Hockey Hermit

With Jonas Hiller throwing up a brick wall last night against the Edmonton Oilers it got me musing about just how good the so-called backup goalies in the NHL are these days. Hiller was spectacular last night, stopping 51 of 53 shots, and his GAA and save percentage put him right up with the league leaders.

Jonas Hiller is certainly not alone on the list of backup goalies who have been stellar between the pipes this season. Craig Anderson in Florida has been lights out, Pekka Rinne has twice appeared on Hockey Hermit's NHL 3 Stars in the past two weeks, and Jaroslav Halak has been rock solid during a series of ailments to number one Carey Price in Montreal.

Some backups have been so good it could be argued they've already stolen the number one spot. Steve Mason has been spectacular in recent games, and Pascal Leclaire might see himself relegated to the role of backup himself following a season that saw him challenge for the NHL lead in shutouts with 9.

With the performance of backup goalies around the league right now it has me wondering whether we will start to see salaries of starting goalies come down as they lose some of their negotiating leverage. Now, certain top tier goalies like Luongo and Brodeur are always going to earn the big dough, and deservedly so, but second tier keepers like Tomas Vokoun or J. Giguere might find their hands tied a bit at the bargaining table with guys like Anderson and Hiller waiting to step up. With the athletic ability of every up and coming goalie and the incredible coaching these guys have access to there will likely be a shift towards league-wide parity when it comes to the goaltending hierarchy in the NHL.

Such parity also may have coaches playing their backup goalies more, shifting towards more of a two goalie system similar to the way things worked in the 80s. It was a different time back then for sure. In the years following Patrick Roy's incredible Conn Smythe performance that led Montreal to the 1986 Stanley Cup, Canadiens goalie Brian Hayward played only 27 total fewer games than Patrick Roy (139 to 112). That would be unheard of in today's NHL where several number one goalies now surpass the 70+ games played a season mark. It seems ironic considering today's backups are much closer in talent to today's starting goalies than Hayward was to Roy. I think it is only a matter of time until we see a return to the days of yore.

Whatever happens there is no denying that there are a number of exciting young goaltenders who will be stoning shooters for years to come. It is a good thing we have equally dynamic young forwards like Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin and Kane, because these days it takes tremendous talent to beat an NHL-caliber goaltender, and it would be a shame if the league had to resort to gimmicks like making the nets bigger to prevent soccer scores in the NHL.

written by admin \\ tags: Anaheim Ducks, opinion

Well, with the exception of a nasty leg injury to Teemu Selanne last night's NHL action was pretty tame. In fact, there was only one fight in the NHL last night. I guess NHL hockey players, with the exception of Chris Neil and Jay Leach, are in the festive spirit already. Either that or they don't want a black eye for those family Christmas photos. Though the intensity might have been lacking a little the skilled players were still doing their thing. Here are the best performers from last night's games:

3rd Star - Zach Parise - Pierre Maguire may not be right that often, but he was bang on when he chastised NHL general managers for ignoring the potential of this kid when they bypassed him until the 17th pick of the 2003 NHL entry draft. Parise has been steadily improving and enjoyed back to back 30+ goal seasons in only his 2nd and 3rd seasons in the league. This year, however, he has broken out in a big way and quietly has worked his way up the statistical leader board to sit at 4th overall in the NHL scoring race. He had another great night last night, chipping in 4 assists as his New Jersey Devils walked all over the scoring challenged Senators 5-1. Who needs Martin Brodeur when you've got offensive punch like this?

2nd Star - Ryan Miller - This guy doesn't look like he's eaten in a month, but he must have had a good pre-game meal before last night's game because he stopped all 40 shots the Los Angeles Kings threw his way. Miller's performances over the course of his career have resembled the action of a yo-yo. He appears to have the ability to be one of the premiere puck-stoppers in the NHL, but ever since Buffalo's great playoff run in 2006 he can't seem to consistently put together a string of great games. Unfortunately for Los Angeles they hit him on one of his good nights.

1st Star - Jonas Hiller - Well, after a couple of nights when the shooters dominated the goalies got their revenge yesterday. As good as Ryan Miller was against the Kings he couldn't match Jonas Hiller's masterful performance against a desperate Edmonton Oilers team. The Oilers pumped an incredible 53 shots at Anaheim's back-up goalie, but still weren't rewarded for their efforts as Anaheim walked away with a 3-2 victory. Hiller is making a good case for a number one job in Anaheim. He hasn't allowed more than 3 goals in any game this season, and his 2.07 GAA and .936 save percentage are significantly better than Giguere's numbers.

written by admin \\ tags: Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, three-stars