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It’s Time to Appreciate How Goaltenders Have Shaped the KHL Playoffs

As the KHL playoffs steam along, it is worth noting how important goaltenders have been throughout this post-season. With save percentages escalating and players becoming visibly frustrated, goaltending has flourished and has been the key to success for several teams.

It’s Time to Appreciate How Goaltenders Have Shaped the KHL Playoffs

Reconsidering the first and second rounds, Swedish goalie Henrik Karlsson continued where he left off in the regular season with consistent goaltending.  Facing a remarkable number of shots against CSKA in the second round (which peaked at 45), Karlsson stood on his head, even stealing a key win to prevent Jokerit from being swept.

Stand-out Sochi star Jan Laco, another early round casualty, provided important performances for Barys in the first round, maintaining a .948 SV% over the first round. His surprising performance was a real tour de force and, while his team might not have made it that far, his valiant effort is deserving of a mention.

Of course solid performances are needed if a team hopes to make it deep into the playoffs, and this year is no exception.  Two of the conference finalists are still at loggerheads, and we are still witnessing the effects from the Mikko Koskinen and Alexander Salak trade, which is at full bloom.

Koskinen has been solid, strong, and is one of the reasons why Dynamo scrapped their way back into the series. He faced the most shots by a country mile and still remains second out of the remaining goalies in save percentage. Koskinen has been a nice asset for SKA, and is probably a big reason why the series was concluded early.

Salak had a .953 SV% over the first round and enters the conference finals with a .934 SV%. He has been far from the MVP of Sibir but, as they head into their first ever conference finals, Salak’s play is worth acknowledging. The trade seems to be paying dividends for both teams.

Lest we forget the goaltender who is arguably the best outside the NHL, Blackhawks prospect Anders Nilsson.  After a very modest start to the playoffs — a surprisingly low .900 SV% in the first round — he’s bounced back in the second, recording 3 shutouts that helped his team to a 4-1 series win. The already defensively-tight Ak Bars are now backed with a .943 goaltender who, if the first game with Sibir has shown, has done nothing but frustrate opponents. Ak Bars haven’t needed the best offense as their defence and goaltender are solid walls. Picking up a shutout versus Sibir in the conference finals, his shutout streak stood at an impressive 178:15, making him one of the best, if not the best, goalie in the entire playoffs.

However, the big prize goes to CSKA and their tandem of goalies, Sergei Galimov and Kevin Lalade. The pair have been phenomenal at the back-end of CSKA. They might not face the greatest number of shots, but the higher quality chances from SKA and Jokerit have tested both keepers. Each has posted shutouts, sitting first and fourth in save percentage, and being the only team to successfully play a tandem in goal with both performing to the top standard. Lalade has come from rather nowhere to storm HC Sochi out of the playoffs and now Galimov’s unorthdox style of goaltending has netted him a shutout in the EFC, and what looks like a crazy performance against one of the best offensive teams in the league.

The playoffs always have their heroes, from Grigorenko to Yevgeni Dadonov, all the way to the likes of Justin Azevedo and Patrik Hershley. Goaltenders have kept the scoring low and their save percentages have climbed to almost .13 higher than last year. With the elite talents of Nilsson, Koskinen, Russian representative Galimov, and wo other national goalies in Karlsson and Laco, goaltenders have given their teams an extra edge and helped shaped the playoffs. Even now with the Army Derby going on, watching two elite goaltenders make crazy, desperate saves in triple overtime is something rare and beautiful that needs to be appreciated.

 

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