NHL Goalie Tandems Ranked: Which Unexpected Duos Could Make or Break Their Teams This Season?

As we zoom past the quarter mark of this pulsating NHL season, it’s clear the ice has heated up—not just from blazing shots but from the heroic efforts between the pipes. Goalies across the league have been under siege more than ever before, with offense skyrocketing and save percentages dipping to uncharted lows last seen two decades ago. It’s a new era where the game’s speed and skill are rewriting the playbook on what it means to be a top-notch netminder.

Breaking down all 32 goalie tandems isn’t just about staring at numbers, though those stats do tell a compelling story. I’ve been watching the film, feeling the pulse of every clutch save and heart-stopping rebound control, weighing careers alongside current form. We’re talking about a season’s worth of action—around 25 games—that’s rich enough to size up these keepers, yet their legacies give crucial context to their performances.

Balancing the scales between starting goalies who shoulder heavy workloads and backups who share the net is no easy task. Those workhorses, like Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck, naturally tilt the tandem’s value, but a strong showing from two high-caliber goalies can elevate a team’s standing remarkably. It’s a dance of skill, stamina, and consistency.

So buckle up, because here’s the full rundown on how every goalie tandem across the NHL is stacking up in the 2025-26 campaign—with compelling narratives and surprising twists sprinkled throughout.

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We’ve passed the quarter mark of the regular season, so it’s a good time to check in on how all 32 goalie tandems are performing.

As a whole, the trend of increased offense in the NHL has continued. Shots are down, goals are up and, as a result, the league average save percentage has dipped below .900 for the first time in 20 years. As the speed and skill of the game continue to increase, we’re having to adjust what constitutes strong goaltending statistics.

While statistics are obviously a big factor in this ranking — results matter, above all — we will also be considering how these goaltenders have looked on film, and take their career-long performances into consideration. The roughly 25-game sample size we have for each team is enough to evaluate how each goalie is performing this season, but we can’t ignore their priors.

Deciding how much weight to give each of the goalies when evaluating tandems can be tricky. For this exercise, goalies capable of handling a heavy workload, such as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck, are given more weight within their tandem than goalies who play closer to a 50-50 split. In those cases, the impact of the backup is minimized but not ignored entirely. Conversely, tandems with two goalies performing at a high level are boosted in this ranking.

Without further ado, here’s how every goalie tandem in the league has stacked up in 2025-26:

1. New York Rangers

The first quarter of the season has been a roller coaster for the Rangers, but the one constant is the goaltending. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have combined to save an impressive 21.23 goals above expected.

Shesterkin is the highest-paid goalie in the NHL. He was the top-rated goalie by our anonymous panel of goalies and goalie coaches prior to the season, and through the first quarter, he has played up to all of those expectations. He transitions from saves to recoveries faster and more fluidly than any goalie in the world. It allows him to make sequences of saves that few can.

Meanwhile, the oldest goalie in the NHL has been stellar behind him. Quick is adding yet another chapter to his already storied career with what has been a fun final act for the team he grew up rooting for. His unique, crouching stance still covers the bottom half of the net with the best of goalies, and he has lateral explosion to spare, even at age 40.

Picking between these top tandems is like splitting hairs, and the Rangers’ trump card of being able to send out the best goalie in the world was the tiebreaker that gave them the top spot.

2. Minnesota Wild

Only five goalies have posted multiple shutouts this season, and two of them play in Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt have been arguably the most balanced tandem in the league, and they’re the biggest reason for Minnesota’s red-hot November.

The two Swedish netminders play a similar style, and when they’re on their game, it feels like there’s no net to shoot at. They have an excellent understanding of shooting angles, a great feel for where the net is behind them, and they use positioning and posture to make themselves big in the crease.

Gustavsson is doing what we all have come to expect from him, but the real revelation has been Wallstedt. He has all but erased any worries from a disappointing season in the AHL last year, looking the part of a future franchise goalie.

