The rise of the strong backup goaltender in recent years has allowed NHL coaches to toy with giving their No. 1 goaltenders extra days of rest. Gone are the days of Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur starting 70-plus games; today, second-stringers are tasked with a healthy slate of 20 to 30 starts per season.
The difference between working a franchise goalie too hard and resting a bell cow too much can be a fine line. Teams have shied away from back-to-back starts with the availability of more effective backups. A goaltender has started a game on zero days of rest 40 times this season league-wide. The call to keep the Henrik Lundqvist's, Cory Schneider's and Tuukka Rask's fresh through the grueling NHL schedule keeps starters on the bench for one game of a back-to-back set more often than not; that's especially true this season with the compressed schedule thanks to the World Cup.
The truth is, how much rest is the "best" amount of rest is dependent on the goaltender. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, goalies have posted a .916 save percentage in games coming off of one day of rest, two days of rest and three days of rest. That number drops slightly to .914 in games with no rest (but it sits at .928 in 40 such starts this season). In games with at least four days of rest, goalies have recorded a save percentage of just .911 (.910 this season), due in part to backup goalies typically going into their called-upon start cold and skewing the numbers.
Some goalies need the net every night, while others perform their best when they get some time off. Let's look at the goalies who are best suited for long rest, and those who are built for short rest.
Short-rest strugglers
Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers
The 37-year-old Panthers starter has been exceptional in games in which he goes in fully rested, and his goals-against average steadily improves with each extra day off. In 21 starts with four days or more of rest since the start of the 2014-15 season, Luongo has gone 16-3-2 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average, but his rates drop to .915/2.47 in games with one day of rest, and .911/2.80 in three games with no rest. Florida has done a good job of doing just that, starting Al Montoya last season in 22 games before signing James Reimer this offseason to spell Luongo.
Note: Stats in all tables are from 2014-15 to Dec. 11 of this season.
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders
The emergence of Thomas Greiss last season was big for the Islanders, beyond just having an answer in goal when Halak went down with an injury in March. It has allowed them to give Halak more rest even when healthy. When given at least three days off, Halak stops 91.9 percent of shots against. In 36 games with just one day of rest since 2014, his save percentage is just .911, and it drops to .879 when playing on back-to-back days.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
Howard has shifted in and out of the starter job as much as any goalie in the NHL, constantly battling Petr Mrazek for playing time. His numbers are abysmal in games with as much as two days of rest, but they skyrocket when given at least three days off, with his save percentage climbing from .909 in games with no rest to .930 in games with three days of rest. Unfortunately for the Wings, Mrazek's play has been just as inconsistent, forcing them to run with the hot hand for much of the past two seasons and ignore trends.
The goaltending in Dallas was probably what held the Stars back last season, but Niemi's numbers suggest he is best suited for the exact situation the Stars have. He is not a workhorse goaltender, especially at 33 years old. He most often has been used in games with one day of rest in the past two and a half seasons, but his 2.86 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in such games make it a challenge for any team to win. However, when Niemi is given time off, as his timeshare with Kari Lehtonen ought to allow, he is exceptional. In 13 games with three days off, he stops 94.5 percent of shots on goal, and his goals-against average is a stellar 1.62. In games with four or more days off, it's more of the same, with a .926 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average. Just speculating a bit here, but maybe it's time for Niemi to be the lesser-played netminder in something like a 65-35 percent starting split, if the Stars can find themselves someone to work the "65."
Long-rest strugglers
Elliott rose to the occasion when Jake Allen went down last season, and he was forced to be an every-game starter for St. Louis. He was nothing short of terrific, and he was acquired by Calgary to be the No. 1 there this season. It's been a long start to the season for Elliott, but his numbers on short rest are undeniably good regardless of his early struggles. When given four or more days off, Elliott's save percentage is .908; in games with one day of rest, that jumps to .919. In fact, in four appearances in games with zero rest, his save percentage is a comically good .947 and his goals-against average is a minuscule 1.35. The best chance to get Elliott hot again is to let him play.
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Quick is still out recovering from a groin injury, but his body of work points to him needing to be in the net. He started 71 games in 2014-15 and another 68 last season. Too much? Not for Quick. His .943 save percentage and 1.70 goals-against average in seven games with no days rest showed that he could handle the workload, but his .891 save percentage in games with three days off (and his .900 percentage in games with four or more days off) showed that as much as it benefited the team to play him on short rest, it hurt them to rest him.
Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators
Anderson is another goalie who seems to get hot and stay hot when he is the only one in the crease. Despite Andrew Hammond challenging for the starting job at times during the past two seasons, Anderson remains the guy in Ottawa, perhaps in part due to his incredible performance when being leaned on. In 42 games with one day of rest, he is 24-14-4 with a .922 save percentage.
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche
Colorado has put a great deal of trust in Varlamov during the past few seasons -- and is paying him well enough to do so. The Russian played in 12 games with no rest, and another 65 with only one day of rest since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. The result? A dazzling .928 save percentage on no rest. Give him three days off? That number falls to .889.
And for those of you who'd like to see the data on all goalies from 2014-15 to this season: