Goaltending Dominance: Boston Duo Amongst Elite in NHL

Two U’s, Two K’s, Two # 1's

Those snot-nosed, spineless creeps in Canada (sorry to all my ancestors) were basking in their glory when the NHL’s schedules came out in late June. As allies against the Boston Bruins, the New England’s neighbors of the North appreciated the Bruins ranking in the top three in strength of schedule for the upcoming, 2011-2012, NHL Season.

Even though Tim Thomas backboned the B’s to a Stanley Cup run last season, many believed the tank would be near empty, after playing 25 straight games in a span of about two months. You also have to remember, this was a 37-year-old man, coming off hip surgery and a dismal season in 2009-2010.

The greatest quality of Thomas is his mindset of having to justify himself to the entire hockey world. Even with a ring this offseason, Thomas still feels disrespected, thinking many do not include him in the ranks of the NHL’s upper-elite. This type of resiliency is what blue-collared, New-England die hard hockey fans have come to love, also adding to an already packed bandwagon.

Once again proving all his critics wrong, Thomas is enjoying another Vezina-type season. Following a slow start to the year, the Bruins net minder regained his footing, posting a record of 16-5 since the start of November, including 10 straight victories. Much to the dismay of all other NHL organizations, Thomas’ surgically repaired hip is “better than ever” and his battery looks fully charged.

Having played so many games in the playoffs, the B’s knew heading into this season that backup Tuukka Rask would have to be called upon more often than last season. After a break through season in 2009-2010, Rask was average at best in the following season. Demoted to backup net minding duties, Rask never seemed to rebound after blowing a 3-0 playoff series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers the season before.

Going from a breakout goalie to a backup role the next season can stunt a young net minders growth as we have seen with Steve Mason in Columbus and Semyon Varlamov in Colorado. In Rask’s case, gaining the experience from a Stanley Cup playoff run from the bench makes him much different than Mason or Varlamov. The play of Tuukka this season and having the confidence to do so, makes resting Tim Thomas an easy task for Coach Julien.

In December, playing six games and one less than Thomas, NHL teams dreaded seeing the Finnish goalkeeper tend the pipes. Rask was exceptional, posting a record of 5-1, with 2 shutouts, an NHL best Goals Against Average of 0.75, and a Save Percentage of .975%.  Overall, Rask is 11-4-1 with a 1.61 GAA and .946 SV%, also tops in the NHL. I doubt the Bruins will trade Rask this year, like some tend to believe, due to their brutal road schedule.

Overall, this Bruins tandem is not only the best in the NHL this season, but the best pair of goaltenders in the history of the 8-spoked B. Saying that, for those who are objective, compiled below is a list of the top Goaltending duos in the league.