Bobrovsky vs. Hill goalie matchup in Stanley Cup Final

Goaltending is an integral part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To better understand the strengths and weaknesses of each goaltender, the past 50 goals allowed for each goaltender in the regular season and every goal in the playoffs were charted, with the help of Apex Video Analysis and Save Review System from Upper Hand Inc., to see what patterns emerge.

Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights took very different paths to the Stanley Cup Final, and their playing styles are almost as distinctive.

Hill, who is on his third team in the past three seasons, is thriving under the direction of Vegas goalie coach Sean Burke and a more conservative positional approach that allows him to beat more east-west plays efficiently and use his big 6-foot-4 frame effectively.

Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goalie, is dialed in playing his familiar, more aggressive positional style that relies on a combination of power, athleticism and technical precision to make up for the extra distance he often has to travel.

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How well each team attacks and defends the relative strengths and weaknesses that come with those different playing styles could play a big role in which team wins this best-of-7 series, and which goalie gets to hoist the Stanley Cup when it is done.

Sergei Bobrovsky

Florida Panthers

The Panthers rode a hot Alex Lyon into the playoffs and through the first three starts before Bobrovsky, who was sidelined by illness late in the season, came off the bench in relief and helped lead them to a first-round upset of the Boston Bruins. His save percentage was below his career averages in the regular season (.901 compared to .915) and through the first round of the playoffs (.891 to .909), but he looked more like his old self against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round and dominated a four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. After surrendering 17 goals in less than five games against Boston, Bobrovsky gave up 16 the next two rounds while posting a .954 save percentage.

Don't read too much into playoff blocker numbers. Boston scored six of 17 goals (35.3 percent) shooting mid-to-high blocker, Toronto appeared to target the blocker side early in the second round, and Carolina scored four of six on that side. But the blocker side hasn't been a statistical weakness in the 430-plus goals tracked on Bobrovsky since this project started in 2017. The way that Bobrovsky shapes and holds his stick to prioritize blocker coverage, and his willingness to drop that stick on purpose at times to make active blocker saves, appear to be a strength and an odd spot to target. Just ask Toronto forward Auston Matthews, who was denied by Bobrovsky's blocker on several good looks in the second round, and Carolina's Sebastian Aho, who learned how quick that blocker is once Bobrovsky sheds his stick like he did in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final to deny a high-quality backdoor scoring chance. Beyond where the shot goes, it is also more likely to go if the shot comes from the glove side of the ice.

Beware of active stick: Bobrovsky has done a great job cutting off lateral passes through or near his crease, including a few off the rush, with an active stick throughout the playoffs, so elevating passing attempts through the blue ice might help get a few more to their intended target. He also does a good job of not overextending himself in the process, so one of the few ways to target that active stick is on plays from below the goal line on the glove side, which forces him to pull that right shoulder around his torso more to get that stick extended, which in theory should make it a longer process to get back to his blocker side. Of course, it was that exact type of play that led to the Aho chance that Bobrovsky still managed to stop.

Across the slot line: Bobrovsky has a powerful cross-ice push, so it's often not enough to create lateral movement on the same side of the ice. Making plays from one side to the other across the slot line, which divides the middle of the ice from the goal line to the top of the face-off circles, that force him into bigger pushes have been key to scoring all season. These types of plays accounted for 48.0 percent of tracked goals in the regular season, well above the 36.4 percent average, and were a factor on a whopping 64.7 percent in five games against Boston, and seven of the 10 goals by Toronto. Just creating lateral chances isn't enough, however. Bobrovsky's ability to get across with good rotation and control means he's rarely limited to just sticking out his pad. He builds vertical coverage with his glove and blocker, making it important to pick corners in situations a lot of goalies are vulnerable to any shot above the pad. Otherwise, apparent tap-ins can become momentum-changing saves, something Carolina can attest to after only scoring two slot line goals.

Stay for rebounds: It's important to stop at the net on those types of plays rather than peeling off into a corner, something the Bruins did to create rebound goals after brilliant saves, and part of a rise in his rebound goals from the regular season (12.0 percent) to the first round (37.5), even though the Maple Leafs (20.0 percent) and Hurricanes (16.6 percent) didn't do it as effectively.

Against the grain: Catching Bobrovsky moving is another key, with the Bruins shooting or pulling the puck opposite the direction he was moving on 29.4 percent of their goals and the Maple Leafs on 30.0 percent, similar to the regular season total (32.0 percent) and well above the historical average tracked at 18.5 percent. It can also be effective on low-high passes that force him off his post, creating exposure on the short side.

Screens: "Get more traffic" is almost a cliché at this time of the season, and while Bobrovsky managed screens well in the first round, they were a statistical weakness in the regular season. Shooters higher up in the offensive zone can wait for him to transition from an elevated stance into that much lower, wider save stance before trying to filter high shots to the net.

Adin Hill

Vegas Golden Knights

Hill played an NHL career-high 27 games for Vegas this season and posted good results, with a 16-7-1 record and .915 save percentage before a lower-body injury March 7 kept him out until early in the playoffs. Hill got back into the net against the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, first for 20 minutes of relief work in Game 2 and then for good when a lower-body injury sidelined Laurent Brossoit in Game 3, and has a .937 save percentage in the playoffs.

Cross-ice, but not in tight: Any play that forces a goalie to move side to side across the middle of the ice increases the chances of scoring, and typically those odds go up even more in tight, but Hill typically is more susceptible on lateral plays higher in the zone. It's likely a function of his relatively conservative positioning, which creates shorter paths and pushes on the east-west passes below the hash marks but leaves him deeper in his crease and more exposed on plays higher in the zone, especially on quick releases and one-timers, which were a factor in 36.0 percent of tracked regular season goals and four of nine against the Oilers. Plays across the slot line were a factor on five of 12 goals against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

Low-high and rebound scrambles: One exception to the low lateral rule is scrambles and rebounds, with the latter a statistical weakness during the regular season and a factor on four of nine goals against Edmonton and six of 12 against Dallas. Forcing Hill to work in and out of his posts on plays from near or below the goal line is a good way to create both, with a tendency to reach rather than shift that can pull him off his goal line and get him stretched out rather than staying over his knees and able to move back and forth on rebounds in front. Rebounds and broken plays were a factor on half the goals Dallas scored.

High glove? While it may represent the biggest number on the regular season goal chart, the combined 11 mid- and high-glove goals are well within the average tracked for this project over the years. Hill uses a traditional "handshake" glove position and can leave his elbow behind his body at times, making high glove a better target than shooting mid to low over the pad.

Against the grain: This may also be a function of slightly deeper positioning, which creates less movement but can leave Hill flat and slightly off angle at times, but shots opposite the direction of a play or pass were a factor on 30.0 percent of the goals in the regular season and two of nine against the Oilers (22.2 percent), both above the tracked average of 18.5 percent.

Deflections: Tips were a factor on five of 12 goals against Dallas, and while playing further back in his crease gives Hill a split second longer to react to open shots, the reality is most deflections are too close to react, and his positioning makes it tougher to get close to the tip point.