Best goalie for Game 7 in 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs debated

There is nothing more important than goaltending in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

A great -- or hot -- goalie can be the difference between advancing to the next round or booking tee times earlier than expected.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are loaded with elite goalies who can carry a team far in the postseason.
Marc-Andre Fleury of the Minnesota Wild, Jonathan Quick of the Vegas Golden Knights and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning have each won the Stanley Cup multiple times. Others in the playoff field have made long runs.
But which goalie in the 2023 postseason is the most clutch?
NHL.com asked a collection of staff writers which goalies they would like to have playing for their team in a winner-take-all Game 7.
Here are their responses (in alphabetical order):
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
This is a long shot. There are more accomplished goalies in the postseason but sometimes you get a feeling about a goalie, and I believe Gustavsson could be the breakout star of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same way that unheralded Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes and Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins have in the past. His .931 save percentage is the second best in the NHL this season behind Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, who is the odds-on favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. He simply knows how to stop the puck and that is what you want -- not a big name or a gaudy resume -- in a pressure-packed Game 7. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
It's amazing to me how Hellebuyck always seems to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to choosing elite goaltenders in the NHL. The 29-year-old has been one of the most consistent players at his position in his eight seasons. He's been particularly good this season, carrying the Jets on most nights on the way to posting Vezina Trophy-worthy numbers. Hellebuyck has 37 wins in 64 games and sports a .920 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average with four shutouts. His win total and goals-against are his best since 2017-18, when Winnipeg advanced to the Western Conference Final and lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights. No team should feel comfortable having to solve him in the playoffs, especially in a win-or-go-home Game 7. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Yes, I'm going with one of the young guys in the mix, partially because I watched Oettinger nearly pull off the big upset by himself with a 64-save performance in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round last season. The 24-year-old doesn't have the playoff experience of some others on this list, but I like what he's done in his early NHL career. He's poised, he's strong, he can take on a big workload (62 games this season) and he's having a very nice season (37-11-11, 2.37 GAA, .919 save percentage and five shutouts). Oettinger is the real deal and I'd take him with Game 7 on the line. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Jonathan Quick, Vegas Golden Knights
There are other choices, of course. There are probably better choices based on where goalies are in their careers and, you know, the feeling that they're pretty much guaranteed to start a Game 7 should their series get there. Quick is not guaranteed to start Game 1 let alone Game 7 for the Golden Knights. But he'd be my choice if I was Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. Quick started a Game 7 for the Los Angeles Kings last season against the Edmonton Oilers. It was a loss, but not because of him. He made 39 saves in a 2-0 loss, improving his career Game 7 save percentage to .942. It was the first Game 7 loss of his NHL career. He was 4-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .940 save percentage. Quick might be 37 now, certainly near the end of what probably should be a Hall of Fame career. But he's still getting it done. I think he represents Vegas' best option for a sustained playoff run, and I would be quite comfortable putting him in net for a Game 7. The savvy veteran and two-time Stanley Cup champion still has some big-time game left in him. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Vasilevskiy would seem to be the obvious choice, but Shesterkin made a fine case for himself with his play during the postseason last season. The question that was posed to us: Who would you take in goal for a Game 7? Well, let's examine recent history, in this case the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Shesterkin was 2-0 in Game 7s, helping his team defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime in the Stanley Cup First Round, then allowing two goals in the win against the Carolina Hurricanes in the decisive game of the next series. His Game 7 numbers: 76 saves on 81 shots, a 2.50 GAA and .939 save percentage? In a win-or-go-home scenario, what's not to like about those numbers or the goalie who produced them? Case closed. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Although Sorokin has limited experience in the playoffs -- seven games (five starts) during the Islanders run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals -- he's proven himself to be one of the best goalies in the NHL during the past two seasons. This season, he was one of the primary forces behind the Islanders' drive to return to the playoffs after missing last season, going 31-22-7 with a 2.34 GAA, .924 save percentage and NHL-leading six shutouts in 62 games (60 starts). Playing behind a sound defensive structure, Sorokin is a difficult puzzle to solve and can steal a Game 7 from any opponent. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Sure, you could accuse me of being a homer, but I'll take the guy who has dominated essentially every single game he's played this season, leading the NHL in every important goalie category. Ullmark may not have much playoff experience -- he's played two games in the postseason, both losses in 2022 -- but there has simply been something magical around what Ullmark has done night after night after night for the Bruins. It's like he's been on a 48-game hot streak. And, after years of watching the NHL, I've learned you don't mess with goalies on a hot streak. Ullmark is 40-6-1 this season with a 1.89 GAA and a .938 save percentage. About the only place he doesn't lead this season is in shutouts and, well, I don't need Game 7 to be a shutout. I just need it to be a win. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Why would anyone take anyone other than Vasilevskiy? He has won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs most valuable player in 2021, and returned to the Stanley Cup Final last season. In 104 playoff games (99 starts), he has gone 63-38 with a 2.30 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and seven shutouts. He has had a shutout in six of the Lightning's past seven series-clinching wins, allowing one goal on 200 shots in those games. Absurd. Yes, he has had an outstanding team in front of him, but he has been the backbone. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he takes up a lot of net, and his style is so efficient that he makes it look easy. Frankly, that makes this one easy. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist