from Dominik Luszczyszyn of The Hockey News,

The Bruins, Blue Jackets, and Avalanche haven’t had great starts to the season, and it seems a lot of fingers are being pointed toward their goalies. Boston’s Tuukka Rask hasn’t been very sharp at all, Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov has already fallen out of favor with head coach Patrick Roy, and Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky has let in four or more goals in five consecutive games.

It’s an ugly start that’s a bit shocking considering their output over the last few years. In the two seasons prior, Rask has had a sparkling .936 save percentage at 5-on-5 (and a Vezina trophy) while Bobrovsky (a Vezina in 2013) and Varlamov (second to Rask in 2014) are at .928 and .927 respectively.

This year, Rask, Bobrovsky, and Varlamov are at .863, .830, and .843. To say they’ve been brutal is putting things lightly. At this point they might be better off using beach balls instead of pucks, but I’m not sure they’d save those either.

It’s not all their fault, though. Looking at the location of shots they’ve had to face paints a bleak picture of the defensive problems facing each team. It’s easy to point the finger at the guy in net, but the players in front of them haven’t done them any favours.

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