Goalies are under siege as the NHL save percentage dips to its lowest point in three decades
When he was an NHL goaltender, Brian Boucher recalls that he would look up at the shot counter and keep telling himself how many more pucks he would need to stop to make it a good game. “It was a way to kind of validate what you were doing and how you felt about yourself and kind of a barometer that you used to gauge your game," Boucher said. He hopes this generation is not doing that, and with good reason.
This season is making history and not in a good way for goalies. The average save percentage is under . 900 for the first time in three decades, and .
896 is on track to be the lowest since 1994. Shooters from forwards to offensive defensemen are more skilled and selective and hockey has never been faster. The combination of factors is forcing a recalculation of what success looks like at the sport’s most important position .
The average save percentage is under . 900 for the first time in three decades, and . 896 is on track to be the lowest since 1994.
Shooters are more skilled and selective, hockey has never been faster and the combination of factors is forcing a recalculation of what is considered success at the sport's most important position . “The players evolve and they get better,” said Washington's Logan Thompson, whose . 912 save percentage ranks second among goalies with 50 or more starts and fourth overall through games earlier this week.
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