This article is part of our Crashing the Crease series.
The final stretch is always a crazy time in the NHL, with desperate teams playing their best hockey in search of a playoff spot while some of the top squads are content with sitting on their cushion in the standings until the postseason. Teams with the most to play for are most likely to ride their No. 1 options until the end, so let's take a look at which goalies are set up to receive heavy workloads over the final few weeks. Anyone sitting 10 or more points out at this stage has basically no chance in the modern NHL (even Buffalo's above this threshold), so the scope will be limited to goalies from contenders only.
Atlantic: The Canadiens and Senators have separated themselves from the pack a bit, but the chance at grabbing home ice through the Conference semis will have both teams riding their respective top options until the end. With Ottawa trailing by just three points with a game in hand, expect Carey Price and Craig Anderson to stay busy unless one team pulls away. Every other member of this division save for Detroit is still within striking distance of a playoff spot, so expect to see a lot of familiar faces in net until the clock runs out on most of them. Boston and Toronto both currently hold playoff spots by slim margins, meaning Tuukka Rask and Frederik Andersen will maintain heavy workloads after starting seven of eight and six of seven games, respectively. Tampa Bay
The final stretch is always a crazy time in the NHL, with desperate teams playing their best hockey in search of a playoff spot while some of the top squads are content with sitting on their cushion in the standings until the postseason. Teams with the most to play for are most likely to ride their No. 1 options until the end, so let's take a look at which goalies are set up to receive heavy workloads over the final few weeks. Anyone sitting 10 or more points out at this stage has basically no chance in the modern NHL (even Buffalo's above this threshold), so the scope will be limited to goalies from contenders only.
Atlantic: The Canadiens and Senators have separated themselves from the pack a bit, but the chance at grabbing home ice through the Conference semis will have both teams riding their respective top options until the end. With Ottawa trailing by just three points with a game in hand, expect Carey Price and Craig Anderson to stay busy unless one team pulls away. Every other member of this division save for Detroit is still within striking distance of a playoff spot, so expect to see a lot of familiar faces in net until the clock runs out on most of them. Boston and Toronto both currently hold playoff spots by slim margins, meaning Tuukka Rask and Frederik Andersen will maintain heavy workloads after starting seven of eight and six of seven games, respectively. Tampa Bay would like to ride Vasilevskiy to the finish line, but he seems to be cracking under a starter's workload once again after doing so with Ben Bishop injured earlier this season. The Panthers and Sabres would have to leapfrog at least five teams to get in, and seem more focused on locking up a high draft pick then working their way into contention based on recent results.
Metropolitan: The three best records in the league all reside in this division, and are separated by just two points. Washington, Pittsburgh and Columbus all have plenty of incentive to keep winning, as ending up on top likely means home ice advantage all postseason while finishing third means having to knock off two goliaths on the road. Vezina frontrunners Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky will continue padding their cases for the award, while Pittsburgh's Matt Murray is unlikely to be supplanted by a surging Marc-Andre Fleury this late despite stumbling a bit recently. The Rangers have it easy here. With Henrik Lundqvist (hip) back to practicing fully, they can afford to ease him back in given that they have no incentive to catch any of the three teams above them in the standings. If New York's 13-point lead over Toronto for the top Wild Card spot holds, the Rangers will head over to the much weaker Atlantic bracket come playoff time. New York's other team, the Islanders, sit just three points back of the Maple Leafs despite enduring massive struggles in net throughout the first half. Thomas Greiss solved those issues, so it's no surprise that he has appeared in every game since Feb. 19. Carolina's recent success has come in spite of poor play from Cam Ward, and Philadelphia continues to fight to the bitter end despite having to pick between two unappealing goaltending options in Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth.
Central: Recent surges by the Blues and Flames have pretty much solidified who the eight playoff teams in the West will be, so now it's just a question of the order. Chicago can afford to rest Corey Crawford even if it wants to push for the President's Trophy since backup Scott Darling has been even better when called upon. The Wild's isolation in the standings means Devan Dubnyk can get plenty of rest as soon as he snaps out of his funk. St. Louis and Nashville are currently tied for third with 83 points, and would like to ride Jake Allen and Pekka Rinne, respectively, until their respective playoff bids are secure.
