Henrik Lundqvist is Still a Top NHL Goaltender

[Maurice Del Taco]

Yes he is. Even if he is declining, he is still very very good.

 

[Macbanan]

My opinion is that his +92.5% days are behind him but he's not close to falling off a cliff, he's more likely to hover around 91.5-92.2%.
His movements are slightly slower but he's also adapted to that.

 

[tony d]

I agree, he's still very good, would like to see him get a Cup before he retires.

 

[maacoshark]

Back to topic

After his rough start this season, i was sure he was done. But he have turned his game around big time. Right now he looks like a legit top 5 golie. I hope he can keep it up

Top 5?

 

[Charlie Conway]

Hank has always had frustratingly rough starts.

Over the last month, he's been excellent. A .920 given the start he had is pretty damn good. GAA is up across the league, so the fact that sv% has stayed stable is reassuring.

 

[JenniferH]

Without a doubt.

 

[Siddi]

Top 5?

Care to share your top 5?

 

[Kupo]

I'm not going to cite them. One is a former Rangers goalie, the other is a former Rangers forward. If you choose to not believe me that's fine.

Henriks been playing since 2005. He’s had many, many teammates. If only 2 disliked him, that’s not a bad record.

There are a lot of great players in all sports that were disliked by their teammates.

The fact that you’re incapable of naming those 2 players, makes me assume your statement is bogus though. You’re just another Lundqvist hater, imo.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Marty Biron and Sean Avery? Those are my guesses.

Idk about Biron, but Avery and Lundqvist were/are friends off the ice and own a restaurant together in NYC.

As far as Hank, he's been great. His last 13 games he's at .940. Not just the numbers, he looks great too.

 

[Fataldogg]

Idk about Biron, but Avery and Lundqvist were/are friends off the ice and own a restaurant together in NYC.

As far as Hank, he's been great. His last 13 games he's at .940. Not just the numbers, he looks great too.

Perhaps Biron is bitter that in his twilight years he got limited starts because he couldn't stop a five hole shot. I swear, his five hole was like a train tunnel.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Perhaps Biron is bitter that in his twilight years he got limited starts because he couldn't stop a five hole shot. I swear, his five hole was like a train tunnel.

I remember in his last season he lost a game in a shootout and gave up 3 straight 5 hole goals to lose it. Someone on the NYR boards wrote the funniest post ever though about this, something along the lines of:

"Biron was so distraught after the game and angry at his performance that he went down to the subway and threw himself onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Luckily he survived as the train passed right between his legs."

 

[Sentinel]

Strange how all great goalies of the past decade: Lundquist, Price, Luongo, Miller, Holtby, Rinne, and Bobrovsky will most likely retire without a Cup. Quick is the only exception.

 

[The S5]

Hank has been good of late. Still susceptible to the softy a bit too often.
What is annoying though, are the Hank fans who blame any and all bad goals/performances on the defense. Part of it is the Rangers system of defense, which allows teams better looks on occasion, but that argument doesn't hold up when you look at the performance of the Rangers back up goalies over the last few years. Their numbers were better than Hanks. They leave to play with another team and don't look nearly as good as they did with NY. So, is it really the Rangers who have the bad defense?

 

[Siddi]

Hank has been good of late. Still susceptible to the softy a bit too often.
What is annoying though, are the Hank fans who blame any and all bad goals/performances on the defense. Part of it is the Rangers system of defense, which allows teams better looks on occasion, but that argument doesn't hold up when you look at the performance of the Rangers back up goalies over the last few years. Their numbers were better than Hanks. They leave to play with another team and don't look nearly as good as they did with NY. So, is it really the Rangers who have the bad defense?

Being a backup compared to the heavy lifting a starter has to face is not comparable.

