Ranking the best goalies through Round 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
With the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the books, theScore counts down the top players of the postseason in all three positional groups. Players on eliminated teams are eligible for this list, as these rankings are explicitly based on cumulative performances from the first three rounds.
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies
4. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
RECORD | GAA | SV% | GSAA |
---|---|---|---|
9-7 | 2.04 | .918 | -0.32 |
Fleury and the Golden Knights easily took down the top-ranked Colorado Avalanche in Round 2 and were starting to look rather unstoppable. He had a .923 save percentage through the first two rounds but came back down to earth against the Canadiens in Round 3. He started just four games against Montreal, recording a .904 save percentage, and had a brutal gaffe in Game 3 that led to a tough loss. However, Fleury and teammate Robin Lehner were certainly not the main reason behind Vegas bowing out of the playoffs - the offense went completely dry against the Canadiens, scoring just 13 goals over six games while going 0-for-15 on the power play.
3. Semyon Varlamov, New York Islanders
RECORD | GAA | SV% | GSAA |
---|---|---|---|
7-7 | 2.56 | .922 | 1.43 |
Aside from his rough outing in Game 5 against the Lightning, Varlamov came up big in Round 3 and gave the Islanders a legitimate shot at reaching the Stanley Cup Final. He mostly weathered the storm of Tampa Bay's potent offense, which is no easy task. Teammate Ilya Sorokin helped the Islanders advance past Round 1, but Varlamov took over and held the fort for the remainder of the playoffs. He was particularly strong at even-strength play throughout the postseason, recording a .934 save percentage.
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
RECORD | GAA | SV% | GSAA |
---|---|---|---|
12-6 | 1.99 | .935 | 9.25 |
Vasilevskiy might not be the most flashy goalie at times, but there's no doubt he's one of the best in the NHL. He's recorded an incredible four shutouts so far in the postseason and has now led the Lightning to two straight Cup Final appearances. The team in front of him is evidently great from top to bottom, but that doesn't mean Vasilevskiy hasn't handled his own business - he's faced the most high-danger shots (154) of any goalie and also has the highest high-danger save percentage (.890).
1. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
RECORD | GAA | SV% | GSAA |
---|---|---|---|
12-5 | 2.02 | .934 | 7.98 |
The Canadiens are on one of the most improbable playoff runs the NHL has seen in quite some time, and a large part of that is because of Price. While the team in front of him has drastically improved its play since Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1, Price has still been a game-changer every single night. His calmness is remarkable, and he seems to make a number of out-of-this-world saves every game. He's all the way locked in at the moment and has reminded the hockey world just how great he can be.
(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)