Most impressive Conn Smythe win (Goalies - post 2000)

[Lt Dan]

The Kings could have swapped goalies with their opponent every round and still won. It just would have been closer.

Not sure about that.

I saw the difference (in regular season games) where Bernier, Scrivens , Jones, etc were in net.

Quick is still a special goalie. an incredibly fierce competitor

 

[zar]

Easily Giguere or Thomas… went Giguere.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

I am a Kings fan, but Quick was the best of these goalies for the respective years.

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300 fewer shots faced than Thomas for example. That LA team was simply dominant.

 

[JackSlater]

You've got this hilariously backward. To put things in perspective, of the 248 teams that have appeared in the playoffs between 2008 and 2022:


In 2012, the Kings allowed a mere 26 SA/60 5v5 (27th), and a ludicrously low 1.82 xGA/60 5v5 (22nd) in the playoffs.

By comparison, The 2011 Bruins allowed 32.6 SA/60 5v5 (197th) and 2.13 xGA/60 5v5 (99th) in the playoffs.



The 2011 Bruins were a remarkably weak defensive team in 2011 playoffs, and relied on Thomas to bail them out far more than the Kings relied on Quick.

There's a reason that the dominant possession team with top tier defensive play and elite goaltending led every series 3-0 and only lost 4 games the whole way, while the mediocre possession team with relatively weak defense and elite goaltending required three seven game series to win. The latter was being carried by essentially one guy.

Boston allowed tons of long range but unthreatening shots. That's how Julien's gameplan was. Boston didn't just become a bad defensive team because Thomas faced a lot of shots. I don't know if he faced a disproportionately high number of high danger chances, but that doesn't match what I watched, which was more a goaltender who managed to make the mundane look spectacular. And again, Boston scored 4.25 goals per game in the games that it won. Even if you think Thomas was very good, and I'd call him his own worst enemy sooner, he was not relied upon to carry the team.

 

[Lt Dan]

300 fewer shots faced than Thomas for example. That LA team was simply dominant.

He also played 5 less games.... so half of the difference was that right there and we will apply the other half to the post above me

Re the bolded part (not directed at you 1%), always makes me laugh in retrospect because as that team was happening most of the fans here called us a fluke and it really wasn't until 2014 that the average person here respected that team. All of the summer of 2012 and the next season we were flukes

 

[KingsHockey24]

Quick and it's really not even close.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Boston allowed tons of long range but unthreatening shots. That's how Julien's gameplan was. Boston didn't just become a bad defensive team because Thomas faced a lot of shots. I don't know if he faced a disproportionately high number of high danger chances, but that doesn't match what I watched, which was more a goaltender who managed to make the mundane look spectacular. And again, Boston scored 4.25 goals per game in the games that it won. Even if you think Thomas was very good, and I'd call him his own worst enemy sooner, he was not relied upon to carry the team.

Watch the highlights video I posted and rethink your post.

 

[DFC]

I remember how Giguere beat the Wings that year, and it wasn't pretty. And yes, I mean Giguere, not the Ducks. Single most impressive series I've ever seen played by a goalie.

 

[Slew Footed by Holik]

I'm adding Bill Ranford

 

[JackSlater]

Watch the highlights video I posted and rethink your post.

I've seen the Tim Thomas 2011 highlight reel before, it's sort of like the old Forsberg highlight reel on this site. Some good saves, some times when he creates the chance against himself, some saves that are just there. Not all that useful, particularly without the goals included, since a goaltender quietly swallowing up chances in boring fashion is also fine.

 

[tabness]

It's more than a bit bizarre to me some of the things being used to diminish Thomas in 2011 lol

Mostly long range/low quality chances? Well not really against Tampa which clearly took advantage of the slower Boston defense and got a ton of chances in the house area. Is it a fair assumption that Montreal (which was the other team that scored more proficiently against Boston/Thomas) did the same, assuming they were the same type of speedy team from last year? Beyond that, perimeter shots were exactly what Giguere had to deal with from Detroit, and it isn't like Thomas could wear the equipment that Giguere did. I'm not sure how this could be held against Thomas (ignoring for a minute that it wasn't the case against the Lightning at least) and not Giguere.

Boston scoring a lot? Sure, that was needed against Tampa. It's quite clear that it was superfluous against Vancouver though. Hasek in 1999 had a ton of goal support as well, I'm not sure how it directly matters to his performance.

Luongo was absolutely right that the bad goal Thomas gave up in game five was no doubt an easy save for him, but Luongo also correctly noted that Thomas would make saves that Luongo couldn't.

Thomas himself straight up said after that season and playoff that goalie is the most team dependent position. Obviously, there's no doubt that Boston played a way to limit his weaknesses, but this is almost banal to the point of being a vacuous tautology. I'm not sure why Thomas is being singled out for being a beneficiary of his defense. Roy in 1986 literally had his both his coach and opposing players say how fortunate he was to play behind the Montreal defense, yet somehow his run is still considered legendary...

(oh and just to be clear I am not part of Thomas's militia or whatever lol just feeling the points being raised here are super selective at best)