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TSN Hockey Analyst

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TSN Hockey Analyst Jamie McLennan gives his weekly thoughts on five goaltending stories. 

1) CAREY PRICE - He was brilliant when needed to be in last Tuesday night's win and again on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Habs' success will always fall on his shoulders and it looks like the five-day break has rejuvinated him.

He looks a lot sharper in his movements and more dialed in finding pucks through traffic. He is now third all-time in wins in Canadiens history, passing the legendary Ken Dryden. I've always said Price is a goalie who could steal a playoff series or two, but he's also a generational talent who's capable of delivering a Stanley Cup on his own if he's at the top of his game. 

He has no control over his team's ability to score (the Habs have been in a real dry spell to say the least), so he may have to post a shutout now an then to get this team some points.

There's nothing like more pressure added in a market where every fan is on edge. 

2) JUUSE SAROS - He's played real well behind Pekka Rinne and has warranted more time in net. Rinne has been a terrific mentor for him. Both goaltenders have contrasting styles considering their difference in size (Saros is 5-11 to Rinne's 6-5) and I know people in Nashville are pushing for him to get more time in the net, but his progression has been tied to Rinne's mentorship. 

And Pekka has lots of good hockey left in him as well. One real impressive trait Saros has is his ability to read plays and be patient. He has to be given his size and it so far has translated to solid play by the rookie.  

3) MICHAL NEUVIRTH - Getting most of the starts recently for the Flyers, he's been a big part of them climbing back up the standings again. He's played in 12 of the last 14 games and is starting to be more consistent. 

Missing 20-plus games due to injury, Steve Mason was forced to carry all of the workload. He was really good early on, but wore down and only has two wins in his last 14 appearances. Neuvirth will be a UFA this summer and would be a terrific 1A signing if the Flyers choose to move away from one or both of their guys. 

4) DEVAN DUBNYK - He's been the best goalie all season long. One thing I admire about him is his structure, he knows what he's good at and stays within his strengths/wheelhouse of technique. He works real well with Minny's structure in front of him and knows where the soft spots are in the defensive zone where the danger comes from. 

His ability to be consistent stems from his predictability in net. He makes the right save selection every time, so he knows what he's doing post-save as well. He's my Vezina winner if it was chosen today. 

5 ) MATT MURRAY - It's crazy that he's still technically a rookie, with all he has accomplished so far in his young career at the age of 22. 

He went through a bit of a struggle early on because of his injury at the World Cup, but his overall season has been great. I feel bad for him because any other year he would probably be the front runner for the Calder Trophy. With the Matthews/Laine/Marner debate and Zach Werenski playing so well in Columbus, he'll certainly be lumped into the conversation, but I'm not sure he gets the popular vote. 

Murray's calmness in the net has always impressed me - he doesn't get rattled and has a confidence in his ability to make every save. Positioning is a real strength for him and he makes most saves look easy because of it.