This article is part of our The Goalie Report series.
In this week's column, we look at goalie performances over the past week, where we see some goalies elevating their game, while others have floundered. A couple of goalies make repeat appearances on the list from last week's column.
Trending Up
Igor Shesterkin, NY Rangers (0.973 GAA, .962 SV%)
After a couple of appearances on the wrong side of this column, Shesterkin is back on the plus side of the ledger with the top performance of the week, as he pulled off two shutouts along with his three wins. His usage this season is in keeping with career norms, but with the Rangers' inconsistency putting them in a precarious position in the playoff race, he is playing more stressful, high-pressure games than he's seen in recent years. He'll be tasked with maintaining a high level of play because there's very little room for error now.
Logan Thompson, Washington (0.984 GAA, .975 SV%)
Thompson makes this list for a second straight outstanding week. He's done a great job in shouldering the load, appearing in a season-high seven straight games, during Charlie Lindgren's absence due to injury. He's undefeated in regulation time during that stretch. There is a growing groundswell of support for his late inclusion onto Canada's roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Lindgren will be back in the mix very soon, as he's been practicing with the squad in recent days. It will be interesting to see if the Capitals will
In this week's column, we look at goalie performances over the past week, where we see some goalies elevating their game, while others have floundered. A couple of goalies make repeat appearances on the list from last week's column.
Trending Up
Igor Shesterkin, NY Rangers (0.973 GAA, .962 SV%)
After a couple of appearances on the wrong side of this column, Shesterkin is back on the plus side of the ledger with the top performance of the week, as he pulled off two shutouts along with his three wins. His usage this season is in keeping with career norms, but with the Rangers' inconsistency putting them in a precarious position in the playoff race, he is playing more stressful, high-pressure games than he's seen in recent years. He'll be tasked with maintaining a high level of play because there's very little room for error now.
Logan Thompson, Washington (0.984 GAA, .975 SV%)
Thompson makes this list for a second straight outstanding week. He's done a great job in shouldering the load, appearing in a season-high seven straight games, during Charlie Lindgren's absence due to injury. He's undefeated in regulation time during that stretch. There is a growing groundswell of support for his late inclusion onto Canada's roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Lindgren will be back in the mix very soon, as he's been practicing with the squad in recent days. It will be interesting to see if the Capitals will revert to their 50/50 goalie share once he gets the green light.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay (2.30 GAA, .929 SV%)
It comes as no surprise that Vasilevskiy is rolling along with another strong and busy campaign. Similar to Shesterkin's situation, there is more stress this season for the Tampa goalie because they are also in an unaccustomed role of being challenged for a playoff spot in the very competitive Eastern Conference. The concerned whispers from a shaky start to his season seem like a distant memory. Since then, he's been a model of consistency, as he's allowed three goals or fewer in 16 of his last 17 starts.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh (1.50 GAA, .956 SV%)
The Penguins made the difficult decision to drop Tristan Jarry down to the AHL, carrying $4.2 million of his cap hit on the main roster at the moment. In his absence, Nedeljkovic has played very well, earning two wins last week, as he seems to have a clear path with the top role in a new goalie share with rookie Joel Blomqvist. The leash may be short for the veteran because he's been inconsistent all season and the Pens are in disarray. He and his team need a run of success or there will be more changes.
Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia (1.62 GAA, .929 SV%)
Although the Flyers are carrying three goalies on their active roster, Ersson has established himself as the workhorse, having started six of the last seven games since returning from a minor injury. Ersson has been at the top of his game during this stretch, posting a 5-1-0 record that has the Flyers in the thick of the playoff hunt. You have to believe head coach John Tortorella will continue to ride the hot hand and position the Flyers to consider moving one of the other goalies in the hope of strengthening the roster at other positions.
Joey Daccord, Seattle (2.67 GAA, .916 SV%)
Daccord is our other top repeat performer. As we expected, Daccord has taken over the net in Seattle, pushing Philipp Grubauer into a spot-duty role as the backup. The Kraken need to lean on the hot hand to stay within range of a Wild Card playoff berth, which they currently trail by six points. Daccord is part of a rare, expensive duo in goal here, as both netminders are on the books for at least $5 million through the next two seasons. It might be prudent for the club to try to move Grubauer's contract and commit to a cheaper backup since Daccord has proven capable of solid play while taking on a heavy workload. The Kraken needs to fill holes in the rest of their roster.
Trending Down
Thatcher Demko, Vancouver (3.88 GAA, .839 SV%)
Demko has struggled since returning to activity duty following his extended injury absence. He's registered four substandard starts in seven appearances and is having a hard time rediscovering his usual form. Added to a couple of other roster concerns, these are troubling times for a team that was expected to be among the elite squads in the league. Instead, they find themselves in a battle for a playoff position in the Western Conference. Despite the surprising contributions of Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs. It's realistic to think Demko's best effort could be the one that elevates this team.
Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado (3.65 GAA, .870 SV%)
We have reported in this column about how Blackwood's fortunes might improve with his move to Colorado and that's exactly what has happened… until last week when he registered two poor starts. As these performances followed a nice long string of solid games, and the losses occurred against two good teams (Oilers and Wild), we can cut him some slack. Since moving to the Mile High City, he's played often and been very good. As they say in my golf circles, let's give him a mulligan, unless this develops into a longer trend next week.
Adin Hill, Vegas (3.50 GAA, .875 SV%)
Hill had been enjoying another solid season in Vegas before hitting a rut last week. Like a couple of other goalies mentioned above, he's been very steady in establishing himself as a solid, primary option here. However, with the recent strong play of his tandem partner, Ilya Samsonov, he finds himself sharing assignments through the last few weeks. That means he needs to get straightened away soon or this goalie share could turn into a 'win-and-you-stay-in' scenario. It's an encouraging sign for an NHL team to have a pair of equally viable options. It's not so good for a fantasy owner of one of these options, though. We always want to see more of 'our guy' in the net.
Key Injury Note
New Jersey's Jacob Markstrom was injured in the Devils' game versus Boston on Wednesday night and could miss an extended period, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe. No additional details are available at present. Jake Allen will take on a larger share of starts for the foreseeable future.
