A total of 21 NHL goaltenders played at least a minute of first-round postseason action.

Of the teams still remaining, the Vancouver Canucks led the way with three, while Boston used both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark en route to a seven-game victory over Toronto. Other than that, the goaltending for the teams moving on was quite impressive. Nobody really limped their way to the conference semifinals, showing just how important good goaltending is this time of year.

Here’s a look at how the eight remaining teams stack up in the crease with a chance to make the final four on the line:

CAROLINA HURRICANES vs NEW YORK RANGERS

Carolina Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen
2023-24 regular season: 13-2-0, 1.84 GAA, .932 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career Playoffs: 36-27, 2.42 GAA, .917 SV%, 3 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 4-1, 2.25 GAA, .912 SV%

Pyotr Kochetkov
2023-24 regular season: 23-13-4, 2.33 GAA, .911 SV%, 4 shutouts
Career Playoffs: 1-3, 4.31 GAA, .858 SV%, 0 shutouts

Spencer Martin
2023-24 regular season: 4-1-1, 2.63 GAA, .896 SV%, 0 shutouts (with CAR)
Career Playoffs: N/A

Antti Raanta
2023-24 regular season: 12-7-2, 2.99 GAA, .872 SV%, 1 shutout
Career Playoffs: 9-9, 2.48 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 shutout

New York Rangers

Igor Shesterkin
2023-24 regular season: 36-17-2, 2.58 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 shutouts
Career playoffs: 17-14, 2.36 GAA, .929 SV%, 0 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 4-0, 1.75 GAA, .930 SV%, 0 shutouts

Jonathan Quick
2023-24 regular season: 18-6-2, 2.62 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 49-43, 2.31 GAA, .921 SV%, 10 shutouts

Louis Domingue
2023-24 regular season: 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .962 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-3, 3.45 GAA, .902 SV%, 0 shutouts

A battle of the top two goaltenders in the first round? Sign us up.

Shesterkin finished with a .930 save percentage, on par with his career record. After a season that saw him struggle in the first half and bounce back big after the NHL All-Star Game, Shesterkin allowed two or fewer goals in three of the four games, only facing 30 shots once.

The Rangers played strong, structural defense, and Shesterkin looked as good as ever in one of the best playoff series of his NHL career. In fact, he hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since March 27, and just three times in his last 27 games after the All-Star Weekend.

The fact that Shesterkin wasn’t tested too much—just 25.25 shots per game—could be a concern, depending on how you view it. How warm will he be with a long layoff following a relatively easy first-round matchup? Statistically, Shesterkin was among the best goalies at 5-on-5 in the first round, with a .938 save percentage and 1.69 goals saved above average. That should ease some doubts, at least.

At the other end, Andersen was a bit busier. He had a rough night in Game 2 when he allowed three goals on just 12 shots, but he made over 30 saves on three occasions, including an impressive 33-save effort with a .971 save percentage in Game 1. Andersen has a 17-3-0 combined season record after dealing with blood clots, making him one of the best goaltenders over the past few months.

Andersen was close statistically, too. He had a 1.29 GSAA and a .928 save percentage at 5-on-5, with an excellent .871 high-danger save percentage. The one concern? Andersen split the final few weeks of the regular season with Pyotr Kochetkov. Andersen was the best goalie and deserved the starting gig, but getting consistent starts has been rare for him. Over the past two years, Andersen has played just 64 games between the regular season and playoffs. One might consider that a rested goalie compared to Shesterkin’s 59 starts this year alone; others might worry about not being in the routine as Shesty has been.

Regardless, it’s going to be one heck of a battle. Two Eastern Conference heavyweights with great, rock-solid options in net. This could be where the series is won and lost because the depth on both sides is excellent – one bad goal could be the difference here.

FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. BOSTON BRUINS

Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky
2023-24 regular season: 36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 shutouts
Career playoffs: 33-36, 3.01 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 shutout
2024 playoffs: 4-1, 2.78 GAA, .896 SV%

Anthony Stolarz
2023-24 regular season: 16-7-2, 2.03 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Boston Bruins

Jeremy Swayman
2023-24 regular season: 25-10-8, 2.53 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 6-6, 2.36 GAA, .925 SV%, 0 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 3-2, 1.49 GAA, .950 SV%, 0 shutouts

Linus Ullmark
2023-24 regular season: 22-10-7, 2.58 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-6, 3.49 GAA, .879 SV%, 0 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 0-1, 3.08 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 shutouts

It’s time for a gold old-fashioned rematch. Florida shocked the hockey world by beating the Bruins in the first round last year before going all the way to the Stanley Cup final. This time, though, Florida looks like the deeper team with the better odds of going the distance.

