, including six years of bouncing between the NHL and AHL, Lindgren had a career year with 25 wins in 50 starts and six shutouts, smashing anything he had previously done. If it wasn’t for Lindgren’s tremendous play, the Capitals wouldn’t have come close to sniffing the playoffs. There’s an argument to be made that if anyone is going to go on a Jaroslav Halak-esque run this year, it’s Lindgren.

If he collapses, though, the Caps do have an experienced backup in Kuemper. Despite dealing with injuries during Colorado’s 2022 run, the 33-year-old veteran was integral to winning the Stanley Cup that year. He’s been shaky this year, though, and hasn’t played much recently with just two complete games played since the start of March.

Will the Caps have enough in the tank after playing must-win hockey over the past month? Who knows, but they’ve got a red-hot crease king with a lot to prove. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to outduel Shesterkin, something very few goalies have done over the past few months. Good luck.

CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Carolina Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen
2023-24 regular season: 13-2-0, 1.84 GAA, .932 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career Playoffs: 32-26, 2.44 GAA, .917 SV%, 3 shutouts

Pyotr Kochetkov
2023-24 regular season: 23-13-4, 2.33 GAA, .911 SV%, 4 shutouts
Career Playoffs: 1-3, 4.31 GAA, .858 SV%, 0 shutouts

Spencer Martin
2023-24 regular season: 4-1-1, 2.63 GAA, .896 SV%, 0 shutouts (with CAR)
Career Playoffs: N/A

Antti Raanta
2023-24 regular season: 12-7-2, 2.99 GAA, .872 SV%, 1 shutout
Career Playoffs: 9-9, 2.48 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 shutout

New York Islanders

Semyon Varlamov
2023-24 regular season: 14-8-4, 2.60, .918 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 31-27, 2.42 GAA, .919 SV%, 4 shutouts

Ilya Sorokin
2023-24 regular season: 24-19-12, 2.99 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 6-5, 2.70 GAA, .923 SV%, 0 shutouts

From both a hockey and a personal perspective, it’s been great to see Andersen back at it and thriving. After dealing with blood clots that could have potentially stopped his career, Andersen returned with a vengeance on March 7 by posting a league-best .945 save percentage and 7.31 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 among keepers with at least 10 games played. He’s 9-1-0 over the past 10 games, helping him reclaim the net ahead of his second playoff run with the Canes.

Carolina’s crease was a revolving door of guys trying to do whatever it takes to keep the team near the top of the standings, and nobody was as useful midway through the year as Kochetkov. The rookie went 25-13-4 during the regular season, keeping the team in the hunt while Andersen was out and Raanta was sent down. If Andersen goes down again, or can’t recapture his late-season magic, Rod Brind’Amour can rest easy knowing he has a great backup ready to go.

It was Sorokin’s net to lose in Long Island this year – and, unfortunately for one of the pre-season Vezina favorites, he did lose it. Since March 20 – the one-month mark before the start of the playoffs – no playoff goaltender has a better save percentage (.941) or goals saved above average (6.07) at 5-on-5 than Varlamov. He went 8-1-1 over his past 10 games to help lead the Isles to the No. 3 spot in the Metro.

Sorokin, meanwhile, found himself in a six-game losing streak in March, which led to him sitting on the sidelines during the stretch run. Some of that was due to some rough defending in front of him, so it’s not all his fault. And, in reality, having a Vezina Trophy finalist as a backup is an incredible situation to be in. But for Game 1, it has to be Varly, no question about it.

Due to both teams’ depth, this could be one of the more interesting goaltending battles. Either squad could lose its No. 1 at any given point and still be in a decent spot to contend. Varlamov was one of the NHL’s best goaltenders over the last month of play and will be riding a nice high, but Andersen has been with him all the way. On paper, this might not be the most exciting playoff matchup, but the masked men could make this better than people will give it credit for.

COLORADO AVALANCHE vs. WINNIPEG JETS

Colorado Avalanche

Alexandar Georgiev
2023-24 regular season: 38-18-5, 3.02 GAA, .897 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-5, 2.53 GAA, .917 SV%, 0 shutouts

Justus Annunen
2023-24 regular season: 8-4-1, 2.25 GAA, .928 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Ivan Prosvetov
2023-24 regular season: 4-3-1, 3.16 GAA, .895 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Winnipeg Jets

Connor Hellebuyck
2023-24 regular season: 37-19-4, 2.39 GAA, .921 SV%, 5 shutouts
Career playoffs: 17-23, 2.58 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 shutouts

Laurent Brossoit
2023-24 regular season: 15-5-2, 2.00 GAA, .927 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 5-2, 3.26 GAA, .888 SV%, 0 shutouts

On the one hand, you’ve got the regular season wins leader with Georgiev. Conversely, you’ve got the odds-on favorite to win the Vezina Trophy in Hellebuyck. Theoretically, it’s an excellent goalie battle between two teams that mean business in their own zone.