Pacific: It looked like rookie backup Aaron Dell was going to see plenty of action down the stretch for the Division-leading Sharks, but the team's four-game losing streak should lead to more of Martin Jones the rest of the way. The Oilers, Ducks and Flames all sit within five points of San Jose and one point of each other, meaning it's safe to expect more status quo from each in net. Cam Talbot leads all goalies in appearances, so Edmonton clearly feels comfortable calling his number often. Jonathan Bernier should continue to be tasked with filling in for John Gibson (lower body) in Anaheim, while Brian Elliott put to bed any goaltending controversy in Calgary with his role in the team's franchise-record 10-game winning streak. The Kings are still hoping to bridge the eight-point gap separating them from a playoff berth. Fatigue won't be an issue for Jonathan Quick after he missed most of the season with a groin injury, but Los Angeles likely won't want to waste rental acquisition Ben Bishop completely.
This look ahead revealed that the future standings are just about as murky as ever even with 71-plus games in the books for everyone, so enjoy some clarity with this review of the recent past:
Top Performers
Cam Talbot, EDM - Talbot's four-game winning streak has seen him turn aside 122 of 127 shots for a .961 save percentage, including consecutive shutouts in his past two appearances. The league leader in ice time is showing no signs of wearing down, and now trails only Sergei Bobrovsky in the win column at 37. With just one point separating second and fourth in the Pacific Division, it's safe to expect Talbot to maintain his heavy workload all the way through the finish line.
Jonathan Bernier, ANA - Bernier's recent success is giving Ducks coaches something to think about for when Gibson returns. The promoted backup is 4-0-1 with an 0.99 GAA and .969 save percentage over his past five starts despite facing three of the top seven teams in the league standings during that span. Gibson still seems a ways away after having just returned to skating, so feel free to roll out Bernier with confidence for the foreseeable future.
Sergei Bobrovsky, CLS - Bobrovsky's most recent stretch might be his most impressive of the season, which is saying a lot for a goalie who posted a 14-game winning streak from Nov. 29 to Jan. 3. His current winning streak is only half that length, but he also owns a 1.14 GAA and .963 save percentage along with that 7-0-0 record since Mar. 2. Bobrovsky's strong play coupled with speed bumps encountered by Holtby and Dubnyk have the Russian atop the wins, GAA and save percentage categories at the moment.
Three Rising
Kari Lehtonen, DAL - Lehtonen has bounced back from last week's horrid three-game stretch with a much better performance over his three starts this past week. He sandwiched a loss to the red-hot Flames with wins over the Canucks and Sharks, posting a 1.68 GAA and .939 save percentage along the way. It's still tough to trust Stars goalies given the team's defensive struggles, but owners in need of a Hail Mary in net down the stretch could do worse than Lehtonen.
Pekka Rinne, NAS - Rinne's riding a three-game winning streak after failing to notch a victory in his previous three. He has also held his past two opponents to one tally apiece after being tagged for multiple goals in each of his previous 12 appearances. With young backup Juuse Saros hitting a rookie wall in the second half, expect Rinne to consistently man the Nashville crease until the Predators clinch a playoff spot.
Jake Allen, STL - Allen's past seven starts have resulted in a 6-1-0 record, 1.29 GAA and .956 save percentage. While an easy schedule definitely played a role in those outstanding numbers, things don't get any harder with the Canucks, Coyotes (twice) and Avalanche all among the Blues' next five opponents. Backup Carter Hutton has won each of his last two starts when called upon, but Allen should maintain a dominant workload at least until St. Louis' eight-point edge on Los Angeles turns into a playoff berth.
Three Falling
Tuukka Rask, BOS - Rask has been just fine lately besides last Thursday's horrid performance against the Oilers, but allowing five goals on 17 shots in just over a period will take a massive toll on your numbers over any reasonable sample size. While the Finnish veteran has dropped three straight decisions, Boston's surging offense should help him get back in the win column before long, especially with the team's desperation level sure to rise as its cushion in the playoff race dwindles.
Matt Murray, PIT - Murray has allowed four or more goals in three of his past five starts, putting pressure on Pittsburgh's top-ranked offense to bail him out. Marc-Andre Fleury is 3-0-1 with five goals allowed and a .959 save percentage in four March appearances, and could start to steal more work from Murray if the youngster doesn't raise his level in a hurry. Still, it seems unlikely the Penguins will rock the boat given how well Murray played in last year's Stanley Cup run.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM - After going 6-0-1 with 10 goals allowed and a .958 save percentage in his first seven starts following the Bishop trade, Vasilevskiy has dropped three consecutive games in regulation while surrendering four goals in each. Lightning brass still believe the inconsistent 22-year-old gives Tampa Bay a better chance to win games than Peter Budaj, but they can't afford to give Vasilevskiy any more leeway if they want to close the four-point gap currently separating them from the second Wild Card in the East. That being said, Vasilevskiy's status as the team's goalie of the future means he should get most of the reps down the stretch regardless of the standings.