But in the goalie fight? Boston has the advantage right now.

Bobrovsky won the goalie war in the Battle of Florida, but it didn’t come easy. He won in five games, but he allowed six goals in Game 4 and only had a save percentage above .900 in two of the starts. It helped that Florida’s defense did a good job of shutting down Nikita Kucherov and Co.,

But do surface stats tell the whole story? Not exactly. Bobrovsky wasn’t as good as Swayman was, but he had a solid .929 SV% and 1.28 GSAA at 5-on-5. It’s not top of the class by any means, but it’s on par with some of the other top names in the postseason.

For Boston, the biggest question was whether they’d continue employing the switcheroo throughout the playoffs like they had during the regular season. They tried that, but Swayman was the clear No. 1 and deserved the bulk of the starts. Through six games, he had a .937 save percentage and a 2.27 GSAA at 5-on-5, both among the top in the first round. At all strengths, Swayman was at the top in almost everything.

The series was extremely close throughout, and Swayman was, by all accounts, Boston’s MVP. But if he falters, the Bruins still have the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Ullmark ready to go. Ullmark didn’t play badly in Game 2, but once Swayman stole the net for Games 3 and 4, it was clear they weren’t going back to their regular season plan. With the way Swayman’s playing, he’s an early Conn Smythe candidate, so you don’t want to do anything to change that. But if either team has to go to their backup, Boston is in a much better spot.

You’ve got a Vezina finalist in Bobrovsky going up against the top goalie in Round 1 in Swayman. Can you ask for anything more? This should be a masterclass in net, with both teams coming off of relatively tight matchups. Expect better defensive structures and less room for error in Round 2, where one bad goal can throw away the entire series.

COLORADO AVALANCHE vs. DALLAS STARS

Colorado Avalanche

Alexandar Georgiev
2023-24 regular season: 38-18-5, 3.02 GAA, .897 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 7-6, 2.72 GAA, .908 SV%, 0 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 4-1, 3.03 GAA, .900 SV%, 0 shutouts

Justus Annunen
2023-24 regular season: 8-4-1, 2.25 GAA, .928 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Ivan Prosvetov
2023-24 regular season: 4-3-1, 3.16 GAA, .895 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: N/A

Dallas Stars

Jake Oettinger
2023-24 regular season: 35-14-4, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career playoffs: 17-16, 2.65 GAA, .918 SV%, 2 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 3-3, 1.95 GAA, .925 SV%, 0 shutouts

Scott Wedgewood
2023-24 regular season: 16-7-5, 2.85 GAA, .899 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 0-0-0, 2.28 GAA, .862 SV%, 0 shutouts

Matt Murray
2023-24 regular season: 1-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Is this where the Stanley Cup champion comes from? Given how rock solid the Avs looked in the first round, and the now-battled-tested depth of the Stars, it’s going to be intriguing.

Not a single person on the planet could have expected Georgiev, who allowed four or more goals in six of the final eight regular season games, would outduel Vezina Trophy frontrunner Connor Hellebuyck – yet here we are. It started off ugly in Game 1 with seven goals allowed, but then Georgiev kicked into gear and won four straight games, allowing two or fewer goals in his next three starts. He was outstanding in the series-clincher, making 34 saves in his best game of the series. His stats look a bit wonky thanks to his .696 SV% in Game 1, so when you look at the stats, you can’t exactly take his overall .900 at face value.

But let’s take Game 1 out of the equation – just rely on everything else. With a .944 save percentage, 1.44 GSAA and just four goals allowed at 5-on-5, Georgiev was one of the biggest reasons why the series was over and done with in a blink of an eye. Many saw it going Winnipeg’s way because of the goaltending difference, but Georgiev seemingly sucked the energy out of Hellebuyck and channeled it for his own chaotic good. A strong, reliable goaltender was something the Avs lacked most of the season, but now they’re downright terrifying with Georgiev playing the way he is. And he’ll be rested compared to Oettinger, who battled to the bitter end.

But Oettinger was incredible in the first round, akin to his performance against Calgary two years ago. He allowed four goals in the first game and then never more than two in the following six, including just one apiece in the final two games. At 5-on-5, Oettinger’s .943 SV% and 3.70 were among the best of any goaltender, which is incredible given the length of the series. His .821 high-danger save percentage is impressive, too.

