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Columbus Blue Jackets: Comparing Goalie Tandems Around the League – Pacific Division

By William Espy

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 18: Sergei Bobrovsky
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 18: Sergei Bobrovsky /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets will enter the 2017-2018 season with the goaltender tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo. With Bobrovsky as the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and Korpisalo doing well in his small NHL sample size to this point, the Blue Jackets appear to be in great shape.

The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to have one of the best goaltending dynamic duos in the NHL, however they are not alone in this category as some long term NHL threats and some surprising new comers are also looking to take over the top spot. The first division, the Pacific has the newest team in the league and a former Stanley Cup winning team; both with interesting dynamics.

Vegas Golden Knights

As odd as it may seem to have a brand new expansion franchise to have a shot at the top goaltender pair in the league, an argument can definitely be made for Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin Pickard. Fleury lost the starting job in Pittsburgh to Matt Murray and as a result, the three-time Stanley Cup champion has earned an opportunity to start over with the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Bobrovsky vs Fleury

Comparing the starting goaltenders, statistically Sergei Bobrovsky undoubtedly had a better season. Bobrovsky’s save percentage of .931 and goals against average (GAA) of 2.06 blew Fleury’s line of .909/3.02 (Save Percentage/GAA) out of the water. For their careers, it becomes much closer. Bobrovsky’s .920/2.45 is very similar to Fleury’s .912/2.58. Therefore as of now, it appears Bobrovsky is the better goalie; however in terms of their full career it remains very close.

Korpisalo vs Pickard

Calvin Pickard has nearly twice as many NHL games played as Joonas Korpisalo, making it difficult to compare the two since they both have small sample sizes. However in terms of career stats, they are also very similar players. Pickard has played 86 career NHL games, and has posted a stat line of .914/2.77 compared to Korpisalo who .915/2.68 in 45 career games. Pickard’s stats also do not fully represent his ability considering he played for the last place team last season, leaving his potential in Vegas as an unknown.

The Edge

Although both the starting and backup goaltenders are very close statistically, the numbers slightly favor the Columbus Blue Jackets in both cases.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks have one of the most questionable goal-tending pairs coming into the next season, it has the potential to either be great or flop depending on one man. Ryan Miller’s career stats are impressive, and coming off of a decent season with Vancouver as one of the team’s few bright spots, he has a lot to prove for the Ducks.

Miller’s 2016-2017 stat line of of .914/2.80 is almost identical to Joonas Korpisalo’s from last season with the slight advantage in GAA going to Korpisalo. With one of the best defensive corps in the NHL in front of him, Miller can definitely have higher numbers in Anaheim; but at 37 his best years are certainly behind him.

In terms of career stats, it can be argued that John Gibson has been more impressive to this point than Bobrovsky as his .922 save percentage and 2.22 GAA are better than Bobrovsky’s .920/2.45. However those statistics do not factor in the fact that Bobrovsky had a rough time early in his career in Philadelphia and again in the 2015-2016 season. It is reasonable to say that Gibson is going to be more consistent year after year to this point, something that Bobrovsky has been unable to do to this point.

The Edge

If Bobrovsky stays on track to build on his impressive 2016-2017 season, the edge will have to go to Columbus; however if he faces more inconsistencies and Gibson continues along in his development the pendulum could swing to Anaheim’s side.

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