Is the goaltender position a strength, or a weakness, for the Ducks in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs? I take a look at Frederik Andersen and the rest of the playoff goalies.
One of my concerns (and I doubt I was the only one) heading into the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs was how well the goaltenders of the Anaheim Ducks would fare.
Anaheim has two good goaltenders, certainly, but still uses the goalie-by-committee approach that fills me with dread. What I wouldn’t do to see the Ducks land an All-Star calibre goalie, someone we KNEW the Ducks could ride all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Having said that, Frederik Andersen is getting the job done for the Ducks thus far. Granted, we’re only two games deep into what is (hopefully) a deep playoffs run for the Ducks – but hey! Andersen hasn’t blown a game yet!
That counts for something!
Here is how Andersen stacks up so far against his peers in this year’s playoffs (stats and screenshots taken from NHL.com):
NHL.com
NHL.com
NHL.com
Obviously, Scott Darling with the Chicago Blackhawks is playing out-of-his mind right now; take him out of the picture, and Andersen is number one in GAA and second in wins and save percentage.
Of course, statistics don’t always provide the full picture. Andersen may have only given up three goals to the Winnipeg Jets in two games – one of which he was powerless to stop, due to the fact that Ryan Kesler checked Lee Stempniak into the goal right before Adam Pardy scored, an unfortunate case of legal goaltender interference – but he has given up way too many rebounds for my liking, including one that would have surely resulted in a goal except for Clayton Stoner‘s last-second deflection.
In addition, Andersen didn’t look especially sharp for either of the two goals that were scored in game one, especially the Drew Stafford goal. And I give credit to Anaheim’s defensemen for making sure that Winnipeg’s speedsters, such as Blake Wheeler, don’t enjoy breakaways that force Andersen to come up huge.
Still, three goals allowed in two games for someone who has faced 56 shots is nothing to complain about. Frederik Andersen will probably face a stiffer test in Winnipeg, so I’ll be interested to see how well he maintains his composure when he is surrounded by a screaming sea of white. It’s early to come to any sorts of conclusion, except to see he’s 2-0, which is all that currently matters.
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