Catching fire on ice
A hot netminder can lead a team to the Stanley Cup. So who's this year's Cam Ward?
Predicting the next great postseason goaltender seems about as easy as pleasing chef Gordon Ramsay, but making an educated guess is actually as easy as this simple recipe: three cups proven postseason acumen, one cup current prowess and a dash of fresh legs.
Taking a look at the past dozen Stanley Cup campaigns, there are some basic rules of thumb for success. On average, the team that wins a playoff series has two or three more regular-season wins than its opponent. The quality of the teams, not just the goalies, makes a difference. Yet as anyone who has followed the NHL knows, postseason goaltending is a crucial factor when seeking the Cup.
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2009 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
The Stanley Cup playoffs kick off Wednesday. Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun and the rest of our NHL team preview the first round:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
- No. 1 Boston-No. 8 Montreal | Watch
- No. 2 Wash.-No. 7 Rangers | Watch
- No. 3 N. Jersey-No. 6 Carolina | Watch
- No. 4 Pittsburgh-No. 5 Philly | Watch
WESTERN CONFERENCE
- No. 1 San Jose-No. 8 Anaheim | Watch
- No. 2 Detroit-No. 7 Columbus | Watch
- No. 3 Vancouver-No. 6 STL | Watch
- No. 4 Chicago-No. 5 Calgary | Watch
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