Where does the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist sit among NHL goaltenders?

Is it a coincidence that the Rangers are on an absolute tear now that Henrik Lundqvist is back to his best form? Of course not. Lundqvist struggled to begin the year and many people began to wonder whether Lundqvist had peaked and whether the 32 year old’s best years were behind him. Lundqvist however has been able to rebound in a big way and has been – along with Rick Nash – the bedrock of the Rangers success.

In his first ten starts of this season Lundqvist was wildly inconsistent. In those first ten starts he conceded at least three goals six times and in addition to his bloated numbers, Lundqvist’s first few months were punctuated by his conceding several soft goals. Recently however, we’ve seen Lundqvist be much more compact, stingier and when needed, he has subsequently bailed the Rangers out on a few occasions. The San Jose win on Saturday was a prime example of when the Rangers had to rely on their goaltender he was an absolute brick wall.

Lundqvist’s return to form also coincides with the Rangers recent offensive outburst. When a team’s goaltender is on form it allows a team to take more risks, allows defensemen to pinch a little more and generally, allows a team to play more aggressively in all areas of their game. If Lundqvist is at his best, the Rangers are surely a Cup contender again this year. So where does Lundqvist belong in the pecking order of NHL goaltenders, right now?

A quick peruse of the goaltending statistics would suggest the established order are still the best around. Pekka Rinne has rebounded from a bad year last season to lead the league in wins and Rinne no longer has the comfort blanket of a defense first system in front of him – like Lundqvist he has adapted to a more offense first style. Carey Price has continued to prove he is a true franchise goaltender and is strong across all major goaltending categories. Marc Andre Fleury, Freddie Anderson and Ben Bishop are all having strong seasons but all three goaltenders benefit from powerhouse teams (and offenses) which perhaps inflate some of their statistics. That said, all goaltenders are putting in strong seasons.

The biggest surprises in the league from a goaltending perspective may be the extent of Ryan Miller’s return to prominence in Vancouver and Jaroslav Halak’s ability to backstop the Islanders to a hugely impressive record but Lundqvist certainly remains in the mix for the title of the league’s best. On form, arguably only Rinne stands in Lundqvist’s way.

The King’s form and consistency since the start of the December has been nothing short of Vezina worthy with eleven wins in his last twelve starts, conceding more than two goals just twice in that time frame while knocking off some of the league’s best teams during his streak highlighted by the California road trip.

Lundqvist usually saves his best for the second half of the season and if the same rings true this year then Lundqvist could still end up challenging Rinne, Bishop and Price for his second Vezina. More importantly if the Rangers franchise goaltender continues his career long pattern of peaking as the season gets more important the Rangers should enjoy a strong and successful season once more.