Ranking the Hottest Goaltenders in the NHL (2024)

Even though scoring in the NHL started with a bang this season, there are plenty of goaltenders boasting impressive save percentages and goals-against averages through the first month of the season.

Many of them are the usual suspects. You will, of course, find a healthy Carey Price on this ranking of the hottest goaltenders in league so far in 2016-17. But there are a couple of surprises along the way as well.

Wins factor into the ranking along with the statistics already mentioned. There is also special attention paid to the more recent performances, with goaltenders trending upward in their play getting the nod over others who may have more victories or slightly higher overall numbers.

Read on to see whether your team's top 'tender made the list, and feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Mike Condon, Ottawa Senators: He's had just two starts for the Ottawa Senators after coming over in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins to help an uncertain situation in the Sens net at the start of October, but Mike Condon has been stellar in winning both. He needs to play a lot more to move up this list, but a 27-save shutout in his first game made a great impression, and he followed up with 31 stops in a 2-1 win on Wednesday. He has a .985 save percentage and 0.41 GAA.

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings:Although he lost the Detroit Red Wings starting job to Petr Mrazek last year, Jimmy Howard has been fighting to steal it back this season. He is leading the NHL with a 1.26 goals-against average and .958 save percentage. He has a 3-2-0 record but has allowed only three goals against in his two losses.

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals: The defending Vezina Trophy winner has rebounded from a rocky start with wins in four of his last five games. He's brought his record up to 6-3-1 and his save percentage up to .920. He also has a goals-against average of 2.19.

Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche: A loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night spoiled hisperfect 3-0-0 start, but Pickard has been the better netminder in Denver, with Semyon Varlamov struggling. Subtracting Arizona'sfour-goal outing on Tuesday, the Avs backup started the year with a 1.50 GAA and .946 save percentage.

By the numbers: Edmonton Oilers backstop Cam Talbot took an 8-3-1 record with two shutouts into Tuesday's game against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. His .925 save percentage was top 10 in the NHL among goalies who have started at least four games, and his 2.36 goals-against average was respectable considering the state of the Oilers defense. After a 4-3 loss to the Pens, the numbers dipped to .921 and 2.49, respectively.

Analysis: That loss to the champs aside, in his second year with the Oilers,Talbot is proving the team was right to believe he could be a starter in the league after posting some solid numbers as a backup behind Henrik Lundqvist with the New York Rangers. He's been one of the more consistent netminders so far this term, allowing four or more goals against in just four of his 13 games.

Prediction: He hasn't had a large sample size, but it'sgrowing, and Talbot's numbers have been good over his career. That has translated nicely as a starter, and the more he plays, the more confident he will become as a difference-maker in the Oilers crease. He gives his offensively gifted teammates the ability to take some chances and will help them make the playoffs after a 10-season drought.

By the numbers: Peter Budaj is 7-3-0 with two shutouts and a 1.86 goals-against average. He is also carrying the best save percentage of his career so far, with a .919. His win total is second-most in the NHL.

Analysis: Yes, it is 2016, and yes, it's thatPeter Budaj. He has been a savior of sorts for the Los Angeles Kings, with starting goalie Jonathan Quick out for an extended period of time with a groin injury. Budaj won his first four starts and has bounced back from a three-game losing skid with another three-game winningstreak—including back-to-back shutouts. The 34-year-old started the season in the AHL.

Prediction:Given the Kings' defensive system, Budaj should be able to maintain a low GAA. And as long as he keeps his save percentage up around .920, he should be able to keep the Kings in the Western Conference playoff race until Quick is healthy.

By the numbers:The Minnesota Wild's Devan Dubnyk has a mediocre 5-3-1 record but stellar personal numbers, with a 1.46 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. He's also got three shutouts.

Analysis: The wins haven't come in the past couple of starts for the Wild, but that's not because of Dubnyk's efforts. He had a .969 save percentage and allowed just one goal against in a 1-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and had a .917 save percentage with two goals against in a 2-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Dubnyk's impressive streak of three consecutive shutouts to end October was reminiscent of the way he started his stint with the Wild in 2015.

