Compering the Tens -- Through 20 Games . . . Part IV, The Goaltenders

Finally, the Goaltenders . . .

Olaf Kolzig:

First ten games: 3-2-2, 3.24, .910
Second ten games: 3-2-1, 2.72, .926

With apologies to Alexander Ovechkin, as goes Kolzig, so go the Caps. He isn’t the minutes eater he was earlier in his career (he’s 19^th in time on ice among goalies this year), but he’s still the clear number one, the rock around which this team functions. With the loud exception of one game against Ottawa, he’s played well – spectacularly in many cases. He’s actually facing more shots-per-60 minutes in the second ten games (36.6) than in his first ten (36.1). He’s playing fewer minutes, perhaps, but he’s spending a lot of that time folding and unfolding into and out of his butterfly. The Peerless does not see this as a sustainable set of events.

Brent Johnson:

First ten games: 0-1-2, 2.53, .926
Second ten games: 2-1-1, 2.86, .918

Johnson has been more than a bargain ($575,000) as the second goaltender. One could argue he’s had only one sub-par performance among his seven appearances this year (at Carolina when he allowed five goals on 39 shots). If anything, he’s been unlucky. A goalie who saves more than 92 percent of the shots he faces should have more than two wins in seven appearances. He plays like a man who is comfortable in his current role, and who enjoys and makes the most of the chances he gets. He’s facing a slightly lower workload than Kolzig (34.2 shots-per-60 minutes in the first ten, 34.8-per-60 minutes in the second ten), but it’s still a heavy workload. He gets about a third of the total minutes, which seems about right for both goalies.

Overall:

You’d be hard pressed to find a goaltender tandem playing better than this pair. It has been the strength of the team in the first quarter of the season. It is their facing a ton of rubber that has their goals-against higher than it should be. The Peerless would argue that had their performances been more pedestrian, the Caps might be in Flyerland in the standings. The overall grade:

A