The goaltender is one of the most fascinating positions in sports because no single player has more influence over a hockey team's fortunes, yet it can be almost impossible to predict which goalies will get cold -- and how long it will last.
Here are the 10 teams facing the greatest challenges in net this season. We'll diagnose the possible causes, predict how long things will last and propose some solutions.
Arizona Coyotes
Goalies: Antti Raanta, Scott Wedgewood
Team save percentage: .894 (28th)
Cap charge for goalies: $1,650,000 (31st)
Due to financial constraints, the Coyotes began the season without an established No. 1 goalie. Their best bet was Antti Raanta, who has been one of the league's better backups the past three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. However, Raanta was injured early in the season, and backup Louis Domingue struggled with the top job, going 0-6-0 with an .856 save percentage.
Between Marek Langhamer, Adin Hill and Hunter Miska, Arizona has pretty strong organizational strength down the line, but for the team's immediate needs, GM John Chayka wisely chose to acquire Scott Wedgewood from the New Jersey Devils and dealt Domingue to the Tampa Bay Lightning for veteran Michael Leighton just in case. Thanks to Raanta's return to the lineup, Wedgewood's solid play and the additional depth, the Coyotes should have reliable goaltending the rest of the way.
Looking ahead:
Buffalo Sabres
Goalies: Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson
Team save percentage: .891 (T-30th)
Cap charge for goalies: $6,500,000 (19th)
If there were ever a clear case of a team's defensemen having a negative impact on team save percentages, it would be the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres.
Injuries to Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges pushed an already questionable blue line well beyond the breaking point. Journeymen such as Matt Tennyson, Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun have been deployed in the top four at various points, which didn't make it easy on the team's netminders.
Lehner's save percentage dropped from a career average of .918 to .906 and Johnson's from .914 to .883. Now that the team's defense is back to full health, the onus is on the goalies to get their save percentages back to normal -- especially given that their contracts expire this season.
Looking ahead: Even Dominik Hasek would have struggled behind this injury-plagued edition of Buffalo's blue line.
Calgary Flames
Goalies: Mike Smith, David Rittich
Team save percentage: .901 (T-20th)
Cap charge for goalies: $5,325,000* (25th)
*includes buried cap hit for Eddie Lack
The Flames began the 2017-18 season with their third different two-goalie tandem in three seasons. This time, it was Smith and Lack.
Given that both goalies historically ranked at the top of the league in average quality of shots faced, Calgary was clearly banking on a big improvement behind a stellar top four that was further bolstered with the acquisition of Travis Hamonic. The Flames were also gambling that age wouldn't be a factor for Smith, the league's fourth-oldest goalie at age 35.
Although Smith initially performed well, Lack stumbled out of the gate, with an .813 save percentage, and has been sent to play with the AHL's Stockton Heat. Jon Gillies, .750, and David Rittich, .875, have struggled in brief trials as the backup. To make Calgary's situation even more challenging, even Smith's play has started to fade, with a save percentage of .903 since Nov. 1.
Looking ahead: Eventually, one of Calgary's goaltending gambles will pay off.
Carolina Hurricanes
Goalies: Scott Darling, Cam Ward
Team save percentage: .899 (23rd)
Cap charge for goalies: $7,450,000 (12th)
Based on his .922 career save percentage, which ranks seventh among those to play at least 20 games between 2014-15 and 2016-17, Darling made a lot of sense as Carolina's new No. 1 goalie. However, $16.6 million over four years might have been an oversized vote of confidence in a career backup, and that thought is backed up by the fact that he's sporting a .902 save percentage so far in 2017-18.
Given that veteran Cam Ward's .914 save percentage is his best since 2011-12 and that Hurricanes goalies play behind what is shaping up to become one of the league's best blue lines for years to come, plus some of his own embarrassing blunders, it's fair to place much of the blame for the slow start at Darling's feet.
Looking ahead: It's too early to be pessimistic.
Colorado Avalanche
Goalies: Semyon Varlamov, Jonathan Bernier
Team save percentage: .896 (27th)
Cap charge for goalies: $8,650,000 (fourth)
The Avalanche are a young team with few established defensemen. Half of the defenders they've used this season have fewer than 50 games of NHL experience, and Erik Johnson is the only veteran with demonstrated experience handling tough minutes. That makes it easy to place the blame for the team's defensive woes on an inexperienced blue line.
However, the Avalanche have invested a lot in Varlamov and expect him to pick up some of the slack. On July 1, 2011, they traded away the draft choice used on Filip Forsberg (No. 11 overall in 2012) to acquire him, and on Jan. 30, 2014, they signed him to a five-year extension worth $29.5 million. Thus, it is doubtlessly with some frustration that they have watched him compile a .908 save percentage between 2015-16 and today, which ranks 55th among the 72 goalies to play at least 20 games in that time. He ranks immediately behind his backup, Bernier.
