How good are the Penguins goalkeepers?

As hockey fans, we all know how important goaltending can be. Quality play between the pipes can steal wins that a team might not otherwise earn. The opposite also applies. Nothing sucks the life out of a club faster than porous play on goal.

To be honest, we’ve experienced our fair share of both sides of the netminding spectrum in recent years.

What caused this? I was reading an article about Pensburgh Last week it was stated that the Penguins’ goaltending was good this season.

How good, I wondered?

Judging strictly from the results and my own admittedly untrained eye, I’d say: damn good. During our 14-3-3 run since Christmas, Stuart Skinner And Arthur Silov have combined for a .905 save percentage, the eighth-best mark in the league over that stretch.

During a stretch of eight starts, beginning with a 5-1 win over the ‘Canes on December 30 and culminating in the 3-2 win over the Canucks on January 25, Skinner went 7-1 with an extraordinary .934 save percentage (SV%) and a microscopic 1.63 goals against average (GAA).

The heater ended abruptly when Skinner, known for his streakiness, slipped to a .767 SV% rate in his last two starts.

While Big Stu has been on the move, tandem partner Silovs has quietly started his own run, posting a SV% of .922 and a GAA of 2.19 over his past seven starts through Jan. 10.

Great work, no matter how you analyze it.

Curious to see how they stack up against their netminding colleagues, I decided to take a look MoneyPuck.com. The statistics I am going to share include all game situations.

Since MoneyPuck Goals’ default metric is Saved Above Expected (GSAE for short), I decided to use it as my benchmark. Of the 91 goaltenders to have played in at least one NHL game this season, Skinner ranks 23rd^rd with 4.7 GSAE, including his work with the Oilers.

Oddly enough, especially considering the negative press he’s received for his recent efforts, ex-Pen Tristan Jarry’s only one notch behind with 4.3 GSAE.

As for Silovs? To my surprise, it is way down the list at number 62 with a GSAE of -3.0. Two spots behind Arturs, prized prospect Sergei Murashov that -3.5 GSAE.

Since GSAE is an aggregated statistic that can favor goalies with high workloads, I decided to look at GSAE per 60. Skinner has dropped to 32 in this statistic^i.e (two slots behind Jarry) with a GSAE/60 of .135. Silovs even improved a bit on his overall ranking, climbing to 55^e with a GSAE/60 of -.119. Murashov was 74^e at -.747.

I then decided to look at two of the more time-honored statistics, comparing percentage and goals against the average.

Murashov leads the pack with a GAA of 2.56 (vs. an expected, or xGAA of 1.81). Tied for 20^e best. Skinner is tied at 36^e in GAA with a three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck at 2.79 (xGAA 2.92). Silovs is tied for 49th^e with a GAA of 2.93 (xGAA 2.81).

Savings percentage? Murashov is tied with 40 points^e at .897. Silovs is tied at 45^e (.895). Skinner’s .890 is tied at 57^e.

Again, that’s 91 goaltenders in the entire league.

I conclude my evaluation with Wins Above Replacement, or WAR for short. Skinner (.79 WAR) comes in at 23^rdonce again one notch ahead of trading partner Jarry. Silovs (62^i.e-.51 WAR) and Murashov (64^e-.59 WAR) are once again high on the list.

In summary, despite their recent performance improvements, our goalkeepers generally rank somewhere in the middle of the pack, or perhaps a notch below.

While the same plethora of advanced stats doesn’t exist for AHL goaltenders, at least not to my knowledge, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention how Murashov and Baby Pen’s tandem mate Joel Blomqvist are busy.

If we go past the boxcars, the answer is: very good. The former ranks third in the AHL in GAA (2.07) and ranks second in SV% (an eye-popping .926). Despite a bit of a rough patch this past month, this last 10^e in GAA (2.43) and tied for fifth in SV% (.916).