Crashing the Crease: Feel the Bern(ier)

With the regular season inching closer to its conclusion, this is one of the last opportunities we'll have to look ahead to the future before being engulfed by the drama that is the final playoff push. While the unpredictability of the goalie position often forces teams to think twice before spending an early-round pick on one, six young netminders are drawing plenty of interest from scouts heading into the 2017 NHL draft. Even if they don't end up being selected in the first two rounds, filing these six names away for future consideration wouldn't hurt.

Michael DiPietro is largely regarded as the top goaltender in the 2017 class despite his six-foot frame. While the Islanders likely can't stomach drafting another DiPietro after their debacle with Rick (no relation), the other 30 teams should all give the 17-year-old a long look based on his success with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires over the past two seasons. After posting a 2.45 GAA and .912 save percentage in 29 appearances last season, he has improved those numbers to 2.35 and .917 in 51 2016-17 outings.

Keith Petruzzelli is one of three USHL goaltenders to make this list, along with Cayden Primeau and Maksim Zhukov. The future Quinnipiac University netminder posted a 2.45 GAA and .915 save percentage in 32 appearances for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, and could well develop even further once he learns to fully utilize his 6-foot-6 frame.

Primeau is six months younger than Petruzzelli and doesn't turn 18 until August. While his 3.08 GAA and .897 save percentage in 29 games with the USHL's Lincoln Stars don't blow you away, the Canadian-American dual-citizen continues to draw plenty of interest heading into his freshman year at Northeastern University.

The Russian-born Zhukov will likely be the first member of the USHL trio drafted, and with good reason. His first year in America went swimmingly, as evidenced by an impressive 2.26 GAA and .912 save percentage in 30 appearances for the Green Bay Gamblers.

Jake Oettinger already has a year of college hockey under his belt, though he doesn't turn 19 until December. While a 3-2 loss to Minnesota-Duluth kept his Boston University team out of the Frozen Four, Oettinger still had a wildly successful freshman campaign judging by his 2.11 GAA and .927 save percentage in 35 games. The 6-foot-4 Minnesota native could easily be the top North American netminder off the board if DiPietro's size serves as a deterrent.

While the five guys above have gotten more exposure to North America, Finland's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a chance of having his name called before any of them. He led Finland to the U18 World Junior Championship in 2016 with a 2.00 GAA and .917 save percentage after taking over the starting gig in the quarterfinals.

Having a leg up on future knowledge is nice, but here are the recent trends that can help you in the here-and-now:

Top Performers

Jonathan Bernier, ANA - Bernier maintained his red-hot form this week, and is now 9-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .947 save percentage over his past 10 starts. His hot streak has pulled Anaheim into the Pacific Division lead, and it's tough to imagine the Ducks asking Bernier to sit even with John Gibson (lower body) back in game shape.

Jake Allen, STL - Those who stayed patient with Allen through his early struggles have been reaping the rewards when it matters most. Allen has started each of his team's past five games, and has four wins, seven goals allowed and a .950 save percentage to show for those efforts. Facing four bottom-five offenses definitely helped inflate his numbers over that stretch, but a decline isn't necessarily forthcoming with three of St. Louis' final seven opponents also ranking in that range.

Braden Holtby, WAS - Holtby was far from his best Tuesday in Minnesota, but Washington's ability to pull out a 5-4 overtime win nonetheless shows what makes the Capitals' netminder so valuable. That result marked Holtby's fifth consecutive victory while also putting him over the 40-win mark for the third consecutive campaign. His 40 wins, 2.04 GAA and .926 save percentage would be more than worthy of the Vezina Trophy if Sergei Bobrovsky wasn't outperforming him across the board.

Three Rising

Laurent Brossoit, EDM - Brossoit racked up two wins and stopped 45 of 46 total shots over two relief appearances and one start during the past week. While the little-used backup has only seen the ice on seven occasions this season, his 1.98 GAA and .934 save percentage show that he's more than capable of holding his own when called upon. Cam Talbot's league-high workload appears to be catching up to him, so it's not farfetched to expect a more even split between the two netminders down the stretch as Edmonton looks to freshen up its starter for the playoffs.

Jimmy Howard, DET - Howard's poor stat line Tuesday in Carolina (four goals allowed on 32 shots) was the result of a putrid effort put forth by the skaters in front of him on the third night of a back-to-back-to-back set. Prior to that outing, the American netminder had been rolling with a 1.29 GAA and .953 save percentage over his previous three appearances. While an extensive injury-related absence has limited him to 23 appearances, Howard would rank second in both GAA (2.02) and save percentage (.932) this season if he had the volume to qualify. He's worth a long look every time the Red Wings call his number down the stretch.

Michael Hutchinson, WPG - Hutchinson has now started three of the past five games for the Jets following his relief win over the Wild, and owns a 3-1-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .951 save percentage over that four-appearance stretch. While the 27-year-old's efforts are too little too late as far as the team's playoff hopes, fantasy owners shouldn't hesitate to take advantage of his strong finish.

Three Falling

Tuukka Rask, BOS - Rask picked the wrong time for one of his worst stretches of the season, as his 0-4-0 record, 4.53 GAA and .842 save percentage prior to Tuesday's win over the Predators has resulted in the Bruins losing their cushion over the playoff bubble. He has been the goaltender of record for all but six of Boston's 40 victories, so there's little doubt the Bruins will live or die with Rask if he's healthy. A lower-body injury kept him out of Saturday's matchup with the Islanders, but he looked just fine in stopping 24 of 25 shots Tuesday. Despite that positive result, Rask's recent play hasn't inspired much confidence in a goalie that has otherwise been a set it and forget it top-10 option for most of this campaign.

Martin Jones, SJ - Prior to Tuesday's 5-4 overtime victory against the Rangers, Jones was winless with 12 goals allowed on 88 shots in three appearances since Mar. 14. Backup Aaron Dell also started three games in that stretch, but was equally unsuccessful in finding the win column for the skidding Sharks. While the monkey is finally off Jones' back, his 4.66 GAA and .843 save percentage in his past three games are still major causes for concern.

Scott Darling, CHI - The Blackhawks hoped giving Darling a start Monday in Tampa Bay would help him bounce back after allowing four goals on 11 shots in a pair of relief appearances, but he continued slumping by surrendering five more on 30 shots in a 5-4 loss. Any case he had for stealing postseason starts from Corey Crawford is rapidly disintegrating, as Darling's season save percentage has slipped from a league-leading .931 to .924 thanks to this subpar stretch.