Crashing the Crease: Who's Hot, Who's Not

The season is taking shape, and some goalies are living up to expectations while others are not. Below are goaltenders who are heating up the ice, and others who are cold, cold, cold.

WHO'S HOT

Frederik Andersen, Maple Leafs - A 6-3 loss to the Bruins on Saturday aside, Andersen has been excellent all season for the Buds. Andersen's .926 save percentage ranks fourth in the league, and just to prove it's no fluke, he is third at even strength at .935. Even though his GAA is trending upward and he's allowed two goals or fewer just twice in his past eight appearances, it's mostly because the Leafs play a risky, up-tempo style. Case in point, during the Leafs' five-game winning streak, they allowed more than 40 shots in four of those games. The Leafs will play their next four games on the road, three of which are against non-playoff teams and none are back-to-back, so expect Andersen to start all, if not most, of those games.

Ben Bishop, Stars - Bishop has played just two games since returning from a lower-body injury, but he won games, allowing three goals, including a 41-save effort against the Sharks. Statistically, Bishop is having one of his best seasons and ranks 10th in the league in save percentage at even strength (.926) and third against the opposition power play (.914) among goalies with at least 15 appearances. The Stars' blue line has been decimated by injuries, but with the way Bishop is playing, they can afford to wait a little longer before John Klingberg, Marc Methot, Stephen Johns and Connor Carrick return. It will be a tough test coming up with a four-game road trip that includes stops in Vegas, Anaheim, San Jose and Colorado.

Mike Smith, Flames - Just when Big Save Dave looked like he was going to take over the starting job, Smith has come back with a vengeance, winning six straight games and allowing just nine goals in that span. His last two opponents are no slouches, either; he shut out the Wild with 31 saves and then made 25 saves in a 5-2 win over the Predators. His GAA and save percentage have improved with each passing month, and after going 4-4-1 in October he's 3-0 in December, helping the Flames vault to the top spot in the division. Perhaps the 36-year-old just needed a little more time to get going, but he's firmly in the driver's seat yet again. Throughout his career Smith has managed to post solid numbers in January and February, too, so perhaps it's a sign his best has yet to come.

WHO'S NOT

Sergei Bobrovsky, Blue Jackets - Other than a four-game winning streak in early November, Bobrovsky's barely been able to string together any consistent performances. He's posted a save percentage higher than .897 just once in his past six games, and in a key game against the Caps with the division lead on the line, Bobrovsky was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Bobrovsky's save percentage in medium-danger areas is .876, according to Corsica, 29th among goalies with at least 500 minutes played and much lower than last year's .928. The Blue Jackets defense has also changed, allowing more shots per hour from the medium-danger areas than last season.

Corey Crawford, Blackhawks - Simply put, it's not on Crawford, but his performances can certainly be better. The Blackhawks just seem kind of stale no matter how many tweaks Stan Bowman makes, and their consistency continues to vary wildly night to night. Crawford has not won a game in nearly a month and has not prevented the Blackhawks' six-game slide, and their schedule gets pretty tough with two games against the Jets and a date with the Penguins coming up. Given his recent health issues and performances, Crawford's fantasy value is as low as it's been in recent memory.

Adin Hill, Coyotes - He's lost consecutive games with seven goals allowed and sub-.900 save percentage, finally coming back down to earth after an incredible run that saw him register a 29-save shutout win against the Predators and rattle off another two wins with two goals allowed. We all knew this would happen at some point; the 22-year-old is just three seasons removed from major junior and had an inauspicious start in the AHL this season with a .871 save percentage, and clearly hasn't had enough reps to be a legitimate NHL starter. The 2015 third-round pick could get hot again, but conventional wisdom suggests Hill should be dropped or left alone on the waiver wire for the rest of the season.

Linus Ullmark, Sabres - He's allowed 10 goals in his past two starts, and after winning 11 consecutive games the Sabres have now lost five straight. Even with his recent performances, Ullmark is still considered the Sabres' goalie of the future, and quite honestly the Sabres have already exceeded the expectations of many this season. However, with the Sabres in playoff contention it may change how Phil Housley sets the goalie schedule for the rest of the season. Carter Hutton is day-to-day with an upper-body injury but should see the bulk of the starts when he returns given his experience and better track record overall. With four games this week, including back-to-backs against the Caps and Bruins, the Sabres might push for Hutton to return early, or otherwise be forced to start Ullmark or Scott Wedgewood.