WASHINGTON (AP) – Michal Neuvirth, Thomas Greiss and Martin Jones were sitting on the bench as playoff backups a year ago. Jeff Zatkoff and Matt Murray were in the minors.
Yet all five goaltenders have been difference makers in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
Neuvirth has singlehandedly gotten the Flyers back into their series, Thomas Greiss has been a rock for the Islanders, Jones beat his former team to lead the San Jose Sharks into the second round and Zatkoff held down the fort before Murray returned from injury to get the Penguins back on track.
“They’ve bounced around, they’ve been traded, they had to do their due diligence behind other goalies that are high caliber,” analyst Justin Goldman of the Goalie Guild said. “Just the patience that they’ve had, continuing to grind it out day in and day out and then when they get that opportunity, making the most of it, that’s what puts them in that upper echelon. That’s what makes them playoff performers.”
Neuvirth’s emergence has had the biggest impact. A lower-body injury limited him to two games since March 4 before replacing Steve Mason with Philadelphia trailing the Washington Capitals 3-0 in the series, yet Neuvirth has stopped 75 of 76 shots, including all 44 on Friday, to force a Game 6 on Sunday.