Post 2 Post: Ten observations about NHL netminders

Each week, TSN Hockey analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan provides 10 observations about netminders in TSN.ca's Post 2 Post.

1. Henrik Lundqvist's slow starts

King Henrik's early struggles are nothing new and I think we all know how this will turn out this season.
2012-13: 1-3-0, 3.47 GAA, .895 SV%
2013-14: 1-3-0, 4.30 GAA, .879 SV%
2014-15: 1-2-0, 5.42 GAA, .816 SV%

2. Wild About Kuemper

He's off to a hot start, going 2-0-0 out of the gate with two shutouts. The Wild have only given up 23 shots per game, but Darcy Kuemper has been rock solid. With injuries and inconsistency from Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom, this organization is desperate for stability in net.

3. Reverse VH and VH Goals

Simply put, the 'VH' is a move that's been used by most NHL goaltenders to close off real estate against sharp-angle shots. When the puck is in the corner or just above the goal line, a goalie seals the strong side post by planting his lead pad vertically (hence the 'V') against the post. He then positions his back pad horizontally (thus the 'H') along the goal line.

The 'Reverse VH' is a position-changing movement made famous by Los Angeles Kings starter Jonathan Quick. Also called the post lean or shoulder lean, it's when a goaltender is in transition going down from an up position. If you eliminate that (if a goalie is down to begin with), you don't get beat in transition anymore.

Goalies get beat by it when the commitment to the move is late and they aren't getting down and sealing the ice. The move is all about the seal and what you do after the move, to transition for the next save. Max Pacioretty beat Jonathan Bernier in the Canadiens-Maple Leafs season opener when Bernier was late on his decision, as did Rick Nash scoring on Jaroslav Halak on Tuesday night.

4. New starter making an impact:

Frederik Andersen, Anaheim: 3-0-0, .928

5. Starters (or presumed starters) struggling to find form alongside Lundqvist:

Mike Smith, Phoenix: 0-1-0, .778
Cam Ward, Carolina: 0-1-1, .846
Steve Mason, Philadelphia: 0-2-1, .884
Roberto Luongo, Florida: 0-2-1, .870
Tuukka Rask, Boston: 1-2-0, .892
Jonathan Bernier, Toronto, 0-2-0, .882
Jonas Hiller, Calgary: 0-2-0, .901
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado: 0-2-1, .910

6. Veteran starters who have lived up to expectations so far:

Craig Anderson, Ottawa: 1-1-0, .955
Cory Schneider, New Jersey: 3-0-0, .937
Kari Lehtonen, Dallas: 1-0-1, .934
Braden Holtby, Washington: 1-0-1, .933
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay: 2-0-1, .931
Corey Crawford, Chicago: 2-0-0, .930
Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus: 2-1-0, .927

7. Backups having good starts:

Alex Stalock, San Jose: 1-0-0, 1.000
Martin Jones, Los Angeles: 1-0-0, .970
Reto Berra, Colorado: 1-0-0, .974
Karri Ramo, Calgary: 2-0-0, .934
Devan Dubnyk, Arizona: 1-0-0, .923
James Reimer, Toronto, 2-0-0, .920

8. New Start(er)s

Vancouver's Ryan Miller wasn't sharp against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, but still got the win and is 2-0-0 to start the season. While his numbers are less than sparkling, he'll still need to gel with his new team -  especially his defence with exchanges and puckhandling.

On Long Island, Halak has been outstanding, including a 40-save night against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He's also 2-0-0 to start the season and has helped stabilize a situation in goal that had been an issue for some time.

9. Pekka Rinne in fine form

Nashville's Pekka Rinne, coming off hip surgery that led to an infection, is still an elite goalie. He was missed dearly by the Predators last season and is off to a 2-0-1 start with a 1.62 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. He's one of the best goalies in the league and he's showing it early on.

10. More big name goalies getting pulled

The 2014-15 campaign is not even a week old, but there are some bigger names getting the hook out of the gate this season.

Last year at this time, six goalies were yanked through the first few games - Reimer, Quick, Rinne, Holtby, Devan Dubnyk and Tim Thomas.

So far this year we have seen eight guys get the hook, including some elites: Quick, Carey Price, Lundqvist, Semyon Varlamov and Luongo to go with Michael Hutchinson and Viktor Fasth.

But hey, it's still early. Plenty of hockey still to be played.