 

[Chimpradamus]

Hank has been good of late. Still susceptible to the softy a bit too often.
What is annoying though, are the Hank fans who blame any and all bad goals/performances on the defense. Part of it is the Rangers system of defense, which allows teams better looks on occasion, but that argument doesn't hold up when you look at the performance of the Rangers back up goalies over the last few years. Their numbers were better than Hanks. They leave to play with another team and don't look nearly as good as they did with NY. So, is it really the Rangers who have the bad defense?

Yes, because backups with 1/5 of the starts have never had better numbers than the franchise workhorse, when it's a known fact that teams tighten up and play sharper when they know they have the backup in the net. It's one thing to play once and then like your life depended on it, a whole other play night after night against the toughest opposition without a nurtured start here and there. Nevermind alot of the starters playing in NYR have begun their own careers as legit NHL starters after they left New York.

Or do you insinuate Raanta and Talbot are just as good - or better - than Lundqvist? I think not, because then you would look like a moron. Or what, are you implying - what's his name - was a better goalie in New Jersey when Brodeur went down with an injury?

Your whole argument is ridiculous.

And what do you expect? A mighty applause for a far below average defense? It's a f***ing circus in front of him. That he has these numbers behind that team, with that coach, is worthy of some kind of award in itself. "Opposing team look better on occasion". How about a very mediocre defense in the entire league, including non-playoff teams? NYR are outchanced and outshot against any team in the league on any given night, given averages. And that's the kind of circumstance Lundqvist has formed a career upon.

Hank has always had frustratingly rough starts.

Over the last month, he's been excellent. A .920 given the start he had is pretty damn good. GAA is up across the league, so the fact that sv% has stayed stable is reassuring.

Nothing to do with the NYR playing like absolute horseshit for the first half of the season as tradition, eh?

 

[Healthy DiPietro]

Part of it is the Rangers system of defense, which allows teams better looks on occasion, but that argument doesn't hold up when you look at the performance of the Rangers back up goalies over the last few years. Their numbers were better than Hanks. They leave to play with another team and don't look nearly as good as they did with NY. So, is it really the Rangers who have the bad defense?

Look at the top 10 goalies in save percentage every season, about half of them are always backups who play 20 something games.

 

[The S5]

Yes, because backups with 1/5 of the starts have never had better numbers than the franchise workhorse, when it's a known fact that teams tighten up and play sharper when they know they have the backup in the net. It's one thing to play once and then like your life depended on it, a whole other play night after night against the toughest opposition without a nurtured start here and there. Nevermind alot of the starters playing in NYR have begun their own careers as legit NHL starters after they left New York.

Or do you insinuate Raanta and Talbot are just as good - or better - than Lundqvist? I think not, because then you would look like a moron. Or what, are you implying - what's his name - was a better goalie in New Jersey when Brodeur went down with an injury?

Your whole argument is ridiculous.

Nothing to do with the NYR playing like absolute horse**** for the first half of the season as tradition, eh?

LOL, you are the exact Hank fan I described. If you read my post, I stated that Talbot and Raanta aren't the players they were with the Rangers. I was pointing out that the Rangers defense isn't nearly as bad as some would imply. You sound like a little school girl defending her crush.
How do you explain the extended stint of Talbot when Hank was hurt? Fans were freaking but Talbot ended up with better numbers.
BTW, it isn't a "known fact" that teams tighten up with the back up in goal. What you are saying is that teams, particularly the Rangers (at least to Hank lovers), don't play their hardest when the starter is in goal. That's dumb.

 

[Chimpradamus]

LOL, you are the exact Hank fan I described. If you read my post, I stated that Talbot and Raanta aren't the players they were with the Rangers. I was pointing out that the Rangers defense isn't nearly as bad as some would imply. You sound like a little school girl defending her crush.
How do you explain the extended stint of Talbot when Hank was hurt? Fans were freaking but Talbot ended up with better numbers.
BTW, it isn't a "known fact" that teams tighten up with the back up in goal. What you are saying is that teams, particularly the Rangers (at least to Hank lovers), don't play their hardest when the starter is in goal. That's dumb.

