Goalies quickly finding groove in Playoffs despite long layoff

There hasn't seemed to be much rust when it comes to goaltending in the postseason.

Through games Sunday, NHL goalies had posted a collective .922 save percentage. It's a better number than had been recorded in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during any of the previous five seasons and far ahead of first-month numbers from those seasons.

With more than four months between the season being paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the start of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Aug. 1, there was a belief that goalies might need some time to get into a groove, similar to issues some goalies experience after a traditional offseason, which can last more than four months for teams that don't advance deep into the postseason.

Through the past five seasons, the collective NHL save percentage in October is .909, but it has experienced a decrease each season, from .914 in 2015-16 to .911 (2016-17), to .909 (2017-18), to .908 (2018-19), to .907 in the first month of the 2019-20 season.

The numbers start to climb as goalies get acclimated in November each season. For the past five Novembers, the collective save percentage is .913, but even that number does not approach the .922 during the 2020 postseason.

So why are goalies performing so much better now? Consider that .921 was the best playoff save percentage during the previous five seasons and that was done in 2015. In 2019 it was .916.

If you ask former NHL goalie Martin Biron, he says the real question is why save percentage numbers typically are down in October. And blaming the goalies shouldn't be a default setting.

"We have to blame the players, right?" said Biron, who played 16 seasons before retiring in 2014 and now is a TV analyst on Buffalo Sabres broadcasts. "That's what we do as goalies; we blame the players for whenever there [are] breakdowns and more goals because they make mistakes in front of goalies. I think we should blame the players that don't have the same sense of urgency in October and November that is shown in the game in February and March and April. It's a reflection of what's going on in front of the goalies compared to a typical October or November."

It's all about the defensive intensity displayed in playoff hockey. Good defense, like a good penalty kill, often is about work rate. Even if systems aren't perfectly dialed in and execution isn't always perfect, effort rarely wanes in the playoffs. High stakes lead to fewer mistakes.

"What we're seeing now is much more structured hockey, desperate hockey," Biron said. "[Teams] are blocking shots, they are throwing their bodies in front of shots, they are really protecting the house. And when you start a season in October and November, I'm not saying players don't really care about defensive hockey, but the desperation is not as high.

"Making mistakes early in the season is understood and the coaches may not carve you up after a game if you make mistakes. But later in the season you know you're going to be glued to the bench if you make too many mistakes. That to me is the big difference. I think goalies are always prepared."

Anaheim Ducks goalie Ryan Miller said it could be the shooters who are a little off in their execution after a long break.

"It could be many things factoring in," said Miller, who has played 17 NHL seasons. "Another factor is guys are not shooting the puck or making plays at a mid- or end-of-season form. A lot of skaters probably couldn't shoot as many pucks or get the line-rush reps during the quarantine period. I know for me it is much easier to stop the high-end skill guys when it is [the offseason] and they are missing their targets by 6-12 inches instead of picking the holes."

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark questioned if the current setup might have taken some of the pressure off goalies getting their first taste of the NHL playoffs.

"If you play in front of empty stands, you're a lot looser and not as stressed out as you would probably have been if you had 20,000 fans screaming at you," Ullmark said. "I think it would be a lot easier mentally. I can't say for sure because I'm not there, but there's been some tremendous goaltending, that's for sure."

Ullmark also pointed to the strong defensive play and credited his goalie peers for coming back from the pause prepared to play at a high level.

"That's one thing we do so well during the offseason or during this break," he said. "We keep fine-tuning our game."

The save percentages suggest the goalies have done just that coming into the NHL playoffs, while also benefitting from the increased focus on defense in front of them.

It's a formula that should be kept in mind in the first month of future seasons when the urge strikes to blame the goalie for struggling.