Prediction:The Wild have the lowest team GAA in the NHL (2.00) thanks to Dubnyk's performance. As long as the 30-year-old is healthy, he gives the Wild a fighting chance of making the playoffs again.

By the numbers: Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask has lost just once this season, posting a 7-1-0 record with a pair of shutouts. His .941 save percentage ranks fifth among goalies who have started at least four games, and his 1.74 goals-against average is the fourth-best total.

Analysis: Rask has returned to elite status this season after a bit of a rocky year in 2015-16, when he finished with numbers well below his career averages (.915 save percentage and 2.56 GAA). The team would be lost without him.When Rask went down with an undisclosed injury, the Bruins were abysmal. They are 0-4 with their starter on the shelf, with backups Anton Khudobin, Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre all owners of GAAs over 4.00 and sub-.860save percentages.

Prediction: Rask won his first three games upon his return from lower-body soreness and bounced back from his first loss of the season—an ugly five-goal performance—with his second shutout of the campaign. There's no reason to doubt Rask can keep this up given his past performances. Last year was an anomaly, and Rask's goaltending is the team's best chance to make a return to the postseason.

By the numbers: Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is 6-3-1 with a .946 save percentage and 1.81 goals-against average, including a league-leading three shutouts.

Analysis: Bobrovsky has allowed more than two goals against in just two games this season and has two shutouts in his past four outings, allowing a total of four goals against over his last four contests and winning every one of them. He has been the most consistent member of the Blue Jackets this season and has helped the team accumulate one of the best goal differentials in the league.

Prediction: He will probably not be able to sustain the gaudy numbers he's put up so far, as is the case with many of the members of this list, but Bobrovsky has previously won theVezina Trophy and has looked to be back on track for a big season since the World Cup of Hockey. His play could propel the Jackets back into the playoff picture.

By the numbers: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray has started his season with a 3-0-0 record, a .957 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average. Those are second only to the Detroit Red Wings' Jimmy Howard among goalies who have started at least three times so far this year.

Analysis: Murray hasn't disappointed upon his return to the crease after an injury suffered in the World Cup of Hockey kept him out of the first month of the NHL season. Among the early highlights was a 32-save shutout in the Stanley Cup Final rematch against the San Jose Sharks.The 22-year-old Cup champion is a top talent who is this seasongoing to get his chance to prove his incredible playoff performance was not a fluke.

Prediction:It's going to be difficult for fellow Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury to get regular starts thanks to Murray's amazing talent. He could become one of the youngest goalies to win the Vezina Trophy.

By the numbers:With a six-game winning streak, Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is near the top of this list, bumping his record up to 7-3-1 after being victorious in only one of his first four starts. He has a .939 save percentage that ranks sixth among those who have started four or more games and the seventh-best goals-against average, at 1.91.

Analysis: Crawford is on fire, with two shutouts in his last five outings and a total of four goals against in that span. He has long been an underrated netminder,but the Blackhawks would not be a perennial Stanley Cup contender without his stability in the crease—especially given the massive change the roster undergoes annually in the salary-cap era.

Prediction:Crawford's hot recent play has balanced his numbers after a rocky start, and they have him on pace for the best season of his career. The 31-year-old is as importantto the Hawks' success asPatrick Kane, JonathanToewsand Duncan Keith,and he could find himself a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time this year.

By the numbers:Carey Price went into Tuesday night's action with a perfect record. He won his first seven starts of the season, posting one shutout, a 1.58 goals-against average and .952 save percentage. He allowed just two goals in his eighth victory, a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, with his save percentage jumping to .953 and GAA mildly moving to 1.63.

Analysis:After an injury limited Price to just a dozen games last year, derailing the Montreal Canadiens' season, the 29-year-old has looked every bit the Vezina and Hart Trophy candidate so far in 2016-17. His presence has helped the Habs to an NHL-best record—which may seem a little familiar. His save percentage is second among goalies who have started four games, and his GAA is third.

Prediction: People may worry about Price's health, and for good reason after last year's collapse. But he started at least 59 games in all four seasons prior to last term. He will be the favorite for the Vezina Trophy and a potential Hart candidate again this time around, potentially helping the more offensively potent Habs to an Atlantic Division title and deep playoff run.

Stats via NHL.com unless otherwise noted.