Favorite goalie performances in Stanley Cup Playoffs debated by NHL.com

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs have already had two great goaltending performances.

Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger had the hockey world buzzing when he made
64 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss
to the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round on Sunday. Oettinger allowed 13 goals in the series, finishing with a .954 save percentage. Calgary coach Darryl Sutter called Oettinger the best player in the series.
Two nights later, St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 51 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round. He stopped 12 shots in OT before defenseman Josh Manson scored on a seeing-eye shot at 8:02.
Those performances are among the best in the long history of the playoffs. But they certainly have company.
Here are the favorite goalie performance memories that members of the NHL.com staff have witnessed in their lifetime.
Johnny Bower, Toronto Maple Leafs, April 25, 1967
The 55th anniversary of a most extraordinary performance passed last month, a foundational memory for a young hockey fan (me) in the Stanley Cup Final. Johnny Bower, 42, put the brakes on the Montreal Canadiens, following up a 31-save shutout in Game 2 with a 61-save performance in a 3-2 double overtime win at Maple Leaf Gardens. That put the Maple Leafs into a 2-1 series lead and on the path to a victory in six games for the Stanley Cup, the fourth and final of Bower's legendary career. In his four games in the playoffs that season, the Hockey Hall of Fame member had a 1.63 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, June 9, 2003
Brodeur rarely had to be out-of-this-world brilliant for the Devils to win, but he had to be consistent, resilient and always a presence in the net. Perhaps the best example of that in his Hall of Fame career came in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Brodeur was pulled in Game 6 in Anaheim for allowing five goals on 22 shots in a 5-2 loss. But in Game 7, Brodeur was resilient, consistent, a presence, and he was perfect. He made 24 saves in a 3-0 win, his NHL record seventh shutout that postseason, a record that still stands.-- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens, April 26, 2010
Any of Halak's performances in the final three games against the Washington Capitals in the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals would fit here. But Halak's 53 saves in a 4-1 victory in Game 6 probably was his best effort and are the third-most saves in an NHL playoff game that ended in regulation. Facing a powerful Capitals team that rolled to the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL leader with 121 points during the regular season and scored a League-leading 313 goals, Halak made 18 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and 21 in the third. Montreal managed 22 shots in the game. "It will be on ESPN Classic tomorrow as one of the greatest goalie performances," said Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri, who scored two goals in the game. Down three games to one following a 6-3 loss in Game 4 with Carey Price in net, Montreal turned to Halak, who allowed three goals on 134 shots while winning the final three games. In Washington, it's still known as being "Halaked." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres, April 27, 1994
It was a goaltending duel for the ages when Hasek and Brodeur, each on his way to enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame, faced off in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Memorial Auditorium. The Sabres were facing elimination, but Hasek refused to let them lose, stopping each of the 31 shots he faced in regulation. The only problem was Brodeur was just as effective. It continued that way through three overtimes, the crowd chanting for their goalie with each save. By the time Dave Hannan scored 5:43 into the fourth extra period, Hasek had 70 saves and almost single-handedly forced a Game 7. -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings, May 29, 2002
Game 6, 2002 Western Conference Final, Denver. The Red Wings had a team of Hall of Famers, were behind the archrival Avalanche 3-2 in the series. This type of situation was why they had acquired Hasek in a blockbuster trade the previous summer. With Detroit leading 2-0 in the second period, Colorado challenged the legality of Hasek's stick during a power play, hoping for a 5-on-3. Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy said he had one of Hasek's sticks and measured it. "Mine's right on the line," Roy said, "and his is a little bit over." Oops. Hasek's stick was legal. He waved to the officials to give it back, and the Avalanche took a penalty for delay of game. Hasek made 24 saves in a 2-0 win, tying the NHL record at the time with his fourth shutout of the playoffs. He went on to make 19 saves for another shutout in a 7-0 win in Game 7, and the Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Kelly Hrudey, New York Islanders, April 18, 1987
A list of the best goalie performances in playoff history would not be complete without Hrudey's herculean 73-save effort for the Islanders in a 3-2 quadruple overtime win at the Capitals in Game 7 of the Patrick Division Semifinals. Hrudey made 50 straight saves from the end of the second period, including 39 in the four overtimes of a game that lasted six hours, 18 minutes, and is labeled the Easter Epic since it ended just before 2 a.m. ET on Easter Sunday. Hrudey set the NHL record for the most saves in a single playoff game in a performance that ended when Pat LaFontaine scored at 8:47 of the fourth OT. The series-clinching win was the third straight for the Islanders in the series. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers, May 19, 1974
It was a different era with a different style of goaltending, but Parent's performance against the powerhouse Boston Bruins in the Cup-clinching Game 6 at the Spectrum was brilliant. He faced 30 shots in the 1-0 Flyers win, but it was their quality, not the quantity, that made his performance so memorable. Parent, using a standup style, calmly turned aside several high-danger chances from Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and Johnny Bucyk with swift stick saves or caught them with his lightning-quick glove hand. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP after going 12-5 in 17 games with a 2.02 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and two shutouts. -- William Douglas, staff writer
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens, June 7, 1993
Roy's Hall of Fame legacy is defined as much by his confident swagger as it is by his ability to stop pucks. That was never more evident than in Game 4 of the 1993 Stanley Cup Final between the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings. With Roy in goal, the Canadiens produced one of the most clutch Stanley Cup runs in playoff history by winning an NHL-record 10 consecutive overtime games after losing their first one against the Quebec Nordiques in the opening round. Simply put, the more dramatic the games got, the more Roy thrived. Perhaps the most memorable moment in Roy's career, if not one of the most iconic in NHL postseason history, came in Game 4. With the score tied 2-2, Roy stopped Tomas Sandstrom, then winked at him as he skated by. The message: You guys aren't scoring again. He was right. The Canadiens would win 3-2 in overtime, then won Game 5 to win the Cup. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins, June 15, 2011
It's hard to pick a single moment that turned Thomas's 2011 playoff performance into legend, but a 37-save shutout of the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final should qualify. Not that I want to pump Thomas's tires, but he added his name to the list of all-time clutch performances in front of a rowdy crowd at Rogers Arena before dashing their hopes, and the hopes of Roberto Luongo in the opposing net, when he became the first goalie to get a shutout in a Game 7 of the Cup Final on the road. Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy, just the second American to win it after Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers in 1994. Thomas allowed eight goals in seven games, saving 238 of 246 shots, and finished that postseason run with a .940 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Marty Turco, Dallas Stars, May 4, 2008
This one stands out for me for a few reasons. First, it was just an outstanding Western Conference Semifinal series between the Stars and San Jose Sharks. But Turco saved his best for Game 6, a 2-1 win in quadruple overtime that helped the Stars advance to the Western Conference Final. Turco was magnificent, saving 61 shots. His biggest came when he kicked his right leg up to deflect a shot from Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, then kept Marleau's rebound attempt out with a save off his right foot in the first OT. Turco had lost in two other long playoff games, a 4-3 loss in five overtimes to the Ducks in Game 1 of the 2003 Western semifinals and a 5-4 loss in four overtimes to the Canucks in Game 1 of the 2007 quarterfinals. He broke through in this one, and in masterful form. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer