They also use that time to meditate, to mentally prepare themselves to stand between two pipes, all alone, and stop pucks hurtling their way dozens of times.

Come playoff time, everything intensifies. Muscles grow tired, the stakes get higher and stretching may never be more important. Each goalie who has made it this far in this postseason has tailored his own routine, for his own body type and needs.

As is common, Lundqvist learned his routine as a teenager, when he was starting his professional career. He has mostly kept the routine the same ever since, but lately he has been more mindful about how his body responds to it. He turned 33 in March, which makes him the oldest starting goalie who is still in the postseason.

He is careful to strike a balance now, because if he overstretches, he feels sore the next day. He also tries to ease into games. If he can help it, he prefers not to do a split on his first save, but rather warm up gradually over the first 10 minutes or so.