Off-season ranking season again. This one is goaltending tandems: recent results, how the pair shares the load, what it does to the standings. Colorado sits first. The rest of the top five is stuffed with Vezina form and Cup minutes.
1. Colorado: Blackwood and Wedgewood
Jennings Trophy after 197 goals against in 2025–26, fewest in the league. Wedgewood led at 2.02 GAA and .921. Blackwood: 2.51, .904, 23 wins, three shutouts. GSAx backs the eye test: Wedgewood 23.1, Blackwood 8.4. Presidents’ Trophy winners heading into another Cup window. Hard to argue with that crease.
2. Toronto: Bobrovsky and Stolarz
Toronto reunited the Florida Cup pair from 2024. Bobrovsky has 429 regular-season wins, two Vezinas, two Cups. Last year: 34–19–4, 2.44 GAA, .911, six shutouts. Stolarz had a career year at 24–8–3, 2.21 and .923. Combined GSAx of 22.2 and 15.8 is rare depth for an 84-game grind. Leafs finally look adult in net.
3. Tampa Bay: Vasilevskiy and Johansson
Vasilevskiy took the 2025–26 Vezina: 39–16–3, 2.31, .911, five shutouts in 58 starts. Tampa hit 106 points and a ninth straight playoff. Johansson handled the backup nights without drama. 24.7 GSAx for Vasy, fourth in the league. Still a Cup team if that net holds.
4. Washington: Thompson and Lindgren
Thompson’s career year (37–6–7, 2.44, .912 in 51 games) put him in the Vezina chat. Lindgren went 19–11–3 with a 2.73 as one of the steadier East backups. Thompson led the NHL at 29.3 GSAx. Clearest “he stole more than the shot map said he should” number on this list.
5. Montreal: Montembeault and Dobes
Montembeault carried a real No. 1 load: 31–18–7, 2.69, .907. Rookie Dobes went 17–7–2 with 2.47 and .916. Habs hit 106 points, made the playoffs, won two rounds before the East Final. Dobes’ 17.3 GSAx was elite for a 25-plus game sample. Young crease. Actual results. I like that combo a lot more than the brand names some people still prefer.
