MVP goaltenders in the finals

[Victor 10,580]

After Game 7s of the conference finals, the Quebec City Meute are making their second ever final appearance while the Cologne Express are through to their first. It took 14 seasons for the original eight VHL franchises to each win at least one cup with the New York Americans securing their first final berth in S13 and the win in S14. As this is the twelfth post-expansion season, the Express have followed a similar trajectory (minus the Shortbus era) and are probably the fans' favourite to win. But the series will come down to quite possibly goaltending.

The two teams' seasons were almost polar opposites, the Meute going in with the youngest and weakest netminder among the contenders and relying on two offensive partnerships of Travis Boychuk-Milos Denis and especially Aksel Thomassen-Bruno Wolf to win the Victory Cup and lead the league in goals scored. The Express barely scored at all, especially before the trade deadline acquisition of Robin Gow, and owe much to MVP-elect goalie Martin Brookside.

Based on their playoffs so far, Brookside (predictably) and Waldron (out of nowhere) have to be favourites to be crowned playoff MVP depending on who wins the cup. Cologne's offense has woken up but would they have swept Stockholm or beaten Helsinki without Brookside's excellence? Probably not. For Quebec, they definitely wouldn't be standing without Waldron as they were shut down and outshot by the Americans in 5 of 7 games (36 and 39 being the lowest NY shot tallies in those games) yet won 2 of the games they were outplayed in, including Game 7.

Just looking at the raw numbers, Brookside's .944 and Waldron's .957 are the greatest save percentages seen apart from Daisuke Kanou's legendary S24 performance (.962sv%, 0.98 GAA, 3 SO). Brookside's .944 is narrowly beaten by Aidan Shaw, also in S24, as well as Marek Van Urho's .954 all the way back in S10. In terms of GAA, 1.42 and 1.53 are again beaten only by Kanou, Shaw, and van Urho (Brookside losing just to Kanou) and Brick Wahl's recent S39 heroics.

Those stats could well get worse or become more lopsided. Perhaps Quebec's offence will light up in the final while the smart money is still on Brookside outplaying Waldron much like he did in the regular season. A Cologne championship would make Brookside the favourite for both reg.season and playoff MVP in the same season, a feat only previously achieved by Scotty Campbell (twice) and Alexander Chershenko. But ignore Waldron at your own peril, he may well turn this into the great goaltending match-up since that Shaw vs Kanou showdown.

[Kesler 1,514]

Weakest goalie out of the competing teams? Not true and he has one of the worst d cores in the league in front of him.

[Victor 10,580]

Wahl, Mike, and Brookside are on another level in TPE. And career stats.

[Kesler 1,514]

TPE? Umm all three of them are depreciated, I am pretty sure Waldron is like second in TPE in the sim. But he certainly is not on another level. Most of goalies are maxed at like 600 anyways and don't grow much past that. Just saying Waldron would be much better if he had s legitimate defensive core in front of him.

[Kendrick 4,724]

TPE? Umm all three of them are depreciated, I am pretty sure Waldron is like second in TPE in the sim. But he certainly is not on another level. Most of goalies are maxed at like 600 anyways and don't grow much past that. Just saying Waldron would be much better if he had s legitimate defensive core in front of him.

They aren't depreciated by 250-300+ TPE though. Not sure where you are getting your information that that would be the case. There is a huge difference in TPE and not even 3 years of depreciation over Waldron would change that.

[Kesler 1,514]

Brookside, Wahl and Mike have been depreciated twice, that's like what at least 130 or so. But this really doesn't matter lol, Waldron is playing amazing with a shit defensive core and Brookside is playing amazing with a good defensive core.

[Victor 10,580]

Wahl - 88 overall

Mike and Brookside - 83

Waldron - 81

Good play is often the result of facing lots of shots which is defence being not very good. And how was NY's defence better? Take away Bentley and it's Riga/Calgary level. One player can't magically make two others (and CPUs) not shit.

You are the only team with 4 actual dmen and at least two of them are decent. Cologne's defence might be better because of Richardson but World Peace isn't significantly better than Yamazaki and Raymond would also be your 2nd/3rd + 4th is a CPU. It is better but Waldron isn't at some significant disadvantage.

[Kesler 1,514]

Exactly mike and Jason are slightly better then Waldron but certainly not on another level.

[Munk 1,298]

So much for being on hiatus...

[Victor 10,580]

Everything I say is a lie.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Waldron: 565 Effective TPE, .920 sv%, 1655 SA

Wahl: 737 Effective TPE, .922 sv%, 1691 SA

Brookside: 683 Effective TPE, .926 sv%, 1642 SA

Szatkowski Jr.: 625 Effective TPE, .922 sv%, 1735 SA

 

I originally came in here expecting to argue that Wahl, Brookside and Szatkowski Jr. were going to be on another level than Waldron, but the numbers don't really support that. Waldron's definitely the worst out of these 4, but there isn't really anything wrong with that.

 

Although the notion that Waldron's defense was the worst of the 4 is false.

[Victor 10,580]

so, nothing previous made this an expected result:

Waldron's .957 are the greatest save percentages seen apart from Daisuke Kanou's legendary S24 performance (.962sv%, 0.98 GAA, 3 SO).

[eaglesfan036 4,585]

waldron just proving mikes theory you don't need the most tpez to be best goalie

[Victor 10,580]

Waldron just got lit up /endthread

[Kesler 1,514]

Waldron just got lit up /endthread

Dude 4 goals man, thats a crazy amount. Hes done for the series now man. 4 goals is just too much to handle.

[Munk 1,298]

Dude 4 goals man, thats a crazy amount. Hes done for the series now man. 4 goals is just too much to handle.

I used to wonder if it was just my posts that Kesler would react to..

Hehe nub

[Baozi 1,638]

waldron just proving mikes theory you don't need the most tpez to be best goalie

 

Not the most, but you need to have a good amount of it. 300-400 doesn't cut it usually