Ranking The Division: Goaltending Tandems

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The most important position in the NHL is that of the goaltender. They are the last line of defense, and a good one can make your team great. Two good ones can carry a team.

May 17, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators goalie Robin Lehner (40) talks to goalie Craig Anderson (41) during a time-out against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

With the increased emphasis on divisional play this year, we will take a look at all of the tandems in the Senators’ new-look division and rank them 8 through 1. We will look at the talent of the starter, consistency of the backup as well as how confident a team would be if their starter went down and the understudy would be forced into extended action.

8. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Apr 25, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Anders Lindback (39) makes a save during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Lightning haven’t had solid goaltending since the year before Dwayne Roloson got bad. Last season it was Anders Lindback who Steve Yzerman went out and got, but he couldn’t get the job done consistently. Then at the trade deadline they acquired Ben Bishop from Ottawa. Going into the coming season with that tandem, the Lightning will be looking for one of them to catch fire and prove they can be a true #1 for the long haul.

7. FLORIDA PANTHERS

March 7, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) prepares to replace Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom (35) against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Markstrom will finally get the reins of the Panthers, and now must move from highly touted prospect to NHL starter. In parts of 3 seasons, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, and now the pressure will be on him to perform up to a level and grow with the young team in front of him. Scott Clemmensen will shoulder some of the load, but his numbers were atrocious last season and at 35 isn’t going to improve much.

6. BUFFALO SABRES

Jan 31, 2012; Montreal, QC, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goalies Ryan Miller (30) and Jhonas Enroth (1) exit the ice as they won against the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports4

As long as Ryan Miller remains a Sabre, there will be rumors of him going elsewhere. Miller had a terrible season in 2013 and he will need a big-time bounce-back season if Buffalo is to get back into the playoff race. Backup Jhonas Enroth was only marginally better as the Sabres stumbled to a playoff miss.

5. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

May 13, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer (34) reacts to giving up a goal to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (not pictured) in overtime in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

With James Reimer solidifying his hold on the #1 spot, he now has a challenge for that mantle as the Leafs went out and acquired Jonathan Bernier after the season. Neither will be considered upper echelon until they can acheive some modicum of playoff success or a standout regular season. Bernier and Reimer will battle for the starting role, a spot that Bernier has coveted in the NHL ever since he was stuck behind Jonathan Quick in LA. This will be his opportunity to show why he was such a coveted young goalie.

4. DETROIT RED WINGS

Jan 19, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) is replaced by Detroit Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson (50) after giving up 5 goals against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at the Scottrade Center. The Blues defeated the Red Wings 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Howard signed a big-money contract and has backed it up to a certain degree. However, he is lacking a certain consistency, and his backup Jonas Gustavsson leaves a lot to be desired. Petr Mrazek has him looking over his shoulder, and contract status (2-way vs 1-way) might be the only thing keeping Mrazek in the minors this season.

3. MONTREAL CANADIENS

Jan 17, 2013; Montreal, QC, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Peter Budaj (30) and goaltender Carey Price (31) during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Carey Price is coming off an sub-standard year, but was still a major reason for the turnaround in Montreal. He still needs to take a step forward to reach the Vezina Trophy level that many expect of him, but he is still nearing that upper echelon of netminder. Peter Budaj is an adequate backup who can keep his team in most games.

2. BOSTON BRUINS

Jun 24, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period in game six of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Tuukka Rask made the Bruins and their fans forget all about Tim Thomas, leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals. Rask is still a young goalie who has a lot of solid years ahead of him with a perennial contender. Although they lost Anton Khudobin, who has one of the best career save percentages, to free agency, they brought in veteran Chad Johnson as a backup, who will only see spot duty with Rask likely to play 70+ games.

1. OTTAWA SENATORS

Although some might accuse me of homerism, its hard to argue with the stats. Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner were 1-2 in save percentage for any goalie playing more than 4 games in the NHL last season, and both were in the top 20 league-wide among all goalies. Anderson would have been a serious Vezina threat if he hadn’t been injured, and Lehner provides a backup where there is very little drop-off. This could be the best tandem in the league now that Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider have been broken up.

So there you have it, the way I see it in terms of the goaltending situation in the Senators’ division. This could very easily change once the season begins, but this order is how I would put them up against one another.

Feel free to agree or disagree with my opinion in the comment section below!

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