But on paper? That’s where things start to trail off a bit.

Hellebuyck has been lights out with five shutouts on a team that has struggled to get on the scoresheet way too often for their liking. He has consistently been one of the NHL’s best goaltenders for nearly a decade now, but has often struggled in the playoffs after getting overworked early in the season.

This year marked the first time Hellebuyck didn’t crack the 60-game mark in a full NHL season since 2019-20, and just the third time over the past seven campaigns. Having Brossoit – who was part of Vegas’ run last year – as good as he was during the regular season gives the team its best No. 1-2 duo it has ever had heading into the postseason.

Straight up, Georgiev needs to be so much better for the Avalanche than he has been recently. He has allowed four or more goals in six of his past 10 games, with his season-long analytics not being that pretty. No goalie has won more games than Georgiev over the past two years, but with a .908 save percentage over his past 125 games, it hasn’t come easy. What’s worse? Georgiev had a .833 save percentage in two starts against the Jets, including a game that saw him allow four goals on just 15 shots over 15:17 of play last weekend.

The good news is that Annunen played well for the Avs, especially later in the season. That should give coach Jared Bednar confidence if he needs a shake-up at some point in the series, but they’ll still want Georgiev to live up to the potential they know he’s capable of.

Hellebuyck has the advantage here over Georgiev, but the Avs have the overall edge from a team perspective. We’ve seen Georgiev go on absolutely mega runs, so we know it’s possible, but we haven’t seen that in quite some time.

DALLAS STARS vs. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Dallas Stars

Jake Oettinger
2023-24 regular season: 35-14-4, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 13-13, 2.64 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 shutouts

Scott Wedgewood
2023-24 regular season: 16-7-5, 2.85 GAA, .899 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 0-0-0, 2.28 GAA, .862 SV%, 0 shutouts

Matt Murray
2023-24 regular season: 1-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Vegas Golden Knights

Adin Hill
2023-24 regular season: 19-11-2, 2.70 GAA, .910 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 11-4, 2.17 GAA, .932 SV%, 2 shutouts

Logan Thompson
2023-24 regular season: 25-14-5, 2.74 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Jiri Patera
2023-24 regular season: 1-3-1, 3.98 GAA, .893 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

This one could end up being quite interesting.

Since Feb. 1, Oettinger leads all goaltenders with 18 wins. His stats beyond that, though? Average at best. Despite crushing the 30-win mark for the third consecutive year, it’s been Oettinger’s worst NHL season to date, with injuries also playing a part. But we’ve seen the Otter come alive in the playoffs, and, fortunately, both him and the Stars have been rock solid as of late. It’s good to see the 25-year-old playing some of his best hockey of the season with the pressure ramping up.

Wedgewood has been a bit shaky this year, but he kept finding ways to deliver wins. If the Stars felt they needed him, he could steal a few wins along the way. But like with Kevin Lankinen in Nashville, that’s a worst-case scenario – the team will live and die with Oettinger in the crease.

For Vegas, it’s been another year of goaltending by committee. Hill was among the NHL’s best goalies in the first half of the season, but with 19 games missed due to injuries this year, it’s been hard for him to stay consistent. He’s healthy now, and the Golden Knights will hope he can repeat the play that made him a serious Conn Smythe Trophy candidate last year en route to the Cup.

Thompson, meanwhile, missed the second half of last season and had some catching up to due this season. He has played the bulk of the games this year and that can’t be ignored, but Hill’s numbers are better, and that should hand the starter’s job back to Hill.

This matchup could be the one that ends up producing a Stanley Cup winner. The Stars have been among the deepest teams from the get-go, while the Golden Knights were the busiest at the trade deadline – and, of course, there are some more big names activated off injured reserve sooner rather than later. With how strong both lineups are, any cracks in the crease could prove to be the difference.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Nashville Predators

Juuse Saros
2023-24 regular season: 35-24-5, 2.86 GAA, .906 SV, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-7, 2.63 GAA, .914 SV%, 0 shutouts

Kevin Lankinen
2023-24 regular season: 11-6-0, 2.82 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Yaroslav Askarov
2023-24 regular season: 1-0-0, 1.47 GAA, .943 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko
2023-24 regular season: 35-14-2, 2.45 GAA, .918 SV%, 5 shutouts
Career playoffs: 2-1, 0.64 GAA, .985 SV%, 1 shutout

Casey DeSmith
2023-24 regular season: 12-9-6, 2.89 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: 0-0, 2.02 GAA, .941 SV%, 0 shutouts

Arturs Silovs
2023-24 regular season: 3-0-1, 2.47 GAA, .881 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

After putting up a serious argument to be considered in the Vezina Trophy conversation last year, Saros took a big step back while still proving to be a workhorse for the Preds. He played some pretty solid hockey down the stretch, but given the Preds had to claw their way into the playoff race, Saros did everything possible to keep his team in it. His number might be below his usual average, but he was exceptionally important for Nashville once again amid all the trade rumors.

