Western Conference goaltenders

Ranking the playoff goaltenders in the West…

1. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver. Long considered one of the game’s best, Luongo has never gotten to a conference final. He did, however, elevate Team Canada in the Olympics after replacing Martin Brodeur, a key switch that led to their winning the gold medal. In a conference full of young goalies, Luongo is clearly the best heading into the postseason even if he doesn’t have the spring success to prove it (although that says as much about the other goalies as it does about Luongo).

2. Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix. A possible Hart Trophy candidate, Bryzgalov was the key to the unexpected success the Coyotes had this season. He actually has a touch of playoff success on his resume, having split chores with Jean-Sebastian Giguere during Anaheim’s 2006 run to the Western Conference Final. Really interested in seeing how he handles the healthy and again powerful Red Wings in the first round.

3. Antti Niemi, Chicago. The constant for Joel Quenneville throughout his coaching career with the Blues, Avalanche and Blackhawks has been questioning goaltending. Many times before Quenneville has entered the playoffs with forwards and defensemen good enough to get to the Stanley Cup Final yet each of those teams has been undermined with shaky goaltenders. That is the case yet again this season in Chicago. Quenneville benched Cristobal Huet down the stretch and handed the reigns to Antti Niemi, a move that coincided with the Blackhawks finishing the season strong. Despite his strong season, Niemi has no postseason experience which leaves this position a question for the Blackhawks.

4. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles. A major revelation for the Kings in this season of resurgence for the franchise. Quick really stabilized the goaltending position early on and ended up playing a whopping 72 games. Will he wear down after playing so many games? He has never before started a playoff game so there isn’t much to go on when it comes to his postseason pedigree. Like the chemistry he has with his defensemen, notably Rob Scuderi, Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson.

5. Jimmy Howard, Detroit. Possibly the Calder Trophy winner as the rookie really stabilized Detroit’s goaltending situation when Chris Osgood was performing so poorly. He plays behind a strong puck-possession team, which I’m convinced elevates the actual play of a goaltender. I cannot help but wonder if Mike Babcock will go back to Osgood if Howard struggles early. As badly as Osgood has performed this season, he has gotten to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two years, winning once.

6. Pekka Rinne, Nashville. Yet another goalie in the West without postseason experience. The Predators finished strong and Rinne was a big reason why. The Predators have shuffled from Chris Mason to Dan Ellis to Rinne in the post-lockout NHL and Rinne looks like the best one they have had in goal. Not that that really says much.

7. Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose. The only starting goaltender in the West who has ever gotten as far as the conference final but that happened in 2004. The Sharks have been colossal playoff underachiever this entire decade and goaltending has been a major culprit. No one seems convinced that Nabokov can elevate his game when it matters, as shown many times during his NHL career and also during Russia’s 7-3 loss to Canada in the Olympics. Clearly, this is San Jose’s biggest obstacle in their quest toward finally reaching the promised land.

8. Craig Anderson, Colorado. Playing behind a really young team that has some major mental lapses defensively, Anderson had some impressive moments this season. He also played a lot more than he ever has before and the potential to wear down is there. So too is the possibility of being exposed by his defensively irresponsible teammates. He too has never played in the postseason.