Leafs have the best goaltending duo in the NHL
- Thread starter HockeyVirus
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123offtheglass
Registered User
They have been really solid. It was a major question mark in the offseason if this tandem could do a good job with Woll's injuries and Stolarz's unproven track record. The defense has also played solid in front of them as well so that has helped.
1specter
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Stay on the Bruins board ya jabroni
DarkKnight
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They both look fantastic, making key saves. Also true, man we don't give up many quality rebound chances.
Jimmy Firecracker
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque.
Both in the top ten of each of those categories (Stolarz 4th GAA, Woll 8th svp)
Evilhomer
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- Oct 10, 2019
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Come on. Buffalo twice, Pittsburgh, the Islanders 3 times (if you count early January), Chicago, Nashville, Anaheim...the leafs are going to rack up a lot of points in December.
1specter
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Anaheim is our bitch, but we will definitely drop one of the Buffalo games, Chicago has won 3 in a row vs the Leafs and 6 of their last 9 games against us, the Islanders swept us last year (and have generally been a bad matchup post-Tavares), and Nashville has won 5 of their last 7 vs the Leafs too.
If the Leafs are truly 'different' then this will be the time to prove it.
Artur Akhtyamov is cooking in the Marlies games too. We have stellar goaltending for once.
6-0-1 in 7 starts with .935 sv% and 1.68 GAA.
6-0-1 in 7 starts with .935 sv% and 1.68 GAA.
HellasLEAF
'93 to Infinity
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4 in a row for Joe Woll. Also liking the new mask:
Fogelhund
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Maple Leaf
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banks
Only got 3 of 16.
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Hadn't seen it up close like this until now. I like it! Very CuJo-like.
Woll is great, and both of these guys can be trusted to start a playoff game with no hesitation. That's a pretty great thing.
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I love the composure of both guys in net. We've had a lot of goalies in recent memory that were all over the place. Both of them are steady and "quiet", which inspires a lot more confidence in their play, even if they're fighting it.
Our D is so much better than last year...
weems
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We are not turning the puck over leading to chances against anywhere near as much this season.
This stat was posted in Bournes recent article.
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I know Florida has hit the skids recently but Stolarz is going to have a BIG test coming Wednesday, I'm assuming It's Stolarz anyway because that's his former team.
And then whoever plays Saturday faces Tampa.
The goaltending is going to have to be on It's game this week.
And then whoever plays Saturday faces Tampa.
The goaltending is going to have to be on It's game this week.
I would argue the teams overall commitment to D is is much better, too.
Last year we had a cooked Giordano, and a declining (and likely mentally broken) Brodie. Right off the hop we’ve replaced them with Tanev and OEL — awesome upgrades.
banks
Only got 3 of 16.
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Yep. It's a combination of defence and goaltending. And it kind of has to be.
Fun fact, the Leafs are currently tied (w the wild and jets) for 2nd in the NHL for fewest goals against. 52 against so far, with only Dallas better with 50. That's pretty bang on the pace for most Jennings winners, giving up about 200 in a season.
This reminds me of the Blackhawks during their Dynasty. Corey Crawford was never a Vezina winner, or even runner up. But he did win the Jennings twice. That's because he was good enough and had a good defensive group with him. That's a winning format. If our duo keeps playing anywhere close to what they have so far, then they're in really good shape.
The best part is both these goalies are gamers!
Samsonov was weird, he would show these flashes of brilliance, but when it came time to key games and key moments he would let in soft goals, not just one, but often 2 or 3 in a row... I could not figure it out, where was his head at? Sometimes I don't think he was as focused as he could of been. It really changes the teams dynamics when you are down 2 or 3 goals, its hard to play with that sort of kick to the nuts.
One of the things I hated about Samsonov, was one time he was in the midst of goalie duel I think we were up by a goal, and someone ran the net... and he did not want to continue. I don't know if it was a real injury or not, but in my head it felt like he just did not want the stress, like he broke, folded. Took the easy way out.
Which reminds me of Domink Hasek, that is probably the best goaltender of all time. The attitude on that guy, you could run the net, hurt him, wind him, he never wanted to be taken out of the game! It didn't matter if he was on a gimpy leg, or puck just bounced off his head, he was not going to let another goalie into his crease. He was going to see it till the very end, even if he was at 50%, and Hassek 50% was better than most NHL goalies. A monster in net.
