We currently have 4 goalies: Craig Anderson, Alex Auld, Ben Bishop and Robin "Lehnsanity" Lehner. I was curious about the playoff experience each of them have in the AHL and NHL level. Here's what I found
Craig Anderson
Andy made the playoffs with the Norfolk Admirals starting in 01-02. He played one game in those playoffs, a relief appearance. The next three playoffs (02-03, 03-04, 04-05), he lost each in the first round, with SV% of 920, 934 and 925 respectively. In 06-07, he lost in the first round once again, this time with the Rochester Americans. In his one and only NHL playoff appearance, an outclassed Avalanche team lost in 6 despite his heroics. He finished with a tidy .933 SV%
Alex Auld
Auld's playoff resume is spotty. He played in one game in the '01 playoffs with the Manitoba Moose and one game in the '02 playoffs with Canucks, both relief appearances. In the '04 playoffs, an injured Dan Cloutier and an ineffective Johan Hedberg opened the door for Auld to step in. He played the final 3 games of that series, which the Canucks lost in 7 to the Flames. He finished with an .898 SV%. The year of the lockout, the Manitoba Moose made it to the 3rd round of the AHL playoffs. Alas, Auld only played 3 games in those playoffs, and was replaced by Wade Flaherty, who carried the team to the 3rd round.
Ben Bishop
Bishop has never made the playoffs at the AHL or NHL(obviously) level. His only playoff run was in the NAHL with the Texas Tornados, where he led them to the championship. He finished with an 9-2 record with 2.73 GAA and .891 SV %.
Robin Lehner
Last, but most definitely not the least, we come to the Hunter, Robin Lehner. Lehner won the 10-11 championship with the Binghampton Senators. With the B-Sens on the brink of elimination and Barry Brust ineffective, the B-Sens rode a hot Lehner, and 6 OT victories, all the way to the championship. Lehner finished with a 14-4 record, GAA of 2.10 and a SV% of .939 He was also given the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the AHL's Calder Cup Most Valuable Player.
What does all of this mean?
Not much really. Past NHL playoffs have shown that playoff experience is not necessary to win the whole thing, as Antti Niemi and Cam Ward have shown. Sometimes all it takes is to get hot at the right time.
Poll
How important is playoff experience for you
Extremely Imporant (10 votes)
Kind of Important (18 votes)
As long as he makes the save, who cares about experience! (49 votes)
77 total votes


There are 4 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.