Talbot was a promising goalie formed into a legit starter under the tutelage under the legendary goalie trainer of NYR. I don't know what else to say about that. If you imply that "the NYR defense wasn't nearly as bad as some would imply", well, how can the franchise have been routinely outplayed and outchanced by basically any team for the last 12 years? How can NYR always be in the top of the league in high dangers quality chances against, every seaon?

The only series that comes to mind when that doesn't hold true is the NYR - Atlanta Trashers series. Other than that, it has been ridiculous, where the only constant to carry NYR anywhere has been the guy in the net.

I've seen so many argue Quick outplayed Lundqvist in the playoffs. Well, if you disregard just about anything, he did that. If you look at actual stats and actual performances in the playoff series, that isn't even close to any truth. Quick shit the bed in 1-2 series, but the team saved him. If Lundqvist would be anywhere close to playing average, his team would lose. That's the difference between the two.

Look at the rosters for NYR have iced for the last 12 years. Look at the frigging defensemen. It's ridiculous they've been such playoff performers as they have, they shouldn't even be near that record. Wonder why? During 2007-2011, it was an absolute joke. Did that stop them from reaching the playoffs? Nope. Wonder why?

As for "Talbot played great when Lundqvist went down", can we conclude the no name goalie was better than Brodeur on the all time lists? Some NJ fan can probably remember what the heck his name was.

 

[Siddi]

Idk about Biron, but Avery and Lundqvist were/are friends off the ice and own a restaurant together in NYC.

As far as Hank, he's been great. His last 13 games he's at .940. Not just the numbers, he looks great too.

Avery was bought out of Tiny's but I have a hard time believing Avery saying anything remotely bad about Hank given their history together.

 

[Poulin 0n My St1ck]

I've called him out many times for yelling at his teammates on the ice - that should stay private.

But in fairness, he has spent all of his career behind Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and the most idiotic defensive "system" I've ever seen an NHL coach employ.

You'd lose your temper too.

Looking back, it's impressive how well he's played with guys like Redden, Girardi, Malik, Poti, Strudwick, Tyutin, Mara, etc. in front of him.

 

[Riddum]

Idk about Biron, but Avery and Lundqvist were/are friends off the ice and own a restaurant together in NYC.

As far as Hank, he's been great. His last 13 games he's at .940. Not just the numbers, he looks great too.

I googled Sean Avery Henrik Lundqvist because I was curious about the restaurant, the first link killed me though.

“And I admired the fact that he was the most well-endowed teammate I had ever seen, by a considerable margin”

-Avery

What a weird thing to say.

 

[TGWL]

Oh, no. You just jinked everything with this

 

[TGWL]

Hank has been good of late. Still susceptible to the softy a bit too often.
What is annoying though, are the Hank fans who blame any and all bad goals/performances on the defense. Part of it is the Rangers system of defense, which allows teams better looks on occasion, but that argument doesn't hold up when you look at the performance of the Rangers back up goalies over the last few years. Their numbers were better than Hanks. They leave to play with another team and don't look nearly as good as they did with NY. So, is it really the Rangers who have the bad defense?

But is it as annoying as the fans who blame Hank for every scored after a bad turn-over, snipe, or however the puck gets passed him when he didn't have much of a chance to stop it?

 

[Quiet Jack]

Henriks been playing since 2005. He’s had many, many teammates. If only 2 disliked him, that’s not a bad record.

There are a lot of great players in all sports that were disliked by their teammates.

The fact that you’re incapable of naming those 2 players, makes me assume your statement is bogus though. You’re just another Lundqvist hater, imo.

I'm not a hater at all. I just don't like how he is so fast to blame others. And obviously I'm not alone. And I'm not going to name my sources. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that part.

I also don't understand when people see criticisms of players they like they fly into rage mode. We are talking about hockey players, not family members, relax.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

I'm not going to cite them. One is a former Rangers goalie, the other is a former Rangers forward. If you choose to not believe me that's fine.

We dont