So when I saw Samsonov leave the game when it was at its peek stress level, when all he had was but a few minutes left to seal the deal. How easily he let another goaltender take his crease, it made me lose respect for him. I may be wrong on this, maybe he was hurt legitimately, but deep down inside it felt like it was the stress of the match. Something had to give, and it was Samsanov. That feeling from the outside was not only felt by me, but also by our opposition who dominated the final minutes and won the game. He had a gem on his hands and he walked away.
This is not to say that I did not respect Samsonov's talent, we all know he had some incredible moments and was immensely talented. However there was some sort of insecurity within him that would show itself at the worst moments, at the times that the team needed him most of all. Like he did not fully believe in himself.... nothing like playing the Panthers down 2 and 0, it just kills team spirit, especially when the other guy in net is standing on his head.
To me this is the big difference this year. Hard to play good defense when you are a couple of goals down to start the game. Hard to play good defense when you give your heart out on the PK, bust your ass blocking shots, but the goalie lets in a soft goal or two after all your effort. I wish the best for Ilya, I liked him as a person, I hope he sorts his head out and finds that inner Hasek, although, I hope not when we are in town.
Samsonov was weird, he would show these flashes of brilliance, but when it came time to key games and key moments he would let in soft goals, not just one, but often 2 or 3 in a row... I could not figure it out, where was his head at? Sometimes I don't think he was as focused as he could of been. It really changes the teams dynamics when you are down 2 or 3 goals, its hard to play with that sort of kick to the nuts.
One of the things I hated about Samsonov, was one time he was in the midst of goalie duel I think we were up by a goal, and someone ran the net... and he did not want to continue. I don't know if it was a real injury or not, but in my head it felt like he just did not want the stress, like he broke, folded. Took the easy way out.
Which reminds me of Domink Hasek, that is probably the best goaltender of all time. The attitude on that guy, you could run the net, hurt him, wind him, he never wanted to be taken out of the game! It didn't matter if he was on a gimpy leg, or puck just bounced off his head, he was not going to let another goalie into his crease. He was going to see it till the very end, even if he was at 50%, and Hassek 50% was better than most NHL goalies. A monster in net.
So when I saw Samsonov leave the game when it was at its peek stress level, when all he had was but a few minutes left to seal the deal. How easily he let another goaltender take his crease, it made me lose respect for him. I may be wrong on this, maybe he was hurt legitimately, but deep down inside it felt like it was the stress of the match. Something had to give, and it was Samsanov. That feeling from the outside was not only felt by me, but also by our opposition who dominated the final minutes and won the game. He had a gem on his hands and he walked away.
This is not to say that I did not respect Samsonov's talent, we all know he had some incredible moments and was immensely talented. However there was some sort of insecurity within him that would show itself at the worst moments, at the times that the team needed him most of all. Like he did not fully believe in himself.... nothing like playing the Panthers down 2 and 0, it just kills team spirit, especially when the other guy in net is standing on his head.
To me this is the big difference this year. Hard to play good defense when you are a couple of goals down to start the game. Hard to play good defense when you give your heart out on the PK, bust your ass blocking shots, but the goalie lets in a soft goal or two after all your effort. I wish the best for Ilya, I liked him as a person, I hope he sorts his head out and finds that inner Hasek, although, I hope not when we are in town.
Credit to Treliving (and also Dubas, who brought in Woll and McCabe) – the defense and goaltending has been outstanding so far. That’s no small feat, especially considering the limited cap space we had for defense and goaltending. The Leafs are getting significant surplus value on the back end.
Total Surplus Value: +13.24 million
| Player | Cap Hit | Real Value | Surplus Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woll | 0.76 | 5.0 | +4.24 |
| McCabe | 2.0 | 5.5 | +3.5 |
| Stolarz | 2.5 | 5.0 | +2.5 |
| Tanev | 4.5 | 6.0 | +1.5 |
| OEL | 3.5 | 5.0 | +1.5 |
Total Surplus Value: +13.24 million
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