Buffalo Sabres: Just how well is goaltender Craig Anderson playing?
By Sion Fawkes
In the Buffalo Sabres shutout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, goaltender Craig Anderson recorded 40 saves.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson sometimes he wishes he was 31 and not 41. And so do many of us, given his remarkable output this season. In 2022-23, Anderson has posted a GAA of just 2.71 with a 0.921 save percentage and has been one of the better goaltenders in the league, even if he has made just 12 appearances this season.
How good are these numbers? Take into account that the NHL averaged just a 0.907 save percentage last season. Anderson was a shade below that at 0.897 and he allowed 3.12 goals on average. This season, things are a little different. He ranks seventh in the NHL in save percentage among goaltenders who have played in at least 10 games. His GAA ranks 22nd.
Very few goaltenders can do what Anderson is doing right now, playing at an ultra-high level at such an advanced age. One goaltender who has is a man by the name of Dominik Hasek – you may have heard of him. Some regard Hasek as the greatest goaltender of all time, and back in 2005-06 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, he allowed a 0.925 save percentage and a GAA of 2.09.
Buffalo Sabres Craig Anderson doing something not seen since Hasek days
Hasek returned the following year and posted a 0.913 save percentage and 2.05 GAA at age 42. He came back to the NHL for one more season at 43, and still put together a 2.14 GAA and save percentage of 0.902. Not bad for a man who was the 199th overall pick in the NHL Draft once upon a time.
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Other notable goaltenders who have excelled in their 40s include Jacques Plante, Gump Worsley, Johnny Bower, and Dwayne Roloson. While Hasek and the aforementioned goaltenders enjoyed better careers, it is safe to say that, at the moment, Anderson is keeping pace with them at an advanced age. And this is something the Buffalo Sabres desperately need considering the poor play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Eric Comrie.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: At 41, Craig Anderson is doing what few goalies have done in NHL history by Colton Pankiw
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