It’s definitely time to throw Nu Hockey into the garbage and any talk about “goalies being voodoo” needs to be banished forever. You can build an offense heavy team but you need an elite goalie to give you an alternate path to victory. If a team wants to contend for a cup in a serious way, an elite goalie should be an absolute priority. Yes, teams have won with subpar goaltending here and there, but chances are it won’t be you.
Even those goalies that are supposedly "subpar" can be big moment goalies making big saves at key times. Toronto, Edmonton, Carolina stand out as teams that have have good teams but poor goaltending that last decade (Andersen, Campbell, Mrazek common threads here too). I dont think spreadsheets dictate as much as people think they do in these regards or else many goalies out there simply wouldnt be signed. Its just hard to find a good goalie and teams dont tend to let go of good ones.
Goalies are only voodoo in the sense they can have real ups and downs in their career as Bob has just showed us although hes had other bad stretches too. Whats key is that he has the pedigree as an elite goalie. You are correct in that an at least good goalie is crucial in the playoffs. You can have a breakdown game here or there but as long as you come through in clutch time, who cares? The fact our best goalie during the entire Matthews era in this regard has been Joseph Woll speaks volumes. The fact we have faced some of the better goalies of our era on the other side makes things look even worse. If Toronto was in the West we would have probably had a couple more 2nd round finishes and maybe even a CF but this team was still never going to sniff the cup with what we have had in net and every single cup winner we have seen the last decade would have failed with a Campbell/Samsonov/Andersen keeper. Absolutely terrible in big moments. The least clutch keepers out there.
Aren't the Panthers analytics darlings, also? There are lots of ways to win. They just happen to be doing it with a good goalie. Vegas and Colorado did it with completely mediocre goalies.
Adin Hill is a solid #1 that turned it up a notch that run. A .932 save% for the entire cup winning playoffs. He was battling injuries before and during this playoffs but managed to get back in the net athough they lost a close series but he still ended up with a .931 in 3 games . Really elevates his game in the playoffs and I dont think he gets enough love.
The aging Keumper (who was hit by injuries and played on a bad team this season) on the flip side didnt have great stats during his cup run but is known to make big saves in big moments. It's why he has both a cup ring and a WHC gold medal as a starter. The fact he was an all-star on the frigging Coyotes shows he was pretty quality in his prime. Just look at how the Avs looked without him and Georgiev instead? Now those are bad stats on the exact same team.
Both of those goalies are better than any starter we have had lately, thats for sure.
I actually think the whole "voodoo" thing gets tossed around because of just how valuable a goalie is. They play the whole game and are the last line of defense. You flip the keepers in the current finals and it could easily be 2-1 Oilers with McDavid with 10 points. It certainly turns every narrative on its head but its probably the truth of what would happen. The Panthers remain the complete team they have been for years now. They just have dont have a hot Bob in net for them and they look like the same team with the same coach crashing out of the playoffs last year due to...ding ding ding, goaltending issues. The Pens losing that game last season wasnt just them shooting themselves in the foot but was probably one of the most important events in hockey in modern times lol.
