Latest news with #goaltending
National Post
27-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Despite Charge's loss, Gwyneth Philips named PWHL playoff MVP
Article content While the Ottawa Charge failed to drag the Minnesota Frost back to TD Place for a winner-take-all Game 5, the team is not coming home empty-handed. Article content Article content After a virtuoso performance that kept her team alive much longer than it had any right to, rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips was awarded the Ilana Kloss award as the PWHL's playoff MVP. Playing in all eight of Ottawa's playoff games, Philips posted a league-best 1.23 goals-against average and .952 save percentage. She made 257 saves, and never lost a game in regulation. Article content 'I thought it was a great choice,' Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney said. 'She definitely gave her team the best chance to win.' Article content It was a performance reminiscent of the show that the Boston Fleet's Aerin Frankel put on in last year's playoffs, where she turned in a 1.45 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in eight games, also losing to Minnesota in the finals. Philips was Frankel's understudy for several seasons at Northeastern University during their college careers. Article content This was the crowning moment for Philips' season after a meteoric rise since taking over for starter Emerance Maschmeyer, who suffered a long-term injury on March 11. Philips has played every game since, helping the Charge make the playoffs and even being nominated for the PWHL's goaltender of the year award, despite playing just 15 of Ottawa's 30 regular-season games. Article content 'She came into a tough spot when their No. 1 went down,' Minnesota coach Ken Klee said. 'We even thought, 'Okay, they might be in trouble, this is a girl who's never really played a regular amount of games in our league.' All of a sudden, she got pressed into action, and she was phenomenal.' Article content Article content In the NHL, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP has been awarded to a player from the losing team just six times. In the PWHL's second season, Philips gave the selection committee no other choice. Article content Philips' shining moment in Game 4 was an incredible left-pad stop on Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield with five minutes left to keep the score knotted. Article content Moments like that became commonplace in the final, where Philips was often the only force keeping the dam from bursting. She gave up just seven goals on 135 shots against the Frost, who led the PWHL in regular-season scoring and scored a whopping 18 goals in four games against the Toronto Sceptres in their semifinal series. Article content 'She was unreal,' Klee said. 'I thought three out of the four games, if she doesn't play the way she played, I don't think we go to overtime in any of them, to be honest with you.' Article content The respect for Philips transcended the Ottawa fanbase. The rookie netminder received a standing ovation from the crowd at Xcel Energy Center as she accepted the award, and started chanting her name as she and her teammates vacated the ice. Article content 'It's an honour, and I think it's a tribute to this league, and how everyone can respect each other,' a tearful Philips said post-game. Article content 'The individual award is superseded by the team loss,' she continued. 'My accomplishments are attributed to the players in front of me. Maybe tomorrow it'll be nicer, but I really wanted that win.'
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Brantford Bulldogs name new director of goaltending, has ties to Kitchener Rangers
The Brantford Bulldogs team bus is seen parked outside the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in this file photo taken on September 1, 2024. (Shelby Knox/CTV News) The Brantford Bulldogs have announced Franky Palazzese, a former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) player, as the club's new director of goaltending. Bulldogs General Manager Spencer Hyman made the announcement on Monday. 'I am excited to work with current elite goaltenders Ryerson Leenders and David Egorov, and to build a great future stable of strong goaltending for years to come,' Palazzese said in a media release. 'I look forward to helping contribute to the goal of bringing an OHL Championship to Brantford.' Prior to his new role, Palazzese was the goaltending coach for Sarnia Sting for six years and a coach with the University of Toronto's Varsity Blues (Ontario University Athletics). Palazzese was also a former hockey player. From 2009 to 2014, he played with the Kingston Frontenacs, the Sudbury Wolves and the Kitchener Rangers. He played a total of 193 OHL games during his time. He also had stints with the American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League. The OHL's regular season begins in September.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens Farm Team Drops Game Four After Jacob Fowler Falters
