Welcome to the first in-season edition of theScore's 2023-24 Vezina Trophy rankings, a monthly look at the top goaltenders across the NHL.

Small sample sizes made for stiff competition on our list, and early-season rankings always feature names you might not necessarily expect. For example, only two netminders from our preseason rankings made the cut one month later.

It's a long season, though, so there's plenty of time left for the true contenders to separate themselves from the pretenders.

GSAA = Goals saved above average
GSAx = Goals saved above expected

5. Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Preseason rank: 5th

Shesterkin's stats aren't quite as sparkling as the others on this list, but two anomalous starts out of eight cratered his early numbers. Still, he's tied for second in the league in wins and has been an instrumental piece of the Rangers' strong start, posting a .946 clip in New York wins.

The 2022 Vezina winner's track record across his five NHL seasons indicates his numbers will climb as the season progresses, and if the Blueshirts remain in the mix to win the Metropolitan Division, Shesterkin's pedigree is likely to go a long way in convincing voters.

4. Adin Hill, Golden Knights

Preseason rank: N/A

Hill is out to prove his march to the Stanley Cup this past spring was no fluke and that he's worth the $9.8-million extension he inked over the summer. The 27-year-old hasn't lost in regulation yet and ranks third in save percentage among goalies to play five games while sitting fifth in GSAA and seventh in GSAx. He's been a rock for a Golden Knights squad that surprisingly ranks 22nd in expected goals share at five-on-five.

Logan Thompson has also been sensational between the pipes for Vegas so far, but Hill owns advantages in all relevant statistics and has played more minutes.

3. Jake Oettinger, Stars

Preseason rank: 2nd

We ranked Oettinger second in our preseason prognostication, and while he's had an impressive opening month, he's lost head-to-head against both netminders ahead of him. His case is cut and dry: He ranks no worse than fifth in any of the stats listed in our charts and is backstopping a deep Dallas squad with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations. Oettinger is a rising star in the league and was one of the favorites to win the award before the season started. If he remains healthy, he should be in the mix right until the end.

2. Jeremy Swayman, Bruins

Preseason rank: N/A

Swayman's technically No. 2 on the Bruins' goaltending depth chart, but he's outplayed partner Linus Ullmark - who also has fantastic numbers - by a decent margin in the same amount of starts. It feels like Boston's reached a point where it may have to consider a 50-50 split going forward after Ullmark earned 49 starts to Swayman's 37 a season ago. Games played is often a big factor in Vezina votes, but Ullmark was able to win the award in 2023 despite a relatively low number of starts. Could it happen for Swayman, too?

We recognize it's early in the campaign and that Swayman's playing time is likely to go down if he hits any sort of rut, but his body of work to date can't be ignored. He hasn't allowed more than two goals in any appearance yet, leads the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, and slots second in GSAA as well as GSAx. Until he shows signs of slowing down, it's difficult to imagine the Bruins limiting Swayman's starts.

1. Thatcher Demko, Canucks

Preseason rank: N/A

A healthy Demko has been a revelation for the Canucks, who are off to a blistering start on the strength of having a No. 1 goalie again. Demko's 2022-23 was derailed by a major groin injury, and he appears set on making up for lost time. The soon-to-be 28-year-old trails only Swayman in goals against average and save percentage but leads the advanced stats listed above - which highlight his impact on Vancouver's success - by a significant amount. Demko's also posted two shutouts in nine starts so far.

Underlying numbers suggest Vancouver will come back down to earth, but the Canucks have built a nice cushion in the standings already. If Rick Tocchet's crew makes the playoffs on the back of Demko's comeback season, it's difficult to imagine a scenario where he's not a Vezina finalist by season's end.

Honorable mentions: Cam Talbot (Kings), Jordan Binnington (Blues)

(Stats source: Evolving-Hockey)

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It was a bit of a nail-biter, but the San Jose Sharks' season-opening losing streak has ended at 11 games after beating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Tuesday night to improve to 1-10-1 on the campaign.

Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 38 saves on 39 shots to help San Jose clinch its first victory of the year, while Anthony Duclair led the way offensively with one goal and one assist.