If there’s one thing the Predators have, it’s goaltending depth. Lankinen has played some hockey for the team this year, and Askarov is the best goalie prospect in the league. But if comes down to needing to use either of them, they’re in trouble, especially against a Canucks team with decent depth of their own.

How well will Demko fire off after missing more than a month with a knee injury? It’s clear the Canucks didn’t want to rush him in given their early playoff status, but it still feels risky going into the postseason with a mostly untested goalie as of late. He played well on Tuesday, which is promising.

Demko was a serious Vezina Trophy candidate prior to the injury. He also was outstanding in his lone playoff run, registering a .985 save percentage in relief of Jacob Markstrom to nearly eliminate the heavily favored Vegas Golden Knights during the 2020 bubble. Demko will be fine if he can channel even a fraction of that energy.

DeSmith struggled as of late, so getting Demko back could be a huge boost for a Canucks team that was stronger in the first half than the second. Few goalies are as important to their teams this year as Demko, who enters the spring fling with a 10.24 GSAA – good for ninth in the NHL.

If Demko isn’t up to snuff, DeSmith helped saved the Canucks at points this season when No. 35 wasn’t available. And then there’s Silovs, who helped Latvia win bronze at the World Championship for the first time last year. We saw how well he handled the pressure on home ice there, and could be capable of doing it again – and he’s rested, too.

Demko and the Canucks are the favorites here, but bet against Saros at your own peril – only Jake Oettinger has more wins than him since Feb. 1.

EDMONTON OILERS vs. LOS ANGELES KINGS

Edmonton Oilers

Stuart Skinner
2023-24 regular season: 36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, .905 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 5-6, 3.68 GAA, .883 SV%, 0 shutouts

Calvin Pickard
2023-24 regular season: 12-7-1, 2.45 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Jack Campbell
2023-24 regular season: 1-4-0, 4.50 GAA, .873 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 7-8, 2.28 GAA, .920 SV%, 2 shutouts

Los Angeles Kings

Cam Talbot
2023-24 regular season: 26-20-6, 2.47 GAA, .915 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 15-16, 2.51 GAA, .921 SV%, 6 shutouts

David Rittich
2023-24 regular season: 13-6-3, 2.15 GAA, .921 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 0-2, 15.17 GAA, .636 SV%, 0 shutouts

Pheonix Copley
2023-24 regular season: 4-1-2, 3.16 GAA, .870 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: 0-0, 4.26 GAA, .750 SV%, 0 shutouts

For once, goaltending might look like a strength for the Oilers. Skinner has been great since the team elected to send Jack Campbell down earlier in the season, so much so that he could even become Canada’s No. 1 goalie for the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025.

After a rough start, Skinner had to do some course correcting to get comfortable. But once he found his confidence, the Oilers became a significantly more dangerous team. On any night, Skinner can outduel anyone in the league, which shouldn’t change in the playoffs. Skinner had an up an down playoff run last year, his first in the NHL. He’s more mature, focused and battle-tested. If he fails, Pickard has been solid this year, marking his territory in the upper echelon of backups. He has no NHL playoff experience but was part of the Toronto Marlies’ Calder Cup title in 2018.

LA’s goaltending has been quite solid since the all-star break. Rittich is near the top of the NHL in save percentage at .937 (fourth), goals-saved above average (6.21, 11th) and high-danger save percentage (.880, fourth). Talbot has had his ups and downs, but his .921 SV% and 8.01 GSAA put him firmly in the top 10 in both categories while playing among the most games with 21. Talbot should get the Game 1 start, and maybe he’ll play closer to when he was in the Vezina Trophy discussion earlier in the season. Rittich has found a way to revive his career, and having that stability helps if it gets to that.

Both teams feature a No. 1 that had some rollercoaster minutes this season. But if you ask fans of either fanbase, whether it’s Skinner in Edmonton or Talbot in LA, goaltending has saved quite a few games throughout the season – and the backups aren’t too shabby either. This series should be decided elsewhere – perhaps by whether Drew Doughty and Co. can shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

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