Quote:
A collective .904 save percentage in the NHL last season as Exhibit A.
It was the lowest League-wide save percentage in 18 seasons since a .901 in 2005-06, but that came after the 2004-05 cancelled season led to smaller goalie equipment and new rules to reduce defensive interference. Save percentage mostly rose during the following 10 seasons, peaking at .915 in 2014-15 and 2015-16 before beginning a steady, seven-season decline through last season.
"If anything, goaltending is getting better. The game is just harder," Vancouver Canucks backup Casey DeSmith said.
https://www.nhl.com/news/unmasked-sa...er-goaltending
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Not specifically about Markstrom, but it this is the picture from the article and it's an interesting topic. Can we really compare recent sv% to the benchmarks we all have in our heads (.910-.920 = good)?
Maybe we're just in a new era. One more similar to when it wasn't really about stopping everything, just the important ones. Like when you're up by one or down by one, or for the next 5 mins after scoring... end of periods, etc. Winning 4-3 is easier to do when none of the 3 goals are back-breakers.
In other words, the Grant Fuhr days.