Duclair set the tone by burying a flashy feed from Kevin Labanc just under two minutes into the contest, while William Eklund struck on the power play late in the second frame.

Joel Farabee got the Flyers on the board just 2:33 after Eklund's tally to make it a one-goal game heading into the final frame.

Coming into Tuesday's action, the Sharks had allowed a whopping 19 goals against in the third period, but Blackwood didn't allow that trend to continue versus the Flyers: He turned aside all 15 shots he faced during the game's final stanza.

All in, Blackwood saved 2.19 goals above expected at all strengths during the victory, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Flyers heavily outshot the Sharks by a measure of 39-19.

"It's a lot of relief in here, everyone's happy," Blackwood said postgame, according to NBC Sports. "It's been a long time coming."

If the Sharks' losing streak had reached 12, they would have set a dubious new NHL record for the most defeats to start a season, according to San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng.

Sharks head coach David Quinn was proud of his squad for avoiding that fate.

"I give these guys so much credit, they've been such a great group to coach," he said, per NBC Sports. "They never stop working, they're attentive, they work hard in practice. There's just so many things that went into tonight, and at some point you say, 'Enough's enough.'"

Quinn added, "It wasn't like we played great. I don't want to think, 'Oh wow they won a game.' We played the way we're capable of playing - we can play much better - but we checked a lot of boxes and showed some characteristics that we're going to need. I thought there were a lot of good things, but I thought we left a lot of offense on the table."

Prior to Tuesday's triumph, the Sharks had surrendered 10 goals in back-to-back games on home ice. The shoddy performances prompted general manager Mike Grier to hold a meeting with the players Monday as he aimed to address the "unacceptable" play.

Sharks forward Tomas Hertl joked that he "probably never" wanted a win this badly, even in the playoffs.

"(It was) probably the hardest start of my life, but I think we've worked really hard and that's why we won tonight," he said. "But it can't be just one game. We want to keep rolling from that and just be ready for the next game. ... We have to show up every night like that, otherwise it will be like the two games before.

"Hopefully now we can loosen up a little bit ... with the tough feeling behind us."

The Sharks get their first chance to string together two wins when they take on the Edmonton Oilers - the NHL's second-worst team in the standings - on Thursday.

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Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton was ejected for cross-checking New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier in the second period of Tuesday's contest, kicking off a fiery special-teams battle.

Colton was handed a major and a game misconduct on the play, but he also earned a minor penalty for boarding Devils rookie Luke Hughes earlier in the sequence. Hughes was slow to get up, but ultimately got to his feet under his own power and returned to the contest later in the middle frame.

Here's a closer look at Colton's transgressions:

Colton was initially assessed a major for boarding Hughes, but it was reduced to a minor after review.

Next, the two teams exchanged blows during the Devils' ensuing seven-minute power play. Meier kicked things off with a revenge goal, which came on a 5-on-3 advantage since Colorado had a player in the box serving a penalty for too many men:

Miles Wood made things interesting for the Avalanche by scoring a shorthanded goal a mere 41 seconds after Meier's tally:

Shortly after Wood's goal, Devils forward Alexander Holtz took an interference penalty so there was two minutes of four-on-four action, but Dougie Hamilton made sure New Jersey got the last word once his team was back on the man advantage:

The Avalanche successfully killed off the remainder of Colton's major penalty after Hamilton's goal.

At the end of the eventful sequence, the contest was tied 3-3.

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Who needs the Oil, when the Canucks are electric!? Three wins over Edmonton already has everyone talking, including Matt and Blake, who go over the historic run of form with a fine toothcomb. Can it continue, when will it end? What does regression even look like for this team? 

John Shannon stops by the show with his take on what moves have allowed this to happen in Vancouver, especially the Hronek trade. Not to mention, his thoughts on where the Oilers go from here. 

Plus, the boys get a visit from the new partner for S&P, as Nation Network CEO Jay Downton shares his vision for the network and this show going forward. All that, plus an update on the Lions and Seahawks, too! Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

Follow us on social (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok & YouTube). Powered by Go Goat Sports

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Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux is clearly frustrated with the speculation about D.J. Smith's job security and some fans' desire to see the team replace the head coach.

