Jamie McLennan TSN Hockey Analyst Follow|Archive

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

1) Mason MacDonald and Mackenzie Blackwood - I want to give these young goalies a shout out - including the next generation of great players that participated at the World Juniors.



When you're an NHL fan, it's often tough to alter your view of different levels of hockey. We all watch so many NHL games and we use that as a comparable when we see huge tournaments like this. So when mistakes are made or missed plays happen, we often parallel them with that of the pros.

And while there's a select few at the World Juniors that are already pros (and most of these guys will be pros very soon), there's a reason why they're not in the NHL yet. They're young and still developing. So regardless of where you placed in the standings in the tournament, every bit of that great experience helps make you a better player along the way.

Congrats to everyone on making your respective teams and competing at the highest level. And good luck, as you have hopefully just begun very long and prosperous careers. Regardless of how it went, your family, friends and fans are very proud of your accomplishments.

2) Roberto Luongo - At 36, he's been the backbone of the Florida Panthers organization. He's now pushed his save percentage to .930 - a mark he hasn't reached since back in 2003-04 in his first stint with Florida.

He's looking like he's 25 and is showing no signs of wearing down under the workload. Luongo's game is much more efficient in net, he knows what his limitations are and doesn't step out of his comfort zone in save selection. His work ethic is second to none when it comes to preparation, he rarely takes a day off and skates every day to keep himself dialed in mentally.

He has to be in the Vezina conversation.

3) Karri Ramo - For someone who cleared waivers at the start of the season and seemed to be on his way out of the league, he's not only has re-established himself in Calgary but has taken a stranglehold on the starting job.

Ramo's an active goalie in the net with the cool Finnish demeanour his predecessor Miikka Kiprusoff was so known for. He's stabilized the Flames in goal and has given them a chance to win every night.

4) Jake Allen - With 18 wins on the season, he's pushed through as the undisputed No. 1 in St. Louis. From what his teammates have told me, Allen has a real good skill set and work ethic. The challenge for him now is to gain as much experience as possible, because we all know he'll be relied on heavily in the playoffs. He got a good dose of postseason experience last season and learned from it to become a more confident goalie.

I'm very impressed with his movement in the net - it's controlled and has purpose. I had the luxury of watching him this summer at a goaltending symposium in Wisconsin and seeing him work on the details of his game was impressive. Meeting him and seeing how great of a person he is as far as understanding the position and working at it to grow as a player, I see that the Blues have a special goaltender in Jake.

5) Corey Crawford - With four shutouts in his last 10 starts and leading the NHL with six, he's often overshadowed because of the star power on his team. But Crawford has been a steady rock this season for them. I'm always impressed with his fight each night. Sometimes his style points get tossed out the door, but he finds a way to get it done for his team.