He made some huge saves on Friday to end Colorado’s 10-game win streak, and crowned it with his fun shootout celebration.

7️⃣ STRAIGHT WILD W’S GOT WALLSTEDT LIKE: pic.twitter.com/MkqdoriExK

— NHL (@NHL) November 28, 2025

3. Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL by a good margin, and they’ve done it while missing their No. 1 goalie for the majority of the time. The way Scott Wedgewood has performed in Mackenzie Blackwood’s absence is a perfect example of the impact a strong tandem can make.

Wedgewood is playing the best hockey of his career, allowing either zero goals or one goal in more than half of his starts. You won’t find a goalie who has stayed square to the puck better than he has this season, thanks to great anticipation and edge work.

Meanwhile, Blackwood finally returned after missing the first 12 games due to offseason surgery and has looked great. The Avalanche have been the best team in the league, and the goalies are a big part of it. While Wedgewood may not be able to maintain this level for the entire season, Blackwood could more than pick up the slack.

4. New York Islanders

The Rangers’ tandem led this ranking, but the duo across the East River has been excellent as well. Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich have been standing on their heads to propel the Islanders back into the playoff picture after a slow start. 

The Islanders are allowing high-danger chances at a higher rate than any team in the league, but the goalies have been great at stopping those difficult shots.

Sorokin looks like one of the best goalies in the world, regularly making acrobatic stops in big moments, and “Big Save Dave” is living up to his nickname. Rittich has been a pleasant surprise with Semyon Varlamov still unavailable with a knee injury. He may be punching a bit above his weight at the moment, but we’re only two years removed from his strong 2023-24 season in Los Angeles.

5. Boston Bruins

This is the Jeremy Swayman the Bruins hoped for when they signed him to a massive extension last offseason. Few goalies can control a game the way Swayman does with his positioning and rebound control.

Boston’s save percentage isn’t overly impressive, but the Bruins’ defense has been putrid, so the goals saved above expected tell the story better, and Swayman leads all goalies in that metric.

The structure of his game has been immaculate this season. His hands and feet all move in unison, keeping him connected and leaving no holes for the puck to get through. Korpisalo is off to a mediocre start statistically, but he has deserved better than his current numbers based on the eye test. He has been a victim of some unfortunate bounces and deflections while playing behind a defense that allows the most expected goals per 60 minutes in the NHL.

6. Washington Capitals

As a team, the Capitals have taken a small step back from last season, but Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren have picked up right where they left off as one of the most reliable tandems in the NHL.

Thompson has been at his best on the toughest saves. He leads all goalies with a .888 save percentage on high-danger shots thanks to his improvisational skills and active hands, which are among the best in the NHL.

Lindgren has seen a decline in playing time, assuming a true backup role to Thompson as opposed to the 50-50 split we saw last season, but has been solid in relief. He is the prototypical 1B goalie, plenty good enough for coach Spencer Carbery to not overwork Thompson.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

We’ve reached the first tandem on the list that is heavily carried by the statistics of one netminder, but that’s how good Andrei Vasilevskiy is.

The big, hulking Russian has been locked in early this season. His rare combination of athleticism, balance and size makes it easy to see why teams struggle to get the puck past him. Vasilevskiy has won his last eight starts while posting a ridiculous .956 save percentage over that span.

Behind him, Jonas Johansson has been good enough to win in most of his starts, and that’s exactly what Tampa Bay is looking for. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he has won five of seven. His job is to inspire enough confidence from coach Jon Cooper to allow him to keep Vasilevskiy fresh, and thus far he is doing that job.

8. Chicago Blackhawks

The start to the Spencer Knight era in Chicago couldn’t be going much better.

The 24-year-old is second behind only Swayman with an impressive 20.22 goals saved above expected, and has stood on his head in most games for the Blackhawks. Perhaps the most impressive and encouraging thing for Chicago’s future has been how good Knight has looked in desperation situations when plays break down. Knight’s fundamentals and technique have always been exceptional, but he’s showing more improvisation this season.

