Goaltending volatility drags even the tightest championship matchups into high-scoring shootouts.
Expected to be a tight, defensive match-up, the 2026 Stanley Cup Final shattered projections by descending into an unpredictable, high-scoring shootout characterized by goaltending volatility and historic multi-goal comebacks.
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Frederik Andersen's sudden collapse illustrates how goaltending volatility can disrupt a championship run and drag tight games into high-scoring shootouts.
Massive goaltending variance and mistakes allowed both squads to rapidly swap multiple-goal deficits and leads.
Vegas's goaltending struggles repeatedly pulled what was meant to be a defensive slugfest into high-scoring outcomes.