Puck Prose
Fansided

NHL Western Conference’s Top 5 Players So Far This Season

By Daniel Mcclue

Oct 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save against warm-up against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save against warm-up against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Oct 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save against warm-up against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save against warm-up against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers – 6/1/0 record

*Update: List was written prior to Oilers 2-0 win on Friday, stats now read 7-1-0 with two shutouts, 2.17GAA and .934 save percentage – enough to garner a higher ranking after another impressive performance.

More from Puck Prose

Talbot may not be an elite goaltender on the level of Corey Crawford and Carey Price (among other), but he is giving the Oilers a chance to win. After 8 games no one could’ve predicted the Oilers would sit with seven wins and atop the Western Conference.

Of course, they have a star (or two) up front, but Talbot has been as important to the team as the other players. His 0.934 save percentage puts him third amongst goalies in the West, and his 2.17 goals against has him 5th. But he has the most wins, two more than the next best.

What’s most impressive is that Talbot has faced 259 shots – most in the NHL. Talbot has the third best power play save percentage and the 7th best even strength save percentage.

An area of weakness so far this season is when the Oilers are on the power play, conceding the short-handed goals against with two. This shouldn’t be too much of a concern, though.

Talbot gives the Oilers a chance to win, that’s not something they’ve had from a goaltender in a long, long time. They would be wise to ease the amount of shots taken on him.

Home/Editorials