Arvid Söderblom has taken a small step back, but is still a talented young goalie. He has been inconsistent from game to game, but it’s Knight who is carrying the load on this ranking.

9. San Jose Sharks

Just as the young, star forwards have taken over the NHL this season, a similar revolution is happening in the crease. In his first season as a full-time NHLer, Yaroslav Askarov has looked the part of a future star.

His quick feet and precise edge work keep him in the play, no matter how many lateral passes the opposition whip around the zone, and he is getting even better the more he plays. After a sluggish October, Askarov has completely dominated in November, leading all goalies with 18.02 GSAx.

Alex Nedeljkovic has been a solid 1B in the tandem for San Jose. He has had a few poor outings, but is a solid veteran backup who should push Askarov while also helping him develop along the way.

10. Winnipeg Jets

When he’s healthy, Connor Hellebuyck is the type of goalie who singlehandedly makes a tandem worthy of a top-five or top-six spot. However, his recent knee injury, which required surgery and projects to keep him out of the lineup for more than a month, combined with the fact that Eric Comrie isn’t an elite backup option, caused the Jets to tumble down this ranking.

We’ve already seen the team begin to flounder without Hellebuyck.

When asked to play 15 to 20 games, Comrie is a great fit behind Hellebuyck. He’s a smart, veteran backup who a coach can trust in spot starts, but he has struggled in his increased role. When the defending back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner returns, the Jets will belong higher on this list.

11. Dallas Stars

Considering his age, talent, and the team in front of him, this felt like the year Jake Oettinger could win his first Vezina Trophy. Through the first quarter, he hasn’t quite taken that step.

Oettinger has been fine. His stats are slightly above average, and he has made some clutch stops late in games to earn victories, but he hasn’t been dominant. Statistically, he has actually been inferior to his backup, Casey DeSmith, who is off to an excellent start.

While it’s been disappointing in relation to Oettinger’s sky-high expectations, Oettinger and DeSmith have been a reliable tandem that rarely costs their team, and consistently help it earn points.

12. Pittsburgh Penguins

What a turnaround it has been in the Pittsburgh crease.

After Penguins goalies combined to save 14.22 goals below expected a year ago (second-worst in the NHL), they’ve been one of the team’s biggest strengths early in 2025-26. That includes a rejuvenated Tristan Jarry, who has won seven of his nine starts and looks more like himself after a disastrous 2024-25.

Acquiring Artūrs Šilovs for cheap this offseason is looking like a savvy move by Kyle Dubas. Coming off a career year in the AHL last season, in which he was named playoff MVP, Šilovs has rolled that right into this season and has looked equally impressive on the biggest stage. He has looked big, calm and collected in the net, and is making a case to be Latvia’s starter in the Olympics in February.

Even prospect Sergey Murashov has looked good when called upon. It’s hard to believe how positive things feel for the Penguins in goal after how last season went.

13. Seattle Kraken

Somewhat under the radar, Joey Daccord has been excellent for three straight seasons now. He’s the best puck-playing goalie in the league, and actually saves his team from having to defend, and himself from having to make saves, every night because of it. What has the Kraken this high in this ranking, though, is how wily veterans Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray have played behind him.

The Kraken have scored the fewest goals in the NHL this season, but the trio of goalies have combined to rank ninth in GSAx and fifth in save percentage, and it’s a huge reason Seattle has climbed into a playoff position.

14. New Jersey Devils

This summer, the Devils prioritized hanging onto Jake Allen, signing him to a five-year, $9 million contract. That decision has paid off. Not only has Allen continued to be one of the best backups in the NHL, but he has been so good that we may not be referring to him as the backup for much longer.

When Jacob Markström missed two weeks in late October, all Allen did was lead New Jersey to five straight wins. Since Markström returned, the two have split the action and Allen has been one of the 10 best goalies in the league.

It’s a good spot to be in for the Devils. They have two older goalies, but each can be good enough to win games and singlehandedly turn the tide in New Jersey’s favor. If Markström finds his form, this tandem could soar up this list.

