Its our favorite time of the year, the regular season has come to an end and we are eagerly awaiting playoff hockey to begin. Of course one of the most important positions on the ice during the playoffs is the man in the crease, the goaltender.
The goaltending is arguably the most important part of any team when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup and making it deep into the playoffs. Goaltenders can have a huge sway or effect on a game, more than any other player at this time of the season.
In this article, we will be telling you how to profit in your NHL betting from goaltender mismatches during the playoffs.
Backup vs. Starter
This might be the most obvious place to start but it’s something to be aware of, especially when it comes to the playoffs as most teams tend to start their number one goaltender in 90/100% of the games compared to 70/80% during the regular season.
An easy situation to exploit a goaltender mismatch is when there’s one team starting their number one goaltender and the other is starting their backup, but obviously each situation requires its own research and judgment.
Some teams have two goaltenders who start regularly, or one team’s backup might still be stronger than another’s starter, so make sure to assess each and every situation on its own merit.
This goes for both favorites and underdogs. If anything, an underdog having their number one in the crease and the favorite starting their backup is the perfect situation to get on either team for some value depending on who you believe will be the winning team.
Hot and Cold
We have seen strong goaltenders crumble in the post-season, and likewise, we have seen mediocre goaltenders going through a bad patch turn things around come playoff time. It’s always a good idea to let the first two or three games play before you can tell which goaltenders are peaking and which are fading.
If a goaltender hasn’t timed his peak for the playoffs, he could fade very quickly and his team could be sent packing very early. So when looking to make a goaltender mismatch besides checking out if somebody is starting their number one or number two, its worth noting are either of these goaltenders coming into form or fading away.
Coaches have been known to “ride the hot hand” in the post-season and we have seen examples in the past when a backup goaltender becomes the number one for the majority of the playoffs when the starter hasn’t been quite up to the task at hand.
Highest career win percentage by an active goalie:
63.4 — Igor Shesterkin
61.4 — Andrei Vasilevskiy
Which Russian would you take in a must win game? pic.twitter.com/kNPEyZM7C1— StatMuse NHL (@statmusehockey) April 17, 2024
Facing Certain Teams/Players
Our final NHL goaltender mismatch advice this post-season is knowing when certain goaltenders have a poor record against certain teams, or even players, for that matter. It might seem rather cynical to believe some goaltenders struggle against certain teams, or players, especially when they’re playing for the favorite.
However, this is a real thing. Certain goaltenders haven’t got the measure of some teams or players, it could be down to skill, and after some time it could be all in the mind but either way, these little things can play a factor, especially at this stage of the season.
We have seen strong goaltenders playing for strong-seeded teams just crumble in front of certain teams, it’s never a nice site to witness but if you can figure out when to exploit this situation, you should attack.
Conclusion
The starting goaltender in the NHL is like a starting pitcher in the MLB, they can win or lose you the game based on their performance. It’s important to understand when a team is starting their backup and if it’s worth opposing them on the night. Who knows, certain situations or scenarios could see you actually betting on the backup goaltender.
Overall, it’s important to check out who’s in the crease during the regular season but during the playoffs, it’s essential. It’s time for teams and goaltenders to make their stance, put up or shut up, so to speak. To be the hero or zero on any given night.
It’s a lonely place in the crease for goaltenders, make sure you pick the right one.
