Oil On Whyte
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Next stop – Denver

By Phil Gretzky

May 27, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) and defenseman Devon Toews (7) celebrate after the Avalanche defeated the Blues in game six and won the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) and defenseman Devon Toews (7) celebrate after the Avalanche defeated the Blues in game six and won the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Between The Pipes

This was yet another judgement call to research. After all, Darcy Kuemper is a great goalie who finished fifth in the league in the regular season in sv% and 21st in GAA with a 2.54.

We all know how Mike Smith’s regular season went, but he’s really found his form in the playoffs, outdueling two pretty good goalies in Jonathan Quick and Jakob Markstrom. It’s also worth mentioning that Smith has the far superior track record in the playoffs, as he has a stingy .930 sv% lifetime and a 2.44 GAA. Kuemper’s numbers are only .910 and 2.71 lifetime. Even looking at just these playoffs so far, Smith has the edge in sv% at .927 to Kuemper’s .904, but Kuemper has the edge at GAA – 2.44 to 2.70.

Let’s go with the broken record approach and call this one a wash too.

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Special Teams

Colorado has the edge on the PP, as they’re first in the league among playoff teams right now with a 34.5%. However, the Oilers aren’t exactly slouches in this area either as they’re fourth in the league at 28.2%.

However, the Oilers have the edge on the PK, sixth in the league at 85.4%, while the Avs are only 11th at 73.1%.

As has become the theme of this blog, let’s call this a wash. It somehow seems fitting that the two teams split the special teams numbers too.

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