NOTE: The stats used in this article are from the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 NHL season. No stats from the current NHL season (2015-16) were used in this article.
When you think of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, you probably think of Martin Brodueur, Mike Richter, Roberto Luongo (active player), and many others.
But let's look at two of the best goalies playing the game today: Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens.
Let's look at their stats:
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| Henrik Lundqvist |
Henrik Lundqvist:
\HEHN-rihk LUHND-kvihst\
Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-1 (185 cm)
Weight: 188 lbs. (85 kg)
Born: March 2, 1982 (Age 33.295) in Are, Sweden
Draft: NY Rangers, 7th round (205th overall), 2000 NHL Entry
Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 24 W | 16 L | 3 OT/SO | 1102 SV | .926 SV%
2013-14: 33 W | 24 L | 5 OT/SO | 1666 SV | .920 SV%
2014-15: 30 W | 13 L | 3 OT/SO | 1226 SV | .922 SV%
3 Seasons: 81 W | 53 L | 11 OT/SO | 3994 SV | .922 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury
Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 5 W | 7 L | 0 OT/SO | 384 SV | .934 SV%
2013-14: 13 W | 11 L | 0 TO/SO | 683 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 11 W | 8 L | 0 OT/SO L | 529 SV | .928 SV%
3 Seasons: 29 W | 26 L | 0 OT/SO | 1596 SV | .929 SV%
Carey Price (MTL):
\KAIR-ee PRIGHS\
Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-3 (190 cm)
Weight: 216 lbs. (98 kg)
Born: August 16, 1987 (Age 28.128) in Anahim Lake, British Columbia
Draft: Montreal, 1st round (5th overall), 2005 NHL Entry
Amateur Teams: Tri-City Americans
Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 21 W | 13 L | 4 OT/SO | 921 SV | .905 SV%
2013-14: 34 W | 20 L | 5 OT/SO | 1694 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 44 W | 16 L | 6 OT/SO | 1823 SV | .933 SV%
3 Seasons: 99 W | 54 L | 15 OT/SO | 4438 SV | .927 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury
Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 1 W | 2 L | 0 OT/SO | 110 SV | .894 SV%
2013-14: 8 W | 4 L | 0 TO/SO | 329 SV | .919 SV%
2014-15: 6 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO L | 324 SV | .920 SV%
3 Seasons: 15 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO | 763 SV | .911 SV%
Looking at those statistics, it's hard to tell which goalie has had a better performance, at least in our opinion. Price, who is currently injured, has 444 more regular season saves than Lundqvist in the past three seasons. Price had 4438, while Lundqvist had 3394.
Price also has a better save percentage in the past three regular seasons when combining them. Price's SV% when combining the last three regulars reasons was .927, while Lundqvist's was .922.
But when it comes to the playoffs, Lundqvist may have the advantage. Lundqvist has had 1596 saves in his last three playoff seasons, but Price has only had 763.
Price missed some playoff action in the 2013-14 NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals, where Price was injured in game one, surprisingly against Lundqvist and the New York Rangers. Dustin Tokarsky became the new starting goalie for the Canadiens in that series. The Rangers won the series in six games.
But since that series, the Rangers have had problems against the Canadiens, going 1-4-0 against the Canadiens dating back to the first game the Rangers played against the Canadiens after their victory over them in that Conference Final in 2013-14, which includes three games against the Canadiens in 2014-15, and two games in 2015-16.
Carey Price has been better since after the Conference Final, plus his regular season stats in the last three full seasons than Lundqvist, and it's enough to overshadow Lundqvist's better stats than Price's in the last three playoffs.
Therefore, "The Neutral Zone" has decided that in the last three complete NHL seasons, Carey Price has been better than Henrik Lundqvist.
Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-1 (185 cm)
Weight: 188 lbs. (85 kg)
Born: March 2, 1982 (Age 33.295) in Are, Sweden
Draft: NY Rangers, 7th round (205th overall), 2000 NHL Entry
Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 24 W | 16 L | 3 OT/SO | 1102 SV | .926 SV%
2013-14: 33 W | 24 L | 5 OT/SO | 1666 SV | .920 SV%
2014-15: 30 W | 13 L | 3 OT/SO | 1226 SV | .922 SV%
3 Seasons: 81 W | 53 L | 11 OT/SO | 3994 SV | .922 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury
Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 5 W | 7 L | 0 OT/SO | 384 SV | .934 SV%
2013-14: 13 W | 11 L | 0 TO/SO | 683 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 11 W | 8 L | 0 OT/SO L | 529 SV | .928 SV%
3 Seasons: 29 W | 26 L | 0 OT/SO | 1596 SV | .929 SV%
 |
| Carey Price |
\KAIR-ee PRIGHS\
Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-3 (190 cm)
Weight: 216 lbs. (98 kg)
Born: August 16, 1987 (Age 28.128) in Anahim Lake, British Columbia
Draft: Montreal, 1st round (5th overall), 2005 NHL Entry
Amateur Teams: Tri-City Americans
Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 21 W | 13 L | 4 OT/SO | 921 SV | .905 SV%
2013-14: 34 W | 20 L | 5 OT/SO | 1694 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 44 W | 16 L | 6 OT/SO | 1823 SV | .933 SV%
3 Seasons: 99 W | 54 L | 15 OT/SO | 4438 SV | .927 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury
Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 1 W | 2 L | 0 OT/SO | 110 SV | .894 SV%
2013-14: 8 W | 4 L | 0 TO/SO | 329 SV | .919 SV%
2014-15: 6 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO L | 324 SV | .920 SV%
3 Seasons: 15 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO | 763 SV | .911 SV%
Looking at those statistics, it's hard to tell which goalie has had a better performance, at least in our opinion. Price, who is currently injured, has 444 more regular season saves than Lundqvist in the past three seasons. Price had 4438, while Lundqvist had 3394.
Price also has a better save percentage in the past three regular seasons when combining them. Price's SV% when combining the last three regulars reasons was .927, while Lundqvist's was .922.
But when it comes to the playoffs, Lundqvist may have the advantage. Lundqvist has had 1596 saves in his last three playoff seasons, but Price has only had 763.
Price missed some playoff action in the 2013-14 NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals, where Price was injured in game one, surprisingly against Lundqvist and the New York Rangers. Dustin Tokarsky became the new starting goalie for the Canadiens in that series. The Rangers won the series in six games.
But since that series, the Rangers have had problems against the Canadiens, going 1-4-0 against the Canadiens dating back to the first game the Rangers played against the Canadiens after their victory over them in that Conference Final in 2013-14, which includes three games against the Canadiens in 2014-15, and two games in 2015-16.
Carey Price has been better since after the Conference Final, plus his regular season stats in the last three full seasons than Lundqvist, and it's enough to overshadow Lundqvist's better stats than Price's in the last three playoffs.
Therefore, "The Neutral Zone" has decided that in the last three complete NHL seasons, Carey Price has been better than Henrik Lundqvist.
