Goaltending has always been a major talking point when the NHL playoffs arrive. 

The great debate is about how strong a team’s goaltending needs to be to win the Stanley Cup. Part of that conversation concerns whether a strong tandem makes all the difference or if one solid starter is enough.

A look at the last 10 Cup champions suggests that while depth in goal can be helpful, it often doesn’t matter much in the quest for the NHL’s top prize. Teams with a goalie rotation during the regular season, such as the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, must keep that in mind when it comes time to pick a starter.

In most cases, the team that hoists the Cup doesn’t have to worry about who to start in net. A primary goaltender shoulders the load. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (2020, 2021), Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky (2024), and St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington (2019) all played at least 23 post-season games en route to their championships. While Bobrovsky had a .906 save percentage in 2024, he had the third-best goals-against average among goalies who played at least 10 games. Vasilevskiy and Binnington had save percentages of .914 or better.

When a team has a strong No. 1 leading the way, the backup is just there for insurance or injury.

That was the case in 2022 when Pavel Francouz backstopped the Colorado Avalanche during the Western Conference final as Darcy Kuemper recovered from an upper-body injury. He did record a shutout and a satisfactory .906 save percentage in seven games, but the Avalanche’s offense took matters into their own hands and scored at least four goals in each of Francouz’s starts.

In the Washington Capitals’ win in 2018, Philipp Grubauer had a better save percentage and goals-against average during the regular season, but Braden Holtby played 54 games and was the starter for most of the campaign. Grubauer started the first two playoff games before being replaced, and Holtby had a .922 save percentage in 23 games en route to winning it all.

Vegas’ 2023 Cup Win: The Exception?

The 2023 Vegas Golden Knights stand out as an anomaly in recent history. 

Adin Hill emerged as the team's post-season hero, posting a .932 save percentage in 16 playoff games. This came after the Golden Knights played five different goalies during the regular season. 

Logan Thompson was the go-to guy throughout the year. However, Laurent Brossoit began the playoffs in net before an injury forced Vegas to turn to Hill. Hill had only played 27 regular-season games, and his .915 SP and 2.50 GAA were solid but not outstanding. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins also took advantage of two strong goalies in 2017. Marc-Andre Fleury played 15 games before Matt Murray took over and backstopped them to the championship with a .937 save percentage in 11 appearances.

The Case For Anthony Stolarz To Be The Maple Leafs' Playoff Starter In NetAs the end of the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season draws to a close, teams are going to decide which goalie they're going to start in the Stanley Cup playoffs. For many, if not most teams, the choice is going to be easy: Connor Hellebuyck will be starting for the Winnipeg Jets, and Sergei Bobrovsky will be the starter for the Florida Panthers. But for a few teams, the choice of a starting goalie isn’t so clear.

A Strong Starter Matters Most, But A Good Backup Doesn’t Hurt

In any series, good goalies can be outmatched by their opposing netminder who seemingly comes out of nowhere. The Oilers’ Stuart Skinner outplayed Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger and put a scare into Bobrovsky last season, while Arturs Silovs made a name for himself in Vancouver when Thatcher Demko suffered an injury.

While having a competent backup is useful – particularly if injuries arise – the last decade has shown that teams usually win with a clear-cut No. 1 goalie and not with a rotation. Frankly, a hot goaltender remains one of the most important factors in winning a Stanley Cup.

That makes things interesting for the Leafs, Hurricanes and Oilers, which have often split the starts in net when their top two goaltenders are healthy.

Since Carolina’s Frederik Andersen returned from injury on Jan. 20, he and Pyotr Kochetkov have 14 games each. The Leafs’ Joseph Woll has 39 games to Anthony Stolarz’s 30, but the latter has a better goals-against average and save percentage. And the Oilers play Skinner more than Calvin Pickard, but not by much since Jan. 1 – Skinner’s had 24 appearances, while Pickard played 18 games.

A tandem can help manage the load during the regular season, but when the playoffs arrive, it’ll be time for those clubs to choose their No. 1.

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