Ex-Red Wing James Reimer Heating Up
James Reimer (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)Goalies are the most critical players on the ice.
Scoring goals is nice – but it doesn't mean anything if your netminder is not up to snuff.
Former Detroit Red Wings goalie James Reimer has had a strange season. He started with the Buffalo Sabres, was put on waivers, claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, placed on waivers again, and finally claimed by the Sabres.
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Although Reimer hasn't played much this year, he's started four consecutive games. Despite starting the year terribly, things are turning around for him.
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He's posted a save percentage (SV%) of .900, .917, .938, and .920 with a 3-1 record in four consecutive starts.
He’s hovering around league average for the season. In 17 games, Reimer has a record of 5-8-2, a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 SV%.
Digging into MoneyPuck numbers gives us a few more observations. Reimer leads all Sabres goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected with 8.1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have GSAx of -5.6 and -8, respectively.
Cam Talbot (Tim Fuller-Imagn Images)Amongst all NHL goalies who have played at least 15 games, Reimer ranks 26th in GSAx. The only Red Wings goalie who has done better in this metric is Cam Talbot, who ranks 22nd with 10.6.
In his last season with the Red Wings, he had similar numbers. Reimer boasted an 11-8-2 record with a 3.11 GAA, a .904 SV%, and two shutouts.
While it wasn’t a mistake to let Reimer go, his recent hot streak is proof that he still has some game to bring to the table. But, just like all things, it probably won’t last very long.
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