"It's getting pretty old, the fans and the media talking about D.J.," Giroux told reporters Tuesday. "(It's) pretty frustrating, actually. He's our coach. He's not going anywhere. We want to play for him. It's just a distraction that we don't need right now, and I think we've done a pretty good job of not getting caught up into that."

Some Senators supporters chanted "Fire D.J." during Saturday's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk criticized the fans who chanted that and the ones who booed the team off the ice that same night.

On Tuesday, Tkachuk said he's trying to move forward and isn't fixating on the comments.

Giroux acknowledged he and his teammates felt bad when they heard the chanting but denied that it affected their play.

"In the room, guys care a lot, and I don't think we're a team that's going to quit or stop working hard," the Senators' oldest player said.

The loss dropped the Senators to 4-6-0 this season. They've lost four of their last five games and their last four on home ice.

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The Edmonton Oilers placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers to assign him to the AHL, the team announced Tuesday.

Campbell owns a single win along with an .873 save percentage and a 4.50 goals-against average through five appearances this season. He signed a five-year, $25-million deal with the Oilers in 2022.

Goaltending has been a key factor in Edmonton's 2-8-1 start to the year. Stuart Skinner has posted an .856 clip through seven games, and the Oilers' collective .860 save percentage at all strengths is the worst in the NHL, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Oilers are reportedly expected to recall Calvin Pickard from the minors, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. The veteran netminder is 2-2-0 with a .939 save percentage for the Bakersfield Condors this season, and he last appeared in the NHL in 2021-22 with the Detroit Red Wings.

If Pickard replaces Campbell on the Oilers' depth chart, it will save the cap-strapped club $378,000, per PuckPedia.

Edmonton is in the midst of a three-game losing streak, with its next contest Thursday against the San Jose Sharks - the only team behind the Oilers in the league standings.

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If you've been riding our cheat sheet to closing line value glory (and various degrees of betting success), you probably saw that the conceptual target price for the Oilers in Vancouver on Monday night was -120. Edmonton opened there, but it was the Canucks that got bet to the point where the Oilers could've been had at -110.

Compare this to Oct. 11 - the opener for both teams - where the Oilers were -160 to beat the Canucks at Rogers Arena. That's an implied win probability drop from 61.5% to 52.4%. The Canucks trucked the Oilers in both games, which is only tangential to the point.

Searching for value based on power ratings is always only a starting point. This early in the season, a high percentage of that -120 target price is based on prior ratings from before the season.

Luckily, we get to make our own decisions about what to bet. We're through roughly 13% of the NHL season, and no team rated on the same echelon as the Oilers has disappointed as Edmonton has, even though its advanced metrics are promising, with the second-best even-strength expected goals share and the third-best high-danger chance share.

The Oilers' issue is the inverse of what's made the Canucks so impressive, and that's goaltending.

Thatcher Demko leads the NHL with 15.01 goals saved above expectation, over five goals ahead of second-place Jeremy Swayman.

On Monday night, the Canucks allowed nine even-strength high-danger chances and had only eight of their own - numbers that are right at the league average. However, Vancouver scored on four, while Demko didn't allow any of those opportunities to beat him.

It's a long season, but so far, the Canucks are converting 17% of their even-strength HDCs, and the Oilers just 9.4%. The league average is 13%, and there's nothing different with Edmonton's personnel that would suggest that wouldn't even out, and the Canucks are clearly on a heater. However, knowing what we do about the personnel between the pipes, there's the element where a statistical regression shouldn't necessarily be expected.

The cheat sheet

The dirty little secret in the betting world is that, while there are no bad bets at the right price, the discovery process of what a good price looks like is hidden.

Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.

You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:

• True line favorite of -111 or longer: 1%
• True line between -110 and +110: 2.5%
• True line underdog of +111 or longer: 4%

I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for the second leg of a home back-to-back. When it comes to injured players, an estimation is made on the player's impact on their team's win probability.

When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's a possibility that a moneyline moves into a bet-friendly range at some point between the market opening and puck drop.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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