The Goalie Report: Risers and Fallers

In this week's column, we'll take a look at goalie performances over the past week. A number of these goalies hold the key to playoff qualification for their respective teams as the regular season is winding down. 

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Darcy Kuemper, Kings (1.30 GAA, .952 SV%)

Kuemper has had a challenging season because of injury concerns. When healthy, however, he's been very impressive, posting a sparkling 2.29 goals against average and .914 save percentage, which are among the best totals for any goalie who's appeared in at least half of his team's games. Last week he was sensational and at the top of his game. The Kings are in a secure playoff position and committed to a strong defensive posture. That bodes well for goalies in their system, but Kuemper has certainly held up his end of the bargain with his steady play.

Linus Ullmark, Senators (2.32 GAA, .924 SV%)

Ullmark repeats as a top performer, piling up three more wins last week to keep the Sens right in the thick of the wild-card race. He is now providing the kind of goaltending that the Sens were hopeful of getting when they signing him to a big contract last summer. Goaltending has been a weakness for this team for a few seasons and even at times this season. The Sens have to hope that he's peaking at the right time. The pressure to perform will only intensify as the stakes rise over the remainder of this season and playoffs. Ullmark has the required pedigree but there are some concerns about his ability to stay healthy.    

Kevin Lankinen, Canucks (2.28 GAA, .908 SV%)

This season has provided Canucks management with a good long look at Lankinen, amid trying circumstances. He's passed with flying colors and was recently rewarded with a 3-year, 13.5M contract extension. He's currently tasked with handling the bulk of the goaltending assignments at a critical time in the season. As they are currently on the cusp of a wild-card spot, there is little doubt that he will continue to shoulder the load as long as that playoff outcome is in doubt. He's proven worthy of that trust as he rose to the challenge, at a time when all would have been lost, with the injury woes that have sidelined Thatcher Demko.      

Connor Hellebuyck, Jets (1.68 GAA, .930 SV%)

Hellebuyck has been a fixture in the top half of this report much of this season, to the point where it's become too repetitive to include him every week.  He's back on the list this week because he's been trying to keep the Jets from sliding into their first slump of the season. They did lose three in a row recently, but he has been central to a rebound that's seen them win three of their last four games. As the Jets currently have an eight-point lead in the Western Conference standings, they will soon have ample room to give Hellebuyck some rest time. As he enjoys having a heavy workload, it'll be interesting to see if he agrees to take that opportunity.  

Karel Vejmelka, UTAH HC (2.87 GAA, .901 SV%)

Vejmelka has had the larger share of the goalie starts in Utah for the past few weeks, but that share will increase going forward because Connor Ingram will be unavailable to the team, as he is newly enrolled in the NHL's Player Assistance Program. Utah is still in the playoff hunt, so this is another circumstance where a team has limited options in trusting one goalie to handle the reins at a time where there is little wiggle room. The good news is that Vejmelka has already shown that he can handle a heavy workload.

Jeremy Swayman, Bruins (1.00 GAA, .962 SV%)

When the Bruins stripped their roster at the trade deadline, the expectation was that they would fall completely out of playoff contention. Instead, they have won a pair of games against top divisional opponents, backed by a pair of outstanding efforts from Swayman. It's been a tough year as he has struggled at times, but these recent efforts have really been a personal highlight, showing that he is very much seeking a key role within the future leadership group of this team. 

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Alexandar Georgiev, Sharks (4.77 GAA, .823 SV%)

It's been a credit to Georgiev that he hasn't landed in the bottom half of this report too often since he was traded the team that resides in last place of the entire league standings. Last week he finally buckled under the workload, with a sub-par performance. Prior to this stumble, he's certainly done enough to entrench himself as the top goalie option here for the foreseeable future. As the Sharks traded away their backups and promoted a replacement  from the minors, it's likely that Georgiev will get most of the remaining starts.   

Cam Talbot, Red Wings (3.58 GAA, .863 SV%)

This has been a season of growth for the Wings and they've navigated the campaign with three goalies on the roster. Talbot has emerged as the busiest of the group, earning five of the last six starts and 37 starts to date. However, he will have to turn things around from last week's low point and hold off a challenge from newly acquired Petr Mrazek. Talbot has reacted well to all prior threats to his role all season. This is a critical time for all hands on deck in the Motor City and he'll be expected to respond again.

Jacob Markstrom, Devils (4.50 GAA, .836 SV%)

Markstrom was signed  last summer to fill a big hole in the Devils depth chart. For much of the season, he's formed a solid partnership with Jake Allen. His season had been interrupted by injury, forcing him to miss about six weeks. He returned to active duty at the beginning of March and has struggled a bit, going 1-3 in his last four starts. The Devils will clearly give him the larger share of games on the remaining schedule in the hope that he'll rediscover his top form in time for the playoffs.