The Great Coyote Goalie Debate: Dubnyk Vs. Smith
Dec 27, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Devan Dubnyk in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 2-1 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Coyotes goalie situation has been a very hot topic among fans this season — should the desert dogs go with $34 million man Mike Smith, or award a higher start percentage to the one-year signee in Devan Dubnyk?
Recently, it would seem that Dubnyk is the answer. The team has rallied behind the backup throughout 2014, with the team finishing the year winning three straight contests with him between the pipes. Dubnyk won his ninth game on Monday, putting him four wins ahead of Smith on seven fewer starts.
The stats all lean towards Dubnyk being the better option this season:
Dubnyk- 2.49 .925 SV% 9-3-2
Smith-3.48 .884 SV% 5-15-2
Dubnyk does indeed have the edge in pretty much every category over Mike Smith — but where do Dubnyk’s numbers rank league wide?
Goalie charts can get messy, so I’ve taken away thirty-six of the qualifying netminders from the chart. This is just Smith, Dubnyk, and the league leaders — and as you can see, Dubnyk actually matches up well with two of the league’s best goalies this season. In both Adjusted SV% and Unadjusted SV%, Dubnyk is closer to Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford than he is to his team’s own starter. I included Pekka Rinne on this chart, because he is probably having the best season of any goalie in the NHL — and since Smith is second to last in qualifying goaltender stats, this gives you an idea of where Dubnyk falls on the chart.
It’s clear that Dubnyk ranks closer to the best netminder than to the worse — he’s second among these players in SV%, and is neck and neck with Quick in AD SV%. The only thing he lacks is ice time -has played in about half the minutes of both Quick and Rinne. Regardless of his actual TOI though Dubnyk still faces more shots per 60 minutes than anyone else on the chart.