Ottawa Senators
Ullmark, Skinner & Meriläinen: What Canadian Goalies Are Hot?
Linus Ullmark and Stuart Skinner are posting strong early numbers, but Canucks goalie Leevi Meriläinen may be the surprise story.
Looking at the Early Season’s Canadian Goalie Numbers
Early-season goalie numbers are giving hockey fans something to chew on, and an interesting Canadian angle is developing. Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark is near the top of the Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) leaderboard. Winnipeg’s Stuart Skinner is in the mix. And Vancouver may have found a little something special in a goalie it picked up off waivers.
That goalie is Leevi Meriläinen, and his early numbers are worth a closer look. The Canucks claimed the 24-year-old from Ottawa in September, and he’s getting an opportunity in Vancouver while Thatcher Demko deals with a hip injury. So far, Meriläinen has been showing he can hold his own, even when the team in front of him isn’t getting the job done. In the October 16 game against Florida, he stopped 36 shots, only to watch the Canucks lose 3–2 in overtime. That’s a tough way to finish a night’s work.
It’s also a good reminder that a goalie’s performance and a team’s record don’t always tell the same story.
Why Goals Saved About Expected Tells a Bigger Story for Goalies
Goals Saved Above Expected is a useful stat because it looks at how many goals a goalie has prevented compared with how many he’d be expected to allow based on the shots he faces. It helps take some of the guesswork out of judging a goalie by wins and losses alone.
In the October 18 numbers, Ullmark is sitting at +6.8, while Skinner is at +2.3. Meriläinen is also having an encouraging start by this measure, sitting just outside the top 15 at +2.5 on the latest available leaderboard. Bobrovsky, meanwhile, is putting up positive numbers in Toronto, even if he isn’t among the leaders in the original top-15 snapshot.
And that’s where things get interesting. Meriläinen wasn’t exactly the headline name when Vancouver claimed him, but he’s getting his chance and giving Canucks fans something to watch. When you’re playing for a team that’s struggling to win, making saves can only take you so far. You still need some help at the other end of the ice.
The NHL Season Has Only Begun, and Teams Are Still Building
Of course, we’re only a few weeks into the season. These numbers can move around quickly, and nobody should be handing out season-ending grades in October.
Still, Ullmark is giving Ottawa fans plenty to like, Skinner is keeping Winnipeg in the conversation, and Meriläinen is making that waiver pickup look increasingly interesting. Vancouver may have lost another game, but its young goalie is giving fans a reason to keep watching. And sometimes, that’s where a good story starts.
Related: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Canucks, Jets, Red Wings & Canadiens
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