Pascal Vincent had made it clear before the start of the third round that he fully intended to alternate his goaltenders, and while Cayden Primeau had a great game on Wednesday night for the Laval Rocket, it was Jacob Fowler who led them onto the ice on Friday night. The move is understandable from a developmental standpoint. After all, Fowler is the Montreal Canadiens' goaltender for the future, but it can be tricky to mix development and results. We got a prime example on Friday night. Could The Canadiens Poach A Maple Leaf In Free Agency?Canadiens: The Wedding Season Is Upon UsFormer Canadiens Win Gagarin Cup With Primeau riding the pine, Fowler gave up four goals on 14 shots before he was pulled from the game, but Vincent stood by his decision to give him the nod: You can't develop solely when it suits you. We have to see our young players. It's in games like these that we need to see them. Fowler joined us to play hockey. I am comfortable with the decision. [To play Fowler on Friday night] - Those four goals might not have been a death blow for the Rocket if Devon Levi had played like he had since the start of the third round, but unfortunately for Fowler and co., it was the real Levi who turned up between the pipes of the Rochester Americans last night. He saved 22 of the 23 shots he received, with Laval's sole tally coming off a rebound that Joshua Roy only had to tap in. The Amerks don't owe the win to Levi, though. Josh Dunne had the game of his life, scoring four points in the 5-1 victory. The 26-year-old centerman was undrafted and started his pro career with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. He mainly played for the Cleveland Monsters for four seasons before joining the Buffalo Sabres' farm team last offseason. His two goals and two assists on the night give him seven points in as many games since the playoffs started. Meanwhile, Fowler wasn't the only one to have a tough night. Logan Mailloux, who has been very good since the start of the playoffs, was in the box for two of the Americans' goals, a costly lack of discipline, and he committed a turnover that led to another goal. Like it or not, Mailloux is still young, and off nights are just part of the development process, growing pains as they call them. With the series now tied at two games apiece, the fifth and final game will take place at Place Bell on Sunday afternoon. The 4:30 PM tilt will be a winner-takes-all battle that promises to be entertaining. Primeau will be back in the net in accordance with the alternating system, and it will be his chance to show that he can be clutch when it matters. Photo credit: Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Goalie Tracking: Here's why these 2 netminders are surging in the NHL playoffs
In the NHL playoffs, margins are thin. That's even more true for goaltending, as millimeters and milliseconds are the difference between saves and goals – and as a result, wins and loses. When the margins are that slim, details are paramount. In a postseason in which offenses have clearly had the upper hand and the league average save percentage was only .898 entering Sunday, only the goalies with the best details in their game have succeeded. Advertisement Even the best in the world, playing for the highest stakes, owe much of their success to their commitment to certain basic fundamentals that are engrained early on in a goalie's career. Maintaining those strong core principals in their stance and playing habits becomes more difficult – but more rewarding – when the play around them gets faster and more intense. Welcome back to Goalie Tracking, where we examine the details of goaltending and attempt to explain why goalies do what they do. We try to highlight exactly what different goalies are doing to separate themselves. In this special playoff edition, we're going to look at one goalie from each conference who has done just that. In Carolina, Frederik Andersen leads all major goaltending statistics in the playoffs. His .937 save percentage and 14.96 goals saved above expected are in a different stratosphere from his competition. In Dallas, Jake Oettinger has backstopped the Stars to the Western Conference final for a third consecutive season. Let's begin with Andersen, who has allowed no more than one goal in six of his nine starts in these playoffs, and has given up three goals only once. Part of that is playing for the Hurricanes, who dominate possession and shot volume more than any team in the NHL, but if you dig into Andersen's individual metrics, it's clear he's been special as well. Of all the stats he leads in, the most impressive is his .923 save percentage on high-danger shots. The league average on those shots (within 29 feet of the net in the slot) is only .810, and the second-highest save percentage by a goalie who played in the second round was Washington's Logan Thompson at only .857. The gap between Andersen and the rest is massive. What has been the key to Andersen's dominance on these difficult shots? What stands out more than anything is his patience on his edges. He waits shooters out, never guessing or making the first move. Instead, he stays on his feet until the last possible moment, which gives him mobility as he reacts to the shot. This chance by Washington's Matt Roy in the first period of Game 1 is a good example. Most goalies would've butterflied the moment Roy caught the puck, but Andersen held his edges until after Roy released the backhand shot. Once a goalie drops into butterfly, his lateral mobility is compromised, so holding one's feet as long as possible is always an advantage. The challenge is, the closer the puck gets to the net, the harder it becomes to resist dropping early to protect against five-hole shots. This save Andersen made on Washington's Tom Wilson in Game 2 was technical perfection. I'd say put the replay of this save in the Louvre, but would settle for showing it on repeat to every aspiring young goalie. Carolina lost Wilson all alone in front of the net, but Andersen was on top of this play the entire way. He stepped out to challenge the shot, staying perfectly square to the puck because he led with his head and stick blade. Andersen's stick discipline is one of the biggest keys to his ability to hold his edges longer than most. It may sound simple, but keeping your stick on the ice and leading every movement with it can save a goalie so many five-hole goals against, and Andersen is a master of it. Advertisement Many goalies would've butterfly slid in this situation and opened themselves up to a deke back against the grain. Wilson quickly realized Andersen was still on his skates and tried to shoot five-hole, but was denied by the stick paddle. Even if Wilson had shot lower, Andersen had it covered with great stick placement. Here's another example of Andersen's stick discipline saving him on a high-danger shot from right in front of the net. This one was against New Jersey Devils winger Nathan Bastian in the first round. Andersen follows the puck with his stick blade so efficiently, sometimes it looks like it's being pulled by a magnetic force. It's impressive to watch, and it's one of his best weapons on these shots from in tight. He has stopped an incredible 48 of the 52 shots from in close in these playoffs. Over the last four years (since the NHL started its puck-tracking metrics), only one goalie has posted a save percentage above .900 on high-danger shots, and Anderson is well clear of that. Just for fun, here he is robbing Wilson with his stick positioning yet again – this time on a breakaway in the opening minutes of Andersen's Game 3 shutout. Meanwhile, in the West, Oettinger has been a cool customer. On the ice, he's as calm of a goalie as you'll find. His exceptional play-reading ability keeps him ahead of the play, allowing him to maximize his size and make saves look easy. Composure is in his nature. Off the ice, Oettinger is so easygoing that, speaking to him after a game, you almost can't even tell he just finished playing. He's as calm after a thrilling overtime battle in the playoffs as he is following a casual practice skate in the middle of the season. That demeanor is one of the reasons he's had so much NHL success – with 149 regular-season wins and 31 more in the playoffs – at only 26 years old. Advertisement He's been stellar in these playoffs, trailing only Andersen in save percentage (.919) and GSAx (10.39), and he's done it with a much heavier workload. Oettinger has made nearly 100 more saves than the next-busiest goalie in these playoffs, and he's faced two of the top offenses from the regular season in Colorado and Winnipeg. When the puck is in his zone, Oettinger is constantly building a mental image of where every attacking player is on the ice in order to help predict where shots will come from. In this clip, you can see him going through that process with several shoulder checks while the puck is in the corner. Oettinger is so efficient with his movements. He doesn't waste any time, taking every moment the puck isn't in a threatening position to scan the ice. On this particular play, early in Game 4, he scans and identifies Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi skating into the right circle. These looks are about collecting vital information to help him react as quickly as possible when the pass eventually happens. He knows Vilardi is right-handed, which gives him a much more dangerous shooting angle in this situation. He also knows Vilardi is coming at him with a head of steam, so exploding off his post and getting depth quickly is vital. Oettinger gets to his spot quickly and confidently because he was thinking ahead of the play. If Vilardi had been a left-handed shooter, Oettinger would've needed to get to a very different spot at the top of his crease to remain square (shown by the blue line on the graphic below). The only way to be perfect on these low-to-high plays is to stay ahead of the play with smart reads. Watch Oettinger's head whenever the puck goes below the goal line. He uses every opportunity to learn more about what's happening in front of the net. Another fundamental that Oettinger does exceptionally well is taking smart routes around his crease. When an east-west pass is made across the zone, he prioritizes getting on angle first, then tries to gain as much depth as he needs, as opposed to immediately jumping out for depth and then chasing the angle. It's a small detail, but can make a big difference on lateral plays. Advertisement Oettinger is also great at getting his feet set before a shot comes. On plays with a long, lateral pass leading up to a dangerous shot, goalies can sometimes get caught drifting toward the shooter when they release the puck. It's usually because the goalie is trying to get as much depth as possible, but it's often better to sacrifice an inch or two of depth in order to set your feet. The difference in difficulty of tracking a puck when your feet are set compared to when they aren't is night and day. Oettinger does a great job of it on this shot by Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey in Game 3. Oettinger sees the pass into the slot and knows a shot will be coming fast, but look at how controlled his push out to the top of his crease is. He isn't sliding out with reckless abandon, trying to get as close to the puck as possible. He pushes out, and collects his feet squarely underneath him to prepare for the shot, and makes a confident blocker save. Here's another play in which Oettinger shows the poise to set his feet before the shot, and an understanding of the situation – and how to use it to his advantage. Winnipeg winger Nino Niederreiter is charging toward the net on a partial breakaway in the final seconds of the second period in Game 5, and Oettinger makes what looks like a routine save because of his hockey IQ. Oettinger realizes Niederreiter has Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen draped all over his back, which means two key things for the goalie: 1. Heiskanen's back pressure from Niederreiter's right means deking won't be an option on this play. Neiderreiter will have to shoot the puck. For Oettinger, this means he can take a ton of depth (his heels get well outside of the blue paint) and stand his ground. On a true breakaway, the goalie has to back into his net with the flow of the play to avoid getting deked around, but in this scenario, he doesn't have to worry about that so he can set his feet. 2. Heiskanen's desperation stick check can also result in an unpredictable shot. If his stick blade deflects either the puck or Neiderreiter's stick as he's releasing, Oettinger won't be able to read the release, meaning he's going to have to make this save with positioning and structure. Advertisement Understanding all of this, Oettinger gets into perfect position and calmly drops into a tight butterfly, with his stick sealing the five-hole and his hips and shoulders remaining high to cover as much net as possible. It was a big save and it didn't look difficult at all. That's what Oettinger does, and it's a big reason he didn't lose a single game in the second-round series against Winnipeg when his team scored at least one goal. In a postseason with the lowest save percentage we've seen in years, Oettinger and Andersen are showing the power of fundamentals. (Photo of Frederik Andersen: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
National Post
13-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Joseph Woll's confidence crucial for Maple Leafs heading into pivotal Game 5
Article content Joseph Woll felt like he was part of a goaltending clinic on Tuesday. Article content Article content The group work before the Maple Leafs practised at the Ford Performance Centre brought a smile to Woll's face because it included Anthony Stolarz. Article content 'It's a good little morale boost,' Woll said. 'It's great. Looks like he felt great out there. You want to see your full team healthy.' Article content Stolarz, who has been idle since he was hurt in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, isn't ready to return to game action yet. Coach Craig Berube doesn't have a date in mind for Stolarz's first game back, but is encouraged by the veteran's progression this week. Article content 'He's on the ice a little bit, so he's doing much better,' Berube said. Article content Article content The Leafs have not been specific about the nature of Stolarz's injury, though there is suspicion it's a concussion. Stolarz was knocked in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett in the series opener last week after taking a Sam Reinhart shot off the mask earlier in the game. Article content Stolarz, who was on the ice with Woll, Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby, took shots from goalie coach Curtis Sanford and was getting some side-to-side movement in his crease. Stolarz's participation lasted approximately 30 minutes before he departed prior to the start of main practice. Article content Article content Anthony Stolarz back on the ice First time we've seen him since Game 1 @TSN_Sports — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) May 13, 2025 Article content 'Over the course of the course of the season, I've been able to lean on him and learn,' Woll said in reference to Stolarz's influence. 'It's important to balance yourself out. He has been helpful in that way.' Article content Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed practice because he was sick, Berube said, yet there was no indication that the defenceman would not play in Game 5 on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena. Article content With the best-of-seven second-round series tied 2-2 — and with Leafs Nation holding its collective breath following two straight Toronto losses — Woll has little choice but to at least replicate his performance in Game 4, when he made 35 saves and received no goal support from his teammates in a 2-0 loss. Article content If Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky continues to crank up his overall performance, Article content Woll is going to have to equal it. On paper, Woll versus Bobrovsky is a mismatch. Including 11 playoff games, Woll has played in 89 games in the National Hockey League. Bobrovsky has played in 754 regular-season games and 103 in the playoffs. Article content Woll has confidence in himself and he's sticking to the season-long script. Article content Article content 'Throughout the season, it's trying to take each game one at a time and then treat each game the same,' Woll said. 'And I think that's where consistency comes from. Confidence is in doing the same things over and over. As a team, I think we have that confidence and consistency. Article content Article content 'Nerves are part of it. That's part of doing anything worth doing, is a little bit of fear. That's healthy and that's good, but same time, we're ready to go.' Article content One result of winning the Atlantic Division for the Leafs is having the opportunity to regain control of the series on home ice in Game 5. Yes, the Leafs would have home ice again if the series requires a Game 7, but no one in the dressing room is peering beyond Wednesday. Article content 'Playing in front of our crowd is amazing,' Woll said. 'The two games that I played at home in this series were awesome. We have special fans, and to be able to play in front of them and have them cheer us on … I'm excited to play for them tomorrow.' Article content Woll deserves credit for his ability to enter this series on a moment's notice and improve each night out. When Stolarz left midway through the second period of Game 1 on May 5, it didn't matter that Woll had not played since the regular-season finale on April 17.
