Breaking down every Round 3 Stanley Cup Playoff goaltending matchup

May 20, 2025, 08:32 EDT

Breaking down every Round 3 Stanley Cup Playoff goaltending matchup

Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

This is when things really get real.

From eight to four, there’s no room for failure now. Each team thinks they have a legitimate chance to play for a Stanley Cup. A spot in the Final is so close they can taste it, but bad goaltending could sink them.

Here’s a look at how the goaltending situations shape up for the four teams vying for spots to fight for Lord Stanley’s mug:

(M2) CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. (A3) FLORIDA PANTHERS

Carolina Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen: 22 GP, 13-8-1, 2.50 GAA, .899 SV% (9 GP, 7-2, 1.36 GAA, .937 SV%, 1 SO)
Pyotr Kochetkov: 47 GP, 27-16-3, 2.60 GAA, .898 SV% (2vGP, 1-0, 2.50 GAA, .900 SV%)
Spencer Martin: 9 GP, 3-4-1, 3.89 GAA, .846 SV%
Dustin Tokarski: 6 GP, 4-2-0, 2.18 GAA, .902 SV%
Yaniv Perets: 1 GP, 0-0-0, 7.32 GAA, .857 SV%

Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky: 54 GP, 33-19-2, 2.44 GAA, .906 SV% (12 GP, 8-4, 2.31 GAA, .901 SV%, 2 SO)
Vitek Vanecek: 24 GP, 5-14-4, 3.62 GAA, .884 SV%

There was a time when Andersen was criticized for his inability to show up when the Toronto Maple Leafs needed him the most in the playoffs. In Carolina, it’s a different story. He deserves some Conn Smythe love thanks to his 14.96 GSAx at all strengths and 11.6 at 5-on-5. In both cases, he’s the only goalie above 10.00 and nobody is remotely in spitting distance.

It all started when Andersen shut down the New Jersey Devils in the first round. Andersen didn’t finish the series with an injury, but he was easily one of the best goalies early on. The second round was even better, shutting down the Washington Capitals and their string of high-end shooters. The Hurricanes’ blueline deserves a lot of credit, but their Danish keeper has played some of his best hockey to date over the past few weeks. Andersen’s health is always a concern, but his play could be what leads the Hurricanes to the final for the first time since 2006.

In Round 2, we talked about Bobrovsky having the ability to bounce back from a loss better than anyone. He went 0-2 to start against Toronto, and then allowed four goals in an overtime victory in Game 3. He struggled that night, allowing four goals, but he got the win. From there, he only allowed four goals over the next four games, and even got a shutout in Game 4. So much of the credit has to go to Florida’s blueline – he only faced 20 shots in Game 7. But when the Panthers have needed Bobrovsky to lock things down, he has shown he can do it better than anyone.

How do the numbers look under the hood? Entering the second round, Bobrovsky had one of the worst GSAx’s in the NHL. But at all strengths, he now sits fifth among all goalies (third among those moving on) with a 2.58 GSAx. At 5-on-5, he’s actually near the bottom with a -2.81 out of 20 names. Andersen, meanwhile, is first in both categories.

This matchup is more about which team you believe in the most. The Hurricanes have proven a lot of people wrong at this point, especially after trading away both Martin Necas and Mikko Rantanen. But the Panthers are the proven veterans, having been through the ringer over the past two years. Andersen has the advantage statistically, but he has never taken a team this far in the postseason. Will the pressure get to him?

(P3) EDMONTON OILERS vs. (C2) DALLAS STARS

Edmonton Oilers

Stuart Skinner: 50 GP, 26-18-4, 2.81 GAA, .896 SV% (5 GP, 2-3, 3.05 GAA, .884 SV%, 2 SO )
Calvin Pickard: 36 GP, 22-10-1, 2.71 GAA, .900 SV% (7 GP, 6-0, 2.84 GAA, .888 SV%)
Olivier Rodrigue: 2 GP, 0-1-0, 3.10 GAA, .862 SV%

Dallas Stars

Jake Oettinger: 58 GP, 36-18-4, 2.59 GAA, .909 SV% (13GP, 8-5, 2.47 GAA, .919 SV%)
Casey DeSmith: 27 GP, 14-8-2, 2.59 GAA, .913 SV% (1GP, 0-0, 3.03 GAA, .929 SV%)

The Oilers are the absolute epitome of the phrase “goaltending is voodoo.” Pickard has a six-game win streak, but his stats are average at best. Skinner, meanwhile, lost his starting job with some of the worst numbers in the playoffs, and followed it up with two shutouts to close out the series after Pickard went down with an injury. There’s never a dull moment in Edmonton’s crease, and even though it’s still hard to feel confident in their tenders, you can’t deny how clutch Skinner has been in big moments.

For now, it’s Skinner’s net to lose. In his last two starts, Skinner has a 3.9 GSAx – good for second-best in the NHL. If you’re not a fancy stats fan, just know that’s an excellent number. In comparison, Skinner’s -2.71 GSAx in his first two starts put him 12th of 14 goalies before he was swapped out. Small sample size, for sure, but Skinner’s game was a total disaster, and a change needed to be made to save their season. Now that he’s back and riding a high, that could be good news for the Oilers.

But… let’s not kid ourselves. Dallas has the goaltending advantage here, with Oettinger putting up some of the best numbers of anyone. The Stars’ blueline has had to deal with key injuries, but Oettinger has been rock-steady yet again in the postseason. He has the second-best GSAx at 10.39 at all strengths and 7.51 at 5-on-5. Statistically, Oettinger has been extremely important, and he’s coming off a series where he just outdueled the top Vezina Trophy candidate and USA 4 Nations goaltending partner, Connor Hellebuyck.

Great stats are all good and fun, but Oettinger will need to play better than he did against the Oilers a year ago. At 5-on-5, Oettinger (2.4 GSAx) was outdueled by Skinner (2.4), which helped to erase concerns in the Oilers’ net. That could very much happen again this year, so Oettinger needs to step it up a gear. The Oilers have found so many different, unique ways of winning this year, and it’s up to Oettinger to weather the storm.

On paper, the Stars have the better goaltender here. If Dallas loses, it’s not likely to be due to the goaltending. Edmonton’s crease is still a bit too hot-and-cold for many fans. But, hey, if they keep winning, who cares?

SPONSORED BY bet365