Top 10 goalie tandems for 2020-21 NHL season
Breaking down the Top 10 goaltending tandems for the 2020-21 NHL season.
We're going to go out on a limb to start this list. Rinne (.895) and Saros (.914) both had the worst save percentages of their careers last season in a disappointing year across the board in Nashville. If Rinne can get back to his .917 career save percentage and Saros at .918, this will become one of the more dependable duos again. We predict they will.
The Rangers parted ways with franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist because they were ready to hand the keys to Georgiev and Shesterkin. And while the sample size is very small — the two of them have combined for only 86 NHL starts — you can see the upside in Georgiev and Shesterkin as a tandem. But can they live up to it?
The Avalanche had the fourth-best team save percentage last season at .913, but the goaltending position did them in in the playoffs. Well, the injuries did, to be more specific. Francouz had a .923 save percentage in the regular season but finished with a .892 percentage in the postseason. Grubauer went 5-0-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and one shutout in six postseason contests before getting hurt and the Avalanche never recovered. If these two can stay healthy, Colorado should be in good position to win a Stanley Cup.
We can't have a list of the top tandems and not include the best goaltender in the league. In 2018-19, Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy after posting a .925 save percentage. Last season, he started in all 25 playoff games and finished with a .927 save percentage, leading the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup since 2004. McElhinney is a serviceable backup, but Vasilevskiy is going to get a huge bulk of the starts.
The Stars were the only team to have two goaltenders finish in the Top 5 in goals saved above average last season: Khudobin (17.8) and Bishop (13.2). This tandem would easily be No. 1 if Bishop wasn't out until March with an injury.
There was no better duo in the league last season than Halak and Rask, who helped the Bruins finish first in overall team save percentage (.921). Rask was named a Vezina Trophy finalist after going 26-8-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average, .929 save percentage, five shutouts and a 22.5 goals saved above average, which ranked No. 1 among all goaltenders.
This might be premature, but we're rolling with it anyway. Merzlikins finished with a .923 save percentage and five shutouts in 33 games last season while Korpisalo had a 7.91 goals saved above average in nine postseason contests. The Blue Jackets have two No. 1 goaltenders, and they're both 26 years old.
The Coyotes had the third-best team save percentage last season thanks to Kuemper and Raanta, both of whom finished with save percentages of .928 and .921, respectively. Kuemper could've easily been a Vezina Trophy finalist after having a 16.7 goals saved above average, which ranked fourth among all goaltenders, while Raanta is as dependable of a backup as they come and will continue to be as long as he can stay healthy.
The Canadiens have finally given Price a legitimate backup. Allen is coming off a sensational year in St. Louis, where he went 12-6-3 with a 2.15 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and two shutouts. This is the first time the Canadiens feel confident in their goaltending duo since Price was paired with Jaroslav Halak in 2009-10.
The Golden Knights have one of the strongest lineups in the league and they have the best goaltending tandem to back it up, too. Lehner is in the heart of his prime and one of the top netminders in the game. Fleury wasn't himself last season, but he's still better than what he showed and has some good hockey left in the tank. Vegas will have a chance to win every night because of these two alone.