15. Anaheim Ducks

Young scorers Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish have turned Anaheim into one of the most entertaining teams in the NHL, but nothing has propelled the Ducks into playoff contention more than Lukáš Dostál’s emergence as an elite netminder.

The Ducks have scored the second-most goals in the NHL this season, but they also have allowed the most scoring chances per game of any team. Insert Dostál, one of the most cerebral goalies in the game, capable of making high-danger saves look easy with quick reads.

Almost every game, the Ducks get into a back-and-forth offensive duel, and almost every time, Dostál outplays the other goalie. Anaheim will have to rely on its depth in goal. Dostál is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and Petr Mrázek left Sunday’s game with an injury. That leaves Ville Husso, who is an excellent as far as third goalies go, to carry the load, most likely.

16. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have struggled to score goals this season, but they’re still one of the toughest defensive teams in the West. They play with great structure, which makes life easier on their goalies, and both Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg have taken advantage.

Here’s something odd about the Kings’ defensive metrics: They rank fifth in the NHL in expected goals allowed per 60 minutes, but 22nd in high-danger chances allowed. That means Los Angeles doesn’t allow much, but when it does, the shots are close to the net. That can be good for the total number of goals allowed, and rough on a goalie’s individual statistics, but Kuemper has actually handled it well. His .859 save percentage on high-danger shots is tied for the sixth-best.

17. Calgary Flames

The sophomore slump has been real for Dustin Wolf.

After a historically brilliant rookie season, the 24-year-old has lost 14 of his 20 starts and saved 2.44 goals below expected. The team in front of him has done him no favors, and Wolf still looks great when it comes to the eye test. He’s still the fast, twitchy goalie who took the league by storm a year ago, but in a results-oriented business, it’s hard to rank the Flames any higher than this with their current stats.

Backup Devin Cooley has shown well in limited action, and the future is still incredibly bright for Wolf, but the first quarter of the season has been rough.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets

It hasn’t taken Jet Greaves long to prove he’s the most talented goalie in the organization. After impressing for a few seasons in the AHL, the 24-year-old was handed the lead role in Columbus and is running with the opportunity.

Greaves is a lot like Wolf in that he does everything incredibly fast. He has quick feet to dart back and forth across his crease to stay with the puck. He has quick hands on high shots and quick recoveries in scramble situations. It’s still a small sample size, but it looks like the Blue Jackets have something here.

Meanwhile, Elvis Merzļikins has played right about in line with what we’ve come to expect over the last several seasons, in a much smaller role. While he hasn’t developed into the franchise goalie Columbus once hoped, he is a more than serviceable backup. Merzļikins is a smooth, flowy goalie who can be nearly impossible to beat when he’s on his game. Inconsistency has hurt him, but with a smaller workload, that problem has been minimized.

19. Philadelphia Flyers

In his first six seasons in the NHL, Daniel Vladař had yet to show that he was more than a backup. He played behind two good goalies in Markstrom and Wolf, and never played at a level to demand more starts.

Credit to GM Daniel Briere and goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh for seeing he could be more, and signing him to a two-year, $6.7 million contract in free agency. It’s still early, but their bet on Vladař has worked out. Vladař has taken over the No. 1 spot in Philadelphia and is playing the best hockey of his career.

The potential has always been there. Vladař is a giant, and he’s fluid for his size. He has looked more under control this season, and takes away most of the net even when he’s down in the butterfly. It’s a big reason he has the fourth-highest save percentage (.878) on shots inside 30 feet.

20. Florida Panthers

Similar to the Panthers as a whole, Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t been as great as expected. Statistically speaking, Florida belongs lower than this. It ranks 27th in GSAx and 22nd in team save percentage.

But this is Bobrovsky we’re talking about. His multiple Vezina trophies and Stanley Cup championships afford him the benefit of the doubt, especially when he still looks sharp. At 37 years old, the fear of him hitting the age cliff is real, but on film, Bobrovsky still looks as quick and explosive as ever. The defense has struggled in front of him, and he’s been beaten by a lot of tipped and screen shots that he had little chance of stopping.

