NHL Playoffs 2023: Most Surprising and Disappointing Goalies
Every day marks closer and closer to June when the 2023 Stanley Cup champions will be crowned. Now, almost halfway into round 2, upsets and shocking victories have already rocked the NHL community. Within the excitement of playoff hockey, interesting statistics seem to sometimes get overlooked or brushed aside. Let's look at some of the most shocking facts from the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs; goalie data.
Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson
Starting off strong with the 3rd ever goalie selected 1st overall in 2003, Marc-Andre Fleury is a legendary three-time cup hero. He’s the 3rd ever goaltender in NHL history to reach 500 wins and the 2021 Vezina winner. Known for his work with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury also played with the Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks, and now, the Minnesota Wild.
All this information makes Fleury’s recent performance seem very confusing. In 2023 he started 46 games for Minnesota, winning 24 of them with a .908 SV%. Although this is by no means a bad statistic, Filip Gustavsson has had a breakthrough season with the Wild, earning a .931 SV%, blowing expectations out of the water. Furthermore, as far as the playoffs go, Fleury only started once and lost with a .811 SV%. These numbers feel underwhelming and dissatisfying for the incredible overachiever star he is.
Connor Helleybuck
The Jets barely clinched a spot in the 2023 playoffs, and much of their success from the regular season is credited towards Connor Helleybuck. Hellebuyck is widely known for setting the record for most single-season wins by an American goaltender in 2018 and for winning the Vezina in 2019-2020, becoming the first in Thrashers/Jets history.
He went 37-25 this year with a .920 SV% and 2.49 GAA. However, in the Jets series against the Golden Knights, Helleybuck went 1-4, with a .886 SV% and 3.44 GAA. As exciting as the Jets’ post-season was shaping up to be, Helleybuck’s showing seemed to be a major disappointment.
Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevsky
Igor Shesterkin is hugely considered one of the best goalies of all time. After a huge breakout season in 2021, where he had one of the finest showings for a goalie in NHL history, leading the league in both goals-against average and save percentage, he won the Vezina and was a finalist for the Hart. With Shesterkin, the Rangers finished second in the Metropolitan in 2022 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015, where they lost to the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevsky.
Vasilevsky, a two-time cup winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and record holder for more wins in a single postseason, is another outstanding goalie.
Both athletes are greatly recognized for their generational talent and once-in-a-lifetime abilities. However, both of their teams lost in the first round this year. Shesterkin went 3-4, with a very impressive .931 SC% and 1.96 GAA. Although the Rangers lost in 7, he never wavered or was disappointed. Vasilevsky went 2-4 with a .875 SV% and 3.56 GAA, shocking fans. The Lightning have been a competitive playoff team for years, and this first-round loss was disappointing.
Linus Ullmark and Swayman
One of the biggest stars of the 2022-2023 regular season was the Boston Bruins breakout. Their 6’4 goalie Linus Ullmark had a fantastic season, going 40-6 with a .938 SV% and an impressive 1.89 GAA. Backup goalie Jeremy Swayman also had a great year, going 24-6 with a .920 SV%.
However, in a massive game 7, the record-breaking 2022-2023 Bruins team lost to the Panthers. Throughout the series, Ullmark had a .896 SV% and 3.33 GAA, which is drastically different from his regular season showing. Similarly, Jeremy Swayman lost in the one game he started with a 3.34 GAA. The Bruins’ performance in the playoffs is now being considered one of the biggest chokes in NHL history.
Akira Schmid
Contrastingly, one of the most exciting surprises from the playoffs so far is the New Jersey Devils’ second-year goalie, Akira Schmid. He only played 18 games in the regular season, going 9-5 with a .922 SV%. He had an outstanding series with the Rangers going 4-3 and winning it all for New Jersey. After Vitek Vanecek’s surprising year with the Devils, many were excited to see his performance in the playoffs. However, he lost both of the first games 5-1. Schmid was a last-minute pull-up from the AHL and shocked the world with two shutouts.
Although the Devils are down 2-0 with the Hurricanes right now, Schmid’s first playoff series was record-breaking for New Jersey’s franchise and the entire NHL.
Jakob Oettinger
After Jakob Oettinger’s playoff performance for the Dallas Stars in 2022, in which he led all goaltenders with a .954 SV% which became the second-highest percentage in franchise history, he caught many people's attention. Although he suffered a lower-body injury which benched for two weeks this year, he still had an impressive regular season in which he went 37-11 with a .919 SV%.
He was incredibly successful in the first round against the Wild, with a 2.31 GAA and .921 SV%. He carried the team to a win in 6 games.
The 2023 NHL playoffs have already been insanely entertaining, and with fans and media teams getting more and more hyped by the second, it feels like the excitement is only beginning. We are all waiting to see what goalies will take the lead, stay cool, and lead their team to that Stanley Cup.