Five Goalies Who Excel at Struggling on the Road
For a team to win, a sharp and skillful goalie is a necessity, but they must be able to excel on the road just as well as in front of their own fans. Unfortunately, five NHL goalies stick out for all the wrong reasons in this regard.
The backbone of any hockey team is their goaltender. As the last line of defense, NHL goalies have one of the toughest jobs in sports. They must be locked in from the moment they step on the ice until that final horn sounds.
All of that weight on their shoulders is a lot – not to mention all the equipment – but on top of that, some of these goaltenders are playing while being screamed at by over 15,000 opposing fans a night.
Playing on the road is tough for any opposing player, but for goalies, playing on the road can be a nightmare, and with that, some goalies have fared better than others in these situations. Here are five goalies who have struggled on the road. For the purposes of this list, only goalies with 40 or more road games played since the 2021-22 season will be eligible. Let’s get to it.
5. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
After so many injuries in recent years, it’s easy to forget how good Andersen is. His .920 save percentage at home since 2021-22 ranks fifth among eligible NHL goalies.
But he doesn’t fare so well on the road and as a visitor, Andersen tends to drop in his production. His .908 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average away from home since 2021-22 are not awful by any means, but they’re not as good as his home numbers.
4. Jack Campbell, Edmonton Oilers
It’s been a rough go for Campbell. His first season with Edmonton didn’t unfold according to plan, and with Stuart Skinner and the Oilers now steamrolling the rest of the league, things aren’t looking great for ‘Soupy.’
A respectable .911 SP and 2.62 GAA in NHL home games since 2021-22 are quite good for someone currently playing in the AHL. However, his road numbers tell another story.
Campbell’s .893 SP and 3.45 GAA on the road over the past three seasons are definitely major factors keeping him out of the NHL. Goalies must be locked in and ready to go at any time and unfortunately for Campbell, it just hasn’t clicked in Edmonton.
3. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
A potentially controversial placement at No. 3, but Hellebuyck is on the list. The Winnipeg netminder has been sensational this season, and you have to dig deep into the NHL numbers to find stats that don’t make him look amazing. But he is human, after all, and Hellebuyck does display a drop in production on the road.
He’s a remarkable 50-31-6 at home since 2021-22 but checks in at 39-30-9 on the road. Not bad, but not nearly as dominant as his home performance.
Hellebuyck holds a .912 SP on the road since 2021-22 compared to .921 SP at home. So although he’s still a very solid goaltender when the Jets are on the road, his production does take a slight dip.
2. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks
Enjoying the best season of his career, the 28-year-old Demko has been a major key to the Canucks’ success this season. It appears though that Rogers Arena is a safe space for him because as you move away from Vancouver, Demko seems to drop in performance.
A scary-good .922 SP at home since 2021-22 is third in the NHL only behind Vezina Trophy contenders like Ilya Sorokin and Linus Ullmark.
However, Demko sees a dramatic drop in production when he’s a visitor, with a .902 SP and 3.06 GAA. The way Vancouver is playing, they better hope they can earn the top seed to give Demko a home playoff advantage, or things could end quickly on the West Coast.
1. Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
Montembeault has been solid for Montreal this season, but he comes in at No. 1 on this list nonetheless.
He has a 15-25-9 record on the road since 2021-22 and ranks second last in GAA among eligible goalies (ie. with at least 40 road games since 2021-22), allowing just under four goals a game at 3.77. Hockey is most definitely a team sport and not all of the poor play can be put on Montembeault, however, it’s clear something about being away from Montreal gets him down.
Montembeault has a .892 SP while away from the Bell Centre, which is well below the league average and a noticeable dip compared to his .906 SP at home. Although he hasn’t been himself on the road, he has played well in 2023-24, earning himself an extension with the Canadiens.