Arizona Coyotes: Ranking Pacific Division Goaltenders

The Arizona Coyotes Will Continue To Play Against Tough Goaltender Competition In The Pacific Division.

The Arizona Coyotes had a hard time scoring last season and it will not get any easier this October. The Coyotes play in a division that features some solid talent in between the pipes. The Pacific division consists of the Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks.

Arizona Coyotes:

Starting Goaltender: Mike Smith

Backup Goaltender: Anders Lindback

Jan 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) gets the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks defeat Arizona Coyotes 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

We begin our analysis with the hometown heroes. The Arizona Coyotes struggled last year in net. Mike Smith did not start out the season as he hoped, and Devan Dubnyk quickly became the star. Midway through the season, Dubnyk departed for the Minnesota Wild, which left a spot open at goaltender. Louis Domingue filled that role for the time being until the Arizona Coyotes could add a veteran player to the mix. This offseason, the Coyotes signed Anders Lindback to the role of backup to give Domingue more time in the AHL to develop.

Mike Smith looks to be the starter on opening night this year. While his 14-42-5 record was tough to watch last season, he is looking to improve. Anders Lindback will be able to provide quality relief whenever Smith needs to rest in between starts this year.

Career Record Against Pacific: Smith (56-45-15) Lindback (2-5-1)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Smith (2.70) Lindback (2.85)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Smith (.912) Lindback (.918)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 5th

Anaheim Ducks:

Starting Goaltender: Frederik Andersen

Backup Goaltender: John Gibson/Anton Khudobin

November 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen (31) defends the goal against the Arizona Coyotes during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Anaheim Ducks had a good presence in net, as Frederik Andersen simply knew how to win games. Whether it was their high flying offense, or stone-cold defense, the Ducks managed to come out on top. Andersen finished last year with a 35-12-5 record, that was coupled with a 2.38 GAA and a .914 SV%.

John Gibson and Anton Khudobin will split time as backup. The Anaheim Ducks sent over James Wisniewski to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Khudobin, so he may be the front-runner for that #2 spot.

Career Record Against Pacific: Andersen (21-6-5) Gibson (6-1-0) Khudobin (21-15-5)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Andersen (2.02) Gibson (2.29) Khudobin (2.27)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Andersen (.926) Gibson (.914) Khudobin (.924)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 3rd

Calgary Flames:

Starting Goaltender: Jonas Hiller

Backup Goaltender: Karri Ramo

Apr 25, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goalie Jonas Hiller (1) warms up against the Vancouver Canucks in game six of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo had been a productive “starter-backup” duo this past season. Each net-minder played a role in Calgary’s playoff berth this year, and they show no signs of slowing down. Both of these goaltenders seem to shine against the Coyotes. Hiller is an impressive 22-6-3 against the Arizona Coyotes in his career with a 2.47 goals against average, and .919 save percentage. Ramo is undefeated against the ‘Yotes with four wins.

Career Record Against Pacific: Hiller (58-39-11) Ramo (17-11-3)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Hiller (2.44) Ramo (2.43)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Hiller (.921) Ramo (.925)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 2nd

Edmonton Oilers:

Starting Goaltender: Ben Scrivens

Backup Goaltender: Cam Talbot/Anders Nilsson

Apr 4, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens (30) follows the play against the Calgary Flames at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers need all the help they can get in net. Ben Scrivens has not played well enough to impress anyone in recent years, and his status as starter may be in jeopardy. Edmonton won the Cam Talbot sweepstakes, and managed to get him for a handful of draft picks. It would not be surprising at all if he gets the start on opening night.

Talbot has been impressive with New York last season. He finished with a record of 21-9-4 which included a .926 save percentage, and a 2.21 goals against average. Scrivens, on the other hand, finished 2014 with a .890 save percentage and a 3.16 goals against average for a 15-26-11 record with Edmonton. Anders Nilsson is currently on the Edmonton roster, but he will more than likely play in the AHL this season. Nilsson’s .936 save percentage and 1.71 goals against in the KHL last year should not be ignored.

Career Record Against Pacific: Scrivens (11-28-5) Talbot (11-6-0) Nilsson (5-3-2)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Scrivens (3.23) Talbot (2.15) Nilsson (2.58)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Scrivens (.896) Talbot (.926) Nilsson (.912)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 6th

Los Angeles Kings:

Starting Goaltender: Jonathan Quick

Backup Goaltender: Jhonas Enroth

Apr 9, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) guards his net against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Kings are set in the goaltending department this season. Jonathan Quick will continue his impressive performance, and Jhonas Enroth will be able to step in to give him some rest. Quick is ranked as the number one Pacific Division goaltender going in to this season, and a top five goaltender league-wide. Quick still has the factor of making acrobatic stops that cannot be measured on the stat-sheet.

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Quick finished last season with a .918 save percentage, and 2.24 goals against average in the NHL. Those numbers should remain consistent throughout the 2015-2016 season, as well. Jhonas Enroth had a tough time with the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars last season. Finishing with a 18-26-2 record, he should show signs of improvement with the Kings as backup.

Career Record Against Pacific: Quick (71-37-22) Enroth (18-19-7)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Quick (2.31) Enroth (2.97)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Quick (.914) Enroth (.908)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 1st

San Jose Sharks:

Starting Goaltender: Alex Stalock/Martin Jones

Mar 28, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Stalock (32) reaches for the puck during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The San Jose Sharks are not in a good position. The crease in San Jose has been left out to dry with the departure of Antti Niemi. Alex Stalock and Martin Jones do not have the experience of a starting goaltender, so the decision for opening night will be heavily influenced by training camp performance.

The duo had a combined record of 12-14-4 last season, for a total of 30 games played. Time may be split evenly between Stalock and Jones, as they will be thrown into the action this season. Jones has the edge stat-wise in league (not by much), but Stalock has been with the franchise since 2009. It will be a rough year for the Sharks.

Career Record Against Pacific: Stalock (4-6-1) Jones (6-4-0)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Stalock (1.96) Jones (1.45)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Stalock (.920) Jones (.940)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 7th

Vancouver Canucks:

Starting Goaltender: Ryan Miller

Backup Goaltender: Jacob Markstrom

Apr 25, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (30) is scored on by Calgary Flames center Jiri Hudler (24) (not pictured) in game six of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks have the veteran skills of Ryan Miller between the pipes that should continue to help the team out this season. At 35, Miller is still able to keep up with the younger goaltenders. With that being said, this may be the year that he shows signs of slowing down. Jacob Markstrom has not had the best luck so far in his career. He is looking to improve on his previous season record of 13-28-5 this season with the Vancouver Canucks.

Career Record Against Pacific: Miller (113-69-22) Markstrom (6-10-2)
Career GAA Against Pacific: Miller (2.53) Markstrom (3.38)
Career SV% Against Pacific: Miller (.919) Markstrom (.881)

Pacific Division Goaltender Rank: 4th

Next: Arizona Coyotes Top Five Moments Of The 2014 Season

The Arizona Coyotes Will Continue To Play Against Tough Goaltender Competition In The Pacific Division.

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