Gap between No. 1 goalie and backup isn't what it used to be

PITTSBURGH — The tradition of NHL teams putting their unwavering faith in a single netminder in the playoffs could eventually go the way of helmetless players and maskless goalkeepers.

In the first three rounds, 28 goalies had played for the 16 playoff teams this postseason. Eight goalies had played in the conference finals.

“The way the guys shoot and play the game today, you really need two,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “The position is really demanding now because of the speed, the amount of shots, the up and down.”

The Lightning switched to No. 2 goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy because Ben Bishop was injured early in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and finished one victory short of the Stanley Cup Final.

“The spread between the top goalies and the other guys used to be huge,” said Brian Lawton, a former NHL player, executive and agent. “Now the spread between the good ones and the not-so-good ones isn’t as great as it used to be.”

The Dallas Stars entered the playoffs using a two-goalie rotation, and the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins all made changes that were not related to injuries. The Penguins originally went to rookie Matt Murray because Marc-Andre Fleury was recovering from a concussion, but then chose to go back to Fleury for one game to give the team a spark. They then went back to Murray.

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Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said the difference between goaltenders is less than ever before for a variety of reasons.

“I think it speaks to the depth of goaltending,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “The goalie coaches and goalie development is much better. Finland is developing goalies. The Americans are developing goalies. There are now lots of goalies in the system.”

Lawton said there is so much goaltending talent available now that he wonders whether it will impact the salaries that top goalies can command.

Instead of having a $7 million goalie and a $1.5 million backup, will teams look to have a $5 million goalie and a $3 million goalie? The Stars paid a combined $10.4 million to the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi and won 50 games.

Quality goaltending has always been paramount to team success, but Cooper believes it is even more critical “because the margin of error in the game today is so slim.”

“The goalie doesn’t always have to win you a game,” Cooper said. “It’s great when he does. He just can’t lose games.”

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Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said he believes that the goaltender switching of this year’s playoffs could simply be about circumstances and not the start of a trend.

“In the case of Murray and Vasilevskiy, it’s been phenomenal to play the way they have,” Poile said. “But situations like these in the past have not gone as well for teams.”

Poile said he still believes teams would rather “go the distance” with one goalie.

“The game is so fast now, it is harder for a goalie to play all of the games. We could talk about that,” Poile said. “But usually when you change you are not happy. But if you get down to it, and asked your coach or manager, I think they would rather go with the guy they think is their best guy.”