Our Favorite Goalies to Watch During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Photo Credit: CTV News
It’s that time of year again. We all get to curl up on our couches and enjoy night after night of thrilling Stanley Cup Playoff hockey action. And while playoff hockey is fun to watch as a spectator, it is also incredibly interesting to watch as a goaltender, because we can learn a ton from watching the best goalies in the world play at the most competitive time of the season.
While we can learn and improve from watching all NHL goaltenders, we at Modern Goaltending have compiled a list of who we believe are the best goalies to watch and learn from during this postseason.
Without further ado, here is our list. The goalies are listed in no particular order.
Connor Hellebuyck- Hellebuyck is the heavy Vezina favorite heading into this postseason, and it’s no mystery why. Not only does he have phenomenal technique, but the puck always seems to hit him because he’s in the right position almost all the time. He is a master at reading the play and reading the puck off the stick blade, which helps him make saves look easy even when he is relatively deep in the net. When watching him, notice how he positions himself based on where the puck is, and where the threats are on the ice around him. He is always in a spot where he never needs to make large movements, and therefore he is set and solid on most shots. On the penalty kill, he positions himself especially deep to give himself a chance to get to cross ice one timers through the seam, or back door plays. When the time comes to be aggressive, notice now he gets himself a bit outside the blue paint to take away space.
Another area to watch with him is his puck handling, and how simple he is with the puck. When the opposing team dumps the puck into his zone, he stops it, reads the pressure, and makes a flat, crisp, pass on his defenseman’s tape. There is nothing flashy about it, but if you can stop a dump, take a look, and make a crisp, flat, ten foot pass, you are a great puck handler.
Sergei Bobrovsky - The two time Vezina winner was instrumental in leading the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, and we think he will do the same thing this season. The incredible thing to notice with Bob is how sharp and crisp his movements are, and how fast he is. His edge work is unbelievable, and his ability to stay unlocked and get to any place at any time is unmatched. Take his backwards dive arm save in Game 2 as a decent example of this.
Like all the other goalies on this list, he will change his stance depending on where the puck is in the zone. Also, his hands are always unlocked and free to move, allowing him to make extraordinary glove and blocker saves.
Juuse Saros - Juuse is one of the smallest goalies in the league, but remains top 5 in the NHL from season to season. He makes up for his lack of size with his unbelievable speed, explosiveness, and athleticism. Because he doesn’t have the luxury of taking up as much space blocking as the bigger guys, he has to rely on these more than other goalies, but that is also what allows him to excel. He is faster than almost any goalie in the league, and always has his hands unlocked and ready to make saves. When he is ultra focused, he positions himself well for a smaller goalie. But watch out— sometimes he will get himself out of position by getting too aggressive from time to time, and ends up chasing the game. Notice how fast he is, but also notice when he gets himself into trouble.
Andrei Vasilevskiy - Everyone knows about the one they call “Big Cat”. The former Vezina winner and two time Stanley Cup winner always plays his best hockey at this time of year. A maniacal competitor, notice his edge work, mobility, and explosiveness. While his movements are crisp, similar to Bob’s, they are not as technical. He relies on his crazy athleticism more than other goalies. Notice how he positions himself in various situations, and how he employs his athleticism to answer the offensive threats accordingly.
Another interesting thing to notice with Big Cat is his response after being scored on. He typically stands on the goal line, stoically awaiting the ensuing faceoff. He almost never lets negative emotion invade his mind following a goal. He gets himself ready for the next play to come his way.
The last thing to notice with him is that sometimes he will sit down in his butterfly, locking his hands and hips, and exposing more of the top part of the net. This is not something you want to do. However, it is encouraging knowing that even the best in the world are not perfect, and can always improve, just like the rest of us.
Jeremy Swayman/ Linus Ullmark - It is rare that you find a team with two goaltenders that they feel can give them the same chance to win every single game. Ullmark is a former Vezina winner, while Swayman is a younger guy who has played just as well or better than the high level Ullmark has been at this season. While Swayman plays more technical, Ullmark relies on his athleticism a little more to accomplish the same task. The interesting thing to notice with them is how they position themselves. They are almost never too aggressive or chasing the game. They read the situations well and position themselves passively a lot of the time-at the top of the crease and below- and aggressively when they need to. What makes this intriguing is how despite having different styles, proper positioning allows both to stop the puck at a high level, and give the Bruins a chance to win the cup this time around.
Igor Shesterkin - Igor is another Vezina Winner and consistent top 5 NHL goaltender over the past 3 seasons. Not only is he a great skater who moves well, but his reading and positioning is out of this world. He is so good at reading opposing players, that sometimes he won’t even be in his stance when they enter his zone, and he will get into his stance right as they are about to make a play. He only challenges about six inches to a foot outside of the crease on any given rush, which is unusual, but it allows him to not only make a save on the puck carrier, but get to the far side of the net when a play is made. Notice how he always pushes back to the post on lateral plays, which keeps him from getting scrambly and chasing the game. Even when the puck is in a non threatening area, notice how he sets himself up for the potential next play with his positioning and squareness. When he needs to be aggressive, he will get about a foot outside the blue paint to take away space.
Freddie Andersen- Although he was injured for most of this year, Freddie has always been a consistent workhorse type goaltender. Freddie is just very satisfying to watch, because he is so solid. He has great technique and positioning, but will make athletic saves when the situation arises. He always looks so calm and composed in the net. While he typically plays within the blue paint, which allows him to follow plays and be in position and set on most shots, he will get aggressive to smother shooters when he has to. He is incredibly solid, poised, and soothing to watch.
Ilya Sorokin- Sorokin has consistently been a Top 5 NHL goaltender and potential Vezina candidate the past couple years. Like the others, he is an amazing skater with unbelievable edges. He has crazy mobility and athleticism, and relies on his athleticism to make saves more than other goalies on this list. But once again, it is his athleticism that allows him to excel. What is interesting about him is how he plays a very athletic style, while remaining positionally sound all the time. He does not over challenge, so he is always in position and ready to make a save, but does so with more athletic flair than other goalies on this list. His hands are always unlocked and ready to make saves.
A tool that he seems to utilize more so than his peers is what we call “the overlap”. This is when the goalie overlaps their near side foot with the short side post while in their stance when the puck is at a sharp angle. This allows the goalie to go into a butterfly on the short side without opening up space, while still allowing the goalie to get across on a lateral play. Notice how and when he uses the overlap versus using his RVH.
Sorokin, without a doubt, has the ability to take the Islanders to the Cup Finals. And while we have not yet seen him in this year’s playoffs, don’t be surprised if he takes over for the Isles if they are able to remain in playoffs long enough.
So there you have it— our list of our favorite goalies to watch in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. What’s cool is that there are different things to absorb from every goalie on this list. While they share many similarities, they also use their unique strengths to stop the puck and give their teams a good chance to win every game. And while you may notice that they all stop the puck, a lot of what makes them excel is what they are doing when they aren’t making a save— things like how they skate, or how they position themselves to make saves before the shot is taken. Watch the playoffs with a goaltender’s mindset. Notice the similarities and differences they all possess and use to their advantage, and notice what they do when they aren’t actively making a save.
And while it is great to learn from these outstanding goalies, do not try to copy them. Take from their tool box and add it to yours, but keep in mind that no two goalies are exactly alike. Your strengths may be differ from certain goalies on this list, and that is ok. What is going to make you the best goaltender you can possibly be and excel will be playing to your strengths, not to anyone else’s.