That’s in stark contrast to his regular season, where Oettinger was 21st out of 25 goalies with at least 2,000 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey (about 45 games) during the regular season. His .907 SV% and -6.56 GSAA were near the bottom of the league, which was shocking given his status as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. Fortunately, Georgiev was 20th in both categories, so he wasn’t much better.

it was great seeing two teams that dealt with questionable goaltending during the regular season get the performance in net everyone knew was possible. Can both Georgiev and Oettinger stand out again when the pressure ramps up? That’s the multi-million dollar question.

EDMONTON OILERS vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Edmonton Oilers

Stuart Skinner
2023-24 regular season: 36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, .905 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career playoffs: 8-7, 3.35 GAA, .893 SV%, 1 shutout
2024 record: 4-1, 2.59 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 shutout

Calvin Pickard
2023-24 regular season: 12-7-1, 2.45 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: N/A

Jack Campbell
2023-24 regular season: 1-4-0, 4.50 GAA, .873 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 7-8, 2.28 GAA, .920 SV%, 2 shutouts

Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko
2023-24 regular season: 35-14-2, 2.45 GAA, .918 SV%, 5 shutouts
Career playoffs: 3-1, 0.97 GAA, .974 SV%, 1 shutout
2024 playoffs: 1-0, 2.00 GAA, .917 SV%, 0 shutouts

Casey DeSmith
2023-24 regular season: 12-9-6, 2.89 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout
Career playoffs: 1-1, 2.53 GAA, .925 SV%, 0 shutouts
2024 playoffs: 1-1, 2.02 GAA, .911 SV%, 0 shutouts

Artūrs Šilovs
2023-24 regular season: 3-0-1, 2.47 GAA, .881 SV%, 0 shutouts
Career playoffs: 2-1, 1.70 GAA, .938 SV%, 1 shutout
2024 playoffs: 2-1, 1.70 GAA, .938 SV%, 1 shutout

Congrats, Canada. You’re guaranteed a team in the final four.

Skinner struggled in the playoffs last year, going 5-6 with a .839 save percentage. This time around, he was better with a .910, allowing just four goals over the past three games. His 33-save shutout in Game 3 helped put a stranglehold on the series, forcing the Kings to play desperate, must-win hockey on Wednesday – only to fall short. It started off wonky with nine goals in the first two games, leaving some fans concerned. But come Game 3, Skinner was lights out the rest of the way.

His analytics for the entire season were on the league’s lower end. But in the final three games, he posted a 1.23 GAA and a 1.73 GSAA at 5-on-5 with a perfect 1.00 high-danger save percentage. He allowed just three even-strength goals against while also boasting a league-leading 1.75 high-danger GSAA to boot. Skinner proved he could be a playoff starter this year, learning from his early experience and building upon to give the team the goaltending they had sorely been missing all series long. The fact that he stopped 60 of 61 shots during the two games in California helped take the pressure off in such a valuable way, taking away any momentum from the Kings’ heading back to Alberta. The Oilers might even have the edge in net in the second round now.

How many teams can dig deep, use their third goalie, and still come out on top? Welcome to the Arty Party, baby. After Demko went down with an injury, DeSmith got banged up, Šilovs came in and won the next two games, including a shutout in the series-clincher to seal the deal.

It’s hard to get a good read on any of the three because the sample size is so small, but you’d have to think they’ll ride Šilovs for a bit. With the way he played, especially in a rowdy crowd in Nashville, the Latvian keeper ignored the distractions and channeled the energy that made him the top goaltender at the 2023 World Hockey Championship on home ice. He looked fully in control, playing some of the best pro hockey of his career – even if it was just a three-game stretch.

Now, what happens if Demko becomes available? There’s still plenty of mystery surrounding that situation, and he hasn’t played much over the past 2+ months. If the season’s on the line, and Demko is ready to go, by all means, do it. But if Šilovs continues to ride the hot train – and we’ve seen it plenty of times by third-stringers – you got to keep chugging along.

What’s crazy is Vancouver’s three goaltenders are still exceptionally untested in the postseason. They combine for an all-time NHL stat line of 6-3, for a total of nine games between them — with six coming against Nashville. That’s more of a statement than anything, given Skinner has just 17 postseason games, but it’s still fascinating.

When healthy, Demko – a Vezina finalist – was the best of any goalie in this series. Skinner really figured it out in the second half, and now goaltending isn’t an issue in Edmonton anymore. But without Demko, you’re still chasing unknowns with Šilovs, hoping he can continue on against two of the best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. This matchup might not feature the best goaltenders, but it might have the most intriguing matchup of all, and that’s going to the biggest wild card.