Thankful: The AHL Goalie Edition

By Heather Galindo On November 26, 2009

It’s American Thanksgiving today (I have enough Canadians in my life now that I must make the distinction), so I’m going to break from the norm a little and take a look at which teams have the most to be thankful for between the pipes as the first quarter of the season winds down.

#1 Texas Stars.

Not only are they at the top of the league due to their fantastic play at both ends of the ice, they have two of the top 6 goalies in the AHL manning the crease for them.

Brent Krahn has a mind-blowing 1.41 GAA and 0.958 save % with a 10-2-0 record. He’s got 3 shut outs, while his partner Matt Climie has 2 and sports a 1.95 GAA and an 0.936 save %.

Here’s a look at the Texas Stars by Dallas Stars beat writer Mike Heika, who gives a great perspective on how far Krahn has come in the last few years to become the best goalie in the league.

#2 Houston Aeros.

Houston is a team struggling mightily to find the back of the net. We’ve joked among ourselves that goaltending will have to be perfect for them to have even a hope at the playoffs, but Anton Khudobin gets the last laugh, having been perfect more often than any other goalie in the league with 4 shutouts.

Khudobin is currently second in the league and tops among rookies with a 1.49 GAA and 0.938 save %. He’s worked hard to fix some problems in his game in the off-season, and it’s showing in his rebound control and puck tracking in close, both of which are areas that have improved tremendously.

Here’s last night’s game report from his 4th shutout at The Third Intermission.

#3 Rochester Americans.

With the best win record in the league at 12-1-0 and an exciting, unusual style, Alexander Salak gives Amerks fans a lot to be thankful for. And that’s in addition to their 31 points as a team, which puts them at #2 in the league after years as an also-ran.

Let’s Go Amerks takes some time to express gratitude for the man between the pipes, and provides video of one of his incredible saves, as well as some game action. Check it out here.

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