Looking ahead: An inexperienced blue line means the Avs need a Vezina-caliber performance in goal, but they don't appear likely to get one.
Dallas Stars
Goalies: Ben Bishop, Kari Lehtonen
Team save percentage: .903 (19th)
Cap charge for goalies: $10,816,667 (first)
The Stars were a difficult inclusion on this list because their goaltending is basically acceptable. However, given the team's considerable investment in nets, goaltending should be one of the team's strengths.
Unlike in previous seasons, the blue line can no longer be blamed for the deficiencies in goal. Although currently sidelined by knee surgery, Marc Methot added the defensive-minded second-pair veteran the Stars needed, several of their young defensemen have successfully developed into solid NHLers, and their defensive depth was nicely shored up by Greg Pateryn. Now it's time for Bishop to play like the two-time Vezina finalist he was paid to be.
Looking ahead: Dallas needs to get more bang for its buck.
Detroit Red Wings
Goalies: Jimmy Howard, Petr Mrazek
Team save percentage: .901 (T-20th)
Cap charge for goalies: $9,291,667 (third)
Detroit has a lot of cap space invested in goaltending, but Howard's save percentage is below league average for the fourth time in five seasons, and Mrazek's .899 figure since the start of the 2016-17 season ranks 55th among the 59 goalies to play at least 20 games.
The Red Wings have also over-invested in the blue line. Their top four defensemen by ice time are Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley and Niklas Kronwall, and they have an average age of 34.2 and a combined cap hit of $18.17 million.
Given this situation, GM Ken Holland's focus has to be on freeing up cap space by finding takers for one or more of these contracts. If so, Detroit has the flexibility to use either Jared Coreau or Tom McCollum as a temporary replacement in nets.
Looking ahead: Given the team's tight cap situation, Detroit will need to manage with below-average goaltending in the immediate future.
Edmonton Oilers
Goalies: Cam Talbot (injured), Laurent Brossoit, Nick Ellis
Team save percentage: .891 (T-30th)
Cap charge for goalies: $5,841,667 (23rd)
After years without a reliable starter, the Oilers did well to acquire Talbot from the Rangers on June 27, 2015, even if it cost them a few draft picks and $12.5 million in cap space over three seasons.
However, it was an unnecessary gamble to play him more than 70 games and without an established backup. A low-cost veteran free agent would have been good insurance against injury or unexpected struggles and in case the team's young backups, Brossoit and Ellis, required additional development time.
An injury to the team's top defenseman Andrej Sekera certainly didn't help matters, but at least some of the early struggles in goal could have been avoided.
Looking ahead: Without a reliable backup, Edmonton's struggles could continue.
New York Islanders
Goalies: Thomas Greiss, Jaroslav Halak
Team save percentage: .898 (T-24th)
Cap charge for goalies: $7,833,333 (9th)
Prior to this season, the Islanders had two goalies with career save percentages in the top 20 among active goalies with at least 100 starts: Halak's .917 was 15th and Greiss was 20th, with .916. As such, it made sense to go with a two-goalie platoon.
Although the intention might have been to wait for one goalie to step forward and decisively claim the No. 1 job, then trade the other and allow Christopher Gibson and Kristers Gudlevskis to battle for the backup role, both veterans are off to slow starts. In 2017-18, Halak's .905 save percentage ranks 29th out of the 39 goalies who have played at least 10 games, and Greiss ranks 37th, with .890.
Looking ahead: The Islanders must continue to patiently wait for Greiss and/or Halak to regain their established form.
Ottawa Senators
Goalies: Craig Anderson, Mike Condon
Team save percentage: .892 (29th)
Cap charge for goalies: $6,600,000 (18th)
Swept up in emotion after a great season, the Senators signed Anderson to a two-year extension worth $9.5 million on Sept. 29, 2017 -- perhaps overlooking the fact that he is 36 years old.
Although there have been exceptions, such as Martin Brodeur, Tim Thomas, Dwayne Roloson and Roberto Luongo, most goalies can no longer serve as a team's No. 1 option in their late 30s. Despite his .921 save percentage the past three seasons, which ranks 13th among the 77 goalies to play at least 20 games in that span, Anderson might not be one of those exceptions, with an .895 save percentage so far this season.
The Senators might not have the cap flexibility to address their situation, having also invested $7.2 million over three seasons in backup Mike Condon, whose career .908 save percentage ranks 56th among the 72 goalies to play at least 20 games in the same time.
Looking ahead: Historical results suggest the Senators' struggles will continue.