Top 10 goalie tandems in the NHL

In the modern NHL, teams need two goalies to get anywhere. The actual tandem part of the goalie tandem is more essential than ever. No matter how great the starter is, a team cannot have a solid tandem without a strong second goalie.

As the 2025-26 season gets going, let’s take a look at the top 10 tandems in the league.

1. Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie

This is the easiest pick of the entire list. Fresh off Hellebuyck’s Vezina-winning season, Hellebuyck and Comrie seem to be everyone’s favorite goalie duo.

Leading the league in save percentage with a .924%, and goals against average of 2.05, Hellebuyck is expected to build on last season's success, although he has been below his usual play through his first two games.

While Hellebuyck will likely shoulder most of the playing time, Comrie is a very solid backup. With a .914 Sv% and a 2.39 GAA last season, he is statistically better than many teams’ starters and can successfully backstop the Jets when Hellebuyck needs a night off.

1. Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith

Coming off an extremely rough end to his postseason, Oettinger looks to bounce back into franchise-goalie form. Before he was pulled in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, he had a .909 Sv% and a 2.59 GAA on the season.

Spending all six of his NHL seasons with the Stars, he’s been above a .900 Sv% every year, and has his starting spot pretty secure- for good reason.

Acquired from Vancouver, after spending his first 5 seasons with Pittsburgh, DeSmith looks to continue his momentum from this past season, when he recorded a respectable .915 Sv%. Although he will undeniably be a backup to Oettinger, he’s a solid goalie for a good Dallas team.

1. New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov/David Rittich

Another goalie six seasons into his career with no sub-900 Sv% seasons, Sorokin is consistently one of the best. Although his stats have dropped slightly since the 2022-23 season, he still managed to post a .907 Sv% on a pretty-not-good Islanders team last season.

He’s also proved his ability to carry most of the responsibility and maintain his success through a heavy workload, facing the third-most shots against last season.

Varlamov has been trending into a more traditional backup role in recent seasons with the Islanders, largely due to his tendency to injury and age. He only played 10 games last season and is recovering from knee surgery to start this season.

The Islanders also brought in David Rittich from Los Angeles over the offseason. While his injuries create a question mark, Varlamov is a solid backup and they have some extra insurance with “Big Save Dave.”

1. Washington Capitals: Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren

Both are newer additions to the team, with Lindgren coming in the 2022-23 season and Thompson joining last season. They’ve been an upgrade from previous tandems and have helped the Capitals achieve much better seasons than anticipated. They split time pretty evenly, but Thompson seems to be emerging as their number one.

Thompson has been solid in his career thus far, with a .910 Sv% and 2.60 GAA last season. He’s started this season off even better, with a .921 Sv% through his first three games. Lindgren got a shutout in his first game, stopping all 35 shots he faced. He’s had some inconsistency, often alternating sub- and .900 Sv% seasons, but is set up to have one of his better seasons this year.

1. Colorado Avalanche: Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood

I think this is one of the most underrated tandems in the league. Although they struggle to stay healthy, both Wedgewood and Blackwood have been very solid (when they’re playing). Wedgewood only played 19 games last season, but had a 1.99 GAA and a .917 Sv% through them.

He’s started this year strong, playing all of the Avalanche’s four games. He currently sits with an impressive .935 Sv% and a 1.72 GAA. While these dominant stats are nearly impossible to maintain when he (hopefully) plays upwards of 30 games, it is a good sign that he will continue to build on last season’s success.

Blackwood played the most games out of all of Colorado’s six goalies last season, shouldering the load after Alexander Georgiev’s trade and Wedgewood’s injury. He’s had some struggles since COVID, but has been bouncing back the past two seasons. He finished last year with a 2.33 GAA and a .913 Sv%, very solid numbers for a 1b, or even backup, goalie in this league.

1. Los Angeles Kings: Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg

With a long, successful career so far, Darcy Kuemper is a solid starting option for this Kings team. Peaking at a .932 Sv%, averaging at .915 Sv% over his career, and coming off a .922 Sv% season, Kuemper has the potential and ability to be a top goalie in the league. However, he’s had some inconsistencies and a rough start to this year.

Anton Forsberg has also struggled with consistency, but tends to do well when he plays a solid amount of games. With the exception of 2023-24, he has had an Sv% above .900 when he plays more than 5 games in a season. His split with Kuemper will probably place him around 30 games, assuming both stay healthy.

Their first few games have been shaky, but this tandem should easily bounce back and balance out in a couple more weeks.

1. New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin and Johnathan Quick

The Rangers are typically ranked at least top five, if not top three, in goalie rankings. Shesterskin is undeniably one of the best goalies currently playing. However, Quick is aging, becoming inconsistent, and trending down.

Last season he had a 3.17 GAA and a .893 Sv%, on a Rangers team that had one of their worst seasons in recent years. While he is not a bad backup option, the Rangers will be in major trouble if Shersterkin gets injured and has to miss significant time.

With an impressive career Sv% of .918, Shersterkin managed to stay above .900 last season, even with a crumbling team in front of him. He will carry most of the load this season, as per usual.

The Rangers have already been shut out in three of their five games this season, but Shesterkin has posted insane stats with a 0.76 GAA and a .972 Sv%. There is no doubt he is a top 5 starter, but the team in front of him and Quick backing him up does not set him up for much success.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Anthony Stolarz and Cayden Primeau

Stolarez is coming off an incredible season. His .926 Sv% and 2.02 GAA placed him among the top 10 goalies in the league. While his stats are a bit inconsistent, he has been heating up in recent years. He split time with Joseph Woll last season, but, with Woll taking time off to attend to personal matters, he seems ready to succeed in a number one role.

Primeau is not a super secure backup option for the Leafs. Although he has previously only played for the Montreal Canadiens, his career stats are not good. However, he has shown flashes of success and has a lot of potential.

With a better team in front of him and more consistent playing time, he should develop into a solid backup. Additionally, if Woll can return and play to his abilities, the Leafs will have an extra line of security for their goaltending situation.

1. Detroit Red Wings: Cam Talbot and John Gibson

Detroit has extreme experience in its tandem of Talbot and Gibson. Together, they combine for 1,044 games played. With career save percentages of .913% and .910%, respectively, they are very solid to backstop this Red Wings team that is hoping to finally break into the postseason.

Talbot is off to a strong start, playing in all four of the Red Wings’ games so far and starting (and winning) three. He has a 1.78 GAA and a .932 Sv%. Gibson had a rough start, being pulled in his first game right before the end of the second period.

Coming off a .912 Sv% season with the Anaheim Ducks, Gibson should be able to bounce back in his next game and have a solid season backing Talbot up.

1. Minnesota Wild: Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt

This tandem can be a top-three duo. However, Wallstedt has only played six NHL games and Gustavsson is very inconsistent: when he’s hot, he's great, but when he’s bad, he’s awful.

Wallstedt had a good first game, allowing 3 goals on 34 shots and putting up a .912 Sv%. He has struggled in many of his NHL starts, but has succeeded in the AHL the past couple of years and is expected to have a breakout season. Gustavsson will be Minnesota’s starter and carry most of the workload.

His save percentage was in the top 15 last season. With a career .912 Sv% and 2.68 GAA, he should bounce back from his couple of rough starts to the season.

Jenny Karamus is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jrk6308@psu.edu.