The NHL playoffs are only a few weeks away.
While many teams are locked in with an ace goaltender, there are a handful of teams with a tandem in which you can go either way.
On Wednesday’s edition of The Daily Faceoff Show, Frank Seravalli and Matt Larkin discussed which goaltender the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals should start in the playoffs.
Seravalli: “Let’s start with the Minnesota Wild — Who’s your Game 1 starter?
Larkin: “I’m going to say Marc-Andre Fleury, let’s not overthink this. It’s a conditional first-round pick surrendered in the trade, you’re not giving that up to park a future Hall of Famer and former Vezina Trophy winner on the bench.
"He’s got a .930 save percentage since joining the team. It’s a great story what Cam Talbot has done, but, it’s Flower, let’s be honest here.”
Seravalli: “I’m in agreement with you about Fleury there. What about the L.A. Kings? You have Cal Petersen, who’s been better of late, he’d struggled for a large stretch of the season, and it comes as Jonathan Quick’s numbers have regressed a bit.”
Larkin: “It’s a tough one. Jonathan Quick has a track record as one of the all-time clutch goaltenders in NHL history in the playoffs with a .922 save percentage and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
"But it’s been four years since he even played in a playoff series. That athletic style is very taxing on his body and I just don’t know if he has what it takes to carry the load for a full series anymore. I think you start with Cal Petersen and you can always give the net back to Jonathan Quick if he falters.
"It’s sort of like the Philipp Grubauer and Braden Holtby situation in 2018.”
Seravalli: “I like that because you want to build confidence with Petersen moving forward as he has that $5 million annual contract moving forward. What about the Edmonton Oilers? Mikko or Mike?”
Larkin: “I’m smiling because I want to answer neither, but I have to choose one.
"Here’s the thing with Mike Smith, he’s got the warrior mentality. He’s number two in NHL history in playoff save percentage at .931. He had one terrible game in the bubble in 2020 against the Chicago Blackhawks, but, other than that, he’s proven himself time and again.
"Maybe you can get some 2006 Dwayne Roloson magic out of the greybeard. Mikko Koskinen has shown a tendency to wear down with larger workloads. I lean towards Mike Smith. I can’t believe I said those words with my mouth on purpose.”
Seravalli: “I think a lot of Oilers fans would sit back and ask ‘can we have an alternate answer here in Stuart Skinner?’ It seems like, for whatever reason, the Oilers don’t want to give him any long run in the net.
"That brings us to the Washington Capitals, likely the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Is it Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek?”
Larkin: “I think this is the toughest call on the list. We know Samsonov was supposed to be the heir apparent, he’s the one with the first-round pedigree, he’s supposed to be the long-term star in net, but every chance he gets, he just can’t usurp Vanecek.
"Vanecek has been the better goaltender this year, he was last year. Even though he’s faltered since the All-Star break, Samsonov has been worse. I think you have to give the net to the guy who’s been better, and that’s Vanecek.”
You can watch the full episode here…
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