Must Win Goalie?

[Satan81]

Out of today's roster, if you had to pick a goaltender for a MUST win game, who would you pick?

As much as I love Flower, I'm not so sure I trust him under pressure yet.

I think I'd pick Tuukka Rask.

[Wickabee]

Right now I'd be tempted to go with Semyon Varlamov.

[Kessel_fan_87]

Brodeur

[scottkoz20]

dont take a Sabre goalie


*sniff*

[MasonRaymond0320]

Bobrovsky or Crawford probably

[TheIronHorse4]

JS Giguere would be up there for me. Veteran with tons of experience in big games. Practically carried an average Ducks team to the cup in 02-03 (yes forever ago I know) and playing great right now.

As far as someone with more "star power" Jonathan Quick seems like a solid choice even though hasn't started great this year.

[TheBoxBreaker]

Jonathan Quick or Tuukka Rask (most likely the former).

[30ranfordfan]

Really tough one to call these days.

10-15 years ago... there were several "top" guys (Roy, Brodeur, Hasek, Belfour) that you could really put a notch above everyone else (the order you ranked them in, IMO, isn't really important).

If you look at guys that are active & have won a Stanley Cup (and won by playing, not by sitting on the bench) the list is pretty small: Crawford, Quick, Niemi, Fleury, Giguere, Ward, Khabibulin, and Brodeur.

Two of those guys are backups on their best days now (Giggy, Khabibulin) so I couldn't pick them.

Brodeur, sad to say, is no longer reliable (and I believe he's been displaced at the #1 in New Jersey too??)

Ward hasn't done much of anything since winning in 2006. Fleury is very hot and cold - and I wouldn't trust him in a one game "winner take all" situation.

Niemi & Crawford I was never really sold on. Good goalies for sure.... but I'm of the belief that their wins were the result of good teams in front of them, and less to do with anything spectactular they've actually done.


So - if I had to pick one guy from the list of Cup winners..... it would (no question) be Quick. You're talking about a one game winner-take-all though... so I might still be tempted to go Brodeur (if he was really up for it, thought it was the biggest game of his life, and was really "leaving it all out there" I suspect he'd perform just fine).

Luongo would have to be in the conversation, but like Fleury - I don't trust him due to inconsistant play in pressure games (Canada won the Olympic gold in spite of him, not becuase of him). Lundquvist has never really won anything - but there are many days I think he is the best goalie in the league (granted, not many of those days this year). Rask is another fine pick, but that he lacks that big win.... I have trouble picking him too.


As I type & think about it, I really need to lean towards Quick.

[dmaksymyshyn]

Rask and Quick...and it would be tough to pick one of those...I think I would lean on rask. If I get my pick of retired? Hasek.

[RGM81]

Carey Price. All the time, every time.