If there’s one truth hockey fans know all too well, it’s this: goaltending can make or break a season. A hot goalie can steal games, flip momentum, and give a team life when it has no business hanging around. On the flip side, shaky play between the pipes can drain a locker room faster than a five-minute major.
For the Penguins, the story in net this season has been a bit of a rollercoaster-but lately, there’s been more good than bad. Since Christmas, Pittsburgh has gone on a 14-3-3 tear, and the goaltending duo of Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs has played a key role in that surge.
Over that stretch, they’ve combined for a .905 save percentage-eighth-best in the league. That’s not elite, but it’s certainly strong enough to win games, especially when the rest of the team is rolling.
Let’s start with Skinner. From December 30 to January 25, he went on a heater-7-1 with a sparkling .934 save percentage and a stingy 1.63 goals-against average.
That run started with a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes and ended with a 3-2 victory over the Canucks. Skinner’s been known to ride waves-when he’s on, he’s tough to beat.
But when the tide turns, it turns fast. In his two most recent starts, he cooled off significantly, posting a .767 save percentage that brought his hot streak to a screeching halt.
Enter Silovs. While Skinner’s form dipped, Silovs quietly stepped up.
Over his last seven starts-dating back to January 10-he’s posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average. That’s the kind of consistency teams crave from their backup or 1B netminder, and it’s kept the Penguins in games they might’ve otherwise lost.
But how do these performances stack up across the league?
To get a clearer picture, let’s turn to one of the more telling metrics in modern goaltending evaluation: Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAE). This stat tries to quantify how many goals a goalie has saved-or allowed-compared to what an average goalie would’ve done in the same situations.
Among 91 goalies who’ve played in the NHL this season, Skinner ranks 23rd with a GSAE of 4.7. That includes his time with the Oilers earlier this year. Interestingly, that puts him just ahead of former Penguin Tristan Jarry, who sits at 24th with 4.3 GSAE.
Silovs, on the other hand, lands further down the list-62nd overall with a GSAE of -3.0. That suggests he’s allowed a few more goals than expected, despite his recent stretch of solid play.
Because GSAE can be skewed by workload, it’s helpful to look at the per-60-minute version of the stat. On that front, Skinner drops to 32nd with a GSAE/60 of 0.135, still respectable.
Silovs improves slightly to 55th with a GSAE/60 of -0.119. For comparison, prized prospect Sergei Murashov ranks 74th at -0.747.
Here’s a quick look at where each netminder stands in GSAE and GSAE/60:
| Goalie | GSAE (Rank) | GSAE/60 (Rank) |
|---|
| Skinner | 4.7 (23rd) | 0.135 (32nd) | | Silovs | -3.0 (62nd) | -0.119 (55th) |
| Murashov | -3.5 (64th) | -0.747 (74th) |
If we shift to more traditional stats like save percentage and goals-against average, the picture gets a little murkier.
Murashov leads the Penguins’ trio in GAA at 2.56, though his expected GAA (xGAA) sits at 1.81, indicating he’s allowing more than he should. That GAA ranks tied for 20th in the league. Skinner is tied for 36th with a 2.79 GAA (xGAA 2.92), while Silovs is tied for 49th at 2.93 (xGAA 2.81).
In terms of save percentage, none of the three are lighting the world on fire. Murashov is tied for 40th at .897, Silovs is tied for 45th at .895, and Skinner comes in tied for 57th at .890.
So while the recent results have been encouraging, the broader season-long numbers suggest Pittsburgh’s goaltending remains firmly in the middle of the pack-maybe even a shade below.
One more metric worth noting: Wins Above Replacement (WAR). This stat tries to measure a player’s overall value compared to a replacement-level player.
Skinner once again leads the group at 23rd with a WAR of 0.79, just ahead of Jarry. Silovs ranks 62nd (-0.51 WAR), and Murashov is 64th (-0.59 WAR).
Now, while advanced stats for AHL goalies aren’t as readily available, the Penguins do have some promising signs down on the farm. Murashov and Joel Blomqvist have both been solid for the Baby Pens.
Murashov ranks third in the AHL in GAA (2.07) and is tied for second in save percentage (.926). Blomqvist, despite a recent dip, is still 10th in GAA (2.43) and tied for fifth in save percentage (.916).
Bottom line: Pittsburgh’s NHL goaltending tandem has shown flashes of being more than serviceable, especially during the team’s post-holiday surge. Skinner’s capable of going on game-stealing runs, and Silovs has proven he can hold down the fort. But the numbers suggest there’s still room for growth-and perhaps a need for more consistency-if the Penguins want to make a serious playoff push.
The good news? There’s depth in the pipeline. And if the kids in Wilkes-Barre keep trending upward, the future in the crease might be brighter than it looks today.