The move to acquire Daniil Tarasov was a good one for Florida’s future, and he has looked solid in limited opportunities. It looks like he’s learning how to use his monstrous frame more effectively to cut off shooting angles, and honestly, the Panthers should use him more. Bobrovsky is on pace to start nearly 60 games, and at his age, that’s too many.

21. Vancouver Canucks

Life hasn’t been easy for this talented (when healthy) goalie tandem. Unfortunately for the Canucks, that qualifier about health has been required for the last several years, and Thatcher Demko is currently out with a lower-body injury.

Only the Islanders have allowed more high-danger chances than the Vancouver Canucks. Demko, and backups Kevin Lankinen, Jiri Patera and Nikita Tolopilo have played reasonably well considering the circumstances, but haven’t been good enough to overcome the poor defense in front of them.

22. Carolina Hurricanes

We transition from some of the busiest goalies in the league to the tandem that faces the fewest shot attempts against per 60 minutes, thanks to Carolina’s possession-heavy style. The Hurricanes have been running the rare three-goalie rotation when at full strength.

The two with the most starts — Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi — both have save percentages south of .900. Bussi, who made his NHL debut this season, has looked the strongest of the group. He has an unorthodox style that could be throwing shooters off, using some throwback techniques like a half-butterfly on shots from in tight. It’s been fun watching him run with this opportunity, but it’s also fair to wonder if Carolina has the goaltending to finally get over the hump this spring.

23. Utah Mammoth

In terms of workload, Karel Vejmelka has been up there with the true workhorses of the sport for the last two seasons. The Mammoth lean heavily on the big, Czech netminder, and he has handled it relatively well.

Vejmelka’s save percentage isn’t great, but that’s partially a product of the way Utah defends. The Mammoth have allowed the fewest shots per 60 minutes in the NHL, but a higher percentage of those shots are high-danger looks.

Servicable is the best word to describe Vejmelka and Vítek Vaněček this season. They haven’t stood on their heads to singlehandedly win games, but they’re also rarely a problem for Utah.

24. Buffalo Sabres

Early in the season, it looked like veteran journeyman Alex Lyon could take command of the Buffalo net, but he cooled off considerably in November.

Lyon looked great early, playing his aggressive style with his heels at the top of his crease to great effect. He was excellent in six of his first seven starts, helping Buffalo earn wins. Since Oct. 28, he has come back down, with an .865 save percentage in six appearances.

Colten Ellis has had his moments, including a solid performance to help the Sabres end Minnesota’s win streak on Saturday, and Ukko Pekka Luukkonen has the worst statistics of the three.

25. Nashville Predators

For the second straight season, Nashville is an unmitigated disaster. Statistically, the Predators duo of Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen is bottom-five in both save percentage and GSAx. The only thing keeping them slightly higher in this ranking is a belief that Saros is an elite goalie under the right circumstances.

The eye test says that’s still the case. He is still one of the best skaters at the position, and manages depth incredibly well to mitigate his size disadvantage. The biggest problem is, that style relies on making the right reads, and the Nashville defense has made that increasingly difficult. Saros is talented, but behind this team he is unlikely to put up statistics that match that.

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

A lot has gone wrong for Toronto, and the goaltending has played a part. The biggest difference between this season and last for Anthony Stolarz is how he has performed on shots from in tight. In 2024-25, he was one of the best in the league at stopping high-danger shots from around the net, but this season that hasn’t been the case. His .778 save percentage on those shots is well below the league average (.811) and is even further behind his impressive mark from a year ago (.850).

Woll has played well since his return, but has only won two of his six starts despite it. Goaltending hasn’t been the biggest of the Leafs’ worries, but it certainly hasn’t been a strength.

27. Vegas Golden Knights

Adin Hill wasn’t off to a great start prior to his injury, but losing him to a lower-body injury in late October has really hurt the Golden Knights.

In his absence, Vegas has rolled with a tandem of Akira Schmid and rookie Carl Lindbom. The defense has played admirably in front of them, allowing the second-fewest high-danger chances per 60 minutes (9.36), but the goalies have still produced a combined save percentage of only .888.

It’s a lot to ask of two inexperienced young goalies. To their credit, they’ve played well enough to keep Vegas in nearly every game, but if the Golden Knights are to regain the form of a true contender, it will start in the crease.

28. Montreal Canadiens

It’s been an uncharacteristically inconsistent season for Samuel Montembeault. He has served as a stablizing force for the Canadiens for the last several years, but has had more lows than highs in a rocky start to the season. If there’s one area with the biggest room for improvement, it’s stopping screened shots from the point. Far too many of those chances have found the net. There’s obviously blame to go around for the players in front of him on those chances as well.

For the youngster, Jakub Dobeš, there have been more highs but plenty of lows. He started the season red-hot, forcing his way into a bigger role in the rotation. He cooled off in November, though, allowing at least three goals in all seven appearances with an .888 save percentage.

29. Detroit Red Wings

It’s early, but so far John Gibson hasn’t been the answer to Detroit’s lengthy search in net. On film, he has looked like himself, playing with aggressive depth, often challenging shooters well outside of his blue paint. The results have been sub-optimial, though, and the Red Wings have rightfully leaned more on Cam Talbot lately.

Talbot hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire either, but he’s given Detroit more consistent and dependable performances on a nightly basis. When the Red Wings have won in 2025-26, it has been because of their offense. The goalie tandem ranks 31st in save percentage, and 29th in GSAx.

30. Ottawa Senators

The Senators’ goaltenders have earned this spot near the bottom of these rankings, but it doesn’t appear they’ll be here for long. Things are trending upward for Linus Ullmark, who has gone 4-1-1 in his last six starts with a .914 save percentage.

He still ranks 73rd of 74 goalies in GSAx this season. That’s how poor the start was. Ullmark’s recoveries have looked curiously sluggish, leading to rebound goals that he’d typically stop. At his age, the drop off in speed or athleticism is always a concern, but he’s strung together a handful of impressive starts lately to quell those concerns for now.

Analytically, the Senators should be much better than their record. They’ve looked structured defensively and allowed very little, but have been let down by goaltending. The good news is that Ullmark has the talent to turn it around.

31. Edmonton Oilers

Stuart Skinner’s 25-save shutout against Seattle on Saturday may quiet things for a bit, but the noise around the Oilers’ struggles in net still seems louder than ever. It’s easy to see why. The two-time defending Western Conference champs are currently outside a playoff position and rank last in team save percentage.

When Skinner is on, he’s a strong starting goalie. He uses his size well to take away shooting options and plays with good structure when he’s reading plays well. He just hasn’t been at his best nearly as consistently as Edmonton needs. He also doesn’t have the strongest reinforcement behind him. Calvin Pickard’s -3.69 GSAx brings his career total to -41.26, which ranks 251st out of 258 goalies to play since 2014.

32. St. Louis Blues

Based on perceived talent, the Blues’ goalie tandem would be ranked much, much higher than this. Jordan Binnington is viewed as a clutch performer and could still start for Team Canada at the Olympics. Entering this season, Joel Hofer was widely considered one of the best backups in the NHL, capable of starting for multiple teams.

Based on the results this season, though, this tandem couldn’t be ranked anywhere but last. The Blues have actually played decent hockey as a team, ranking in the top half of the league in nearly every underlying metric. They’ve given up the second-fewest expected goals per 60 minutes.

The problem has been the -11.32 goals saved above expected, which are equally shared by Binnington and Hofer. They are two talented goalies, and they may very well rank much higher the next time these rankings come out, but thus far, they’ve been the weakest tandem in the NHL.

(All goals saved above expected data via Evolving Hockey)