Flames are getting Vezina Trophy-like goaltending from Markstrom

Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is proving that last season’s struggles were nothing more than a bump in the road.

Like many Flames, Markstrom simply wasn’t at his best in 2022-23. His .892 save percentage (SV%) in 59 appearances marked the first time he finished an entire NHL season below the .900 mark. The organization was hopeful he could turn things around in 2023-24, and he has been able to do just that.

While his overall season totals of 2.65 goals against average (GAA), along with a .907 SV% through 22 appearances, don’t jump off the page, he has been, without a doubt, the Flames’ best player this season.

Early into the season, Markstrom’s personal stats weren’t great, but fans tuning in were well aware that he was keeping the Flames in games on a nightly basis. That has been the case even more so as of late, as he has been red hot since the start of December. In fact, in his six starts in December, he recorded a 2.20 GAA and a .921 SV%. In his only start thus far in the New Year, he kicked aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.

This season, and in particular over the last month, we have seen the 2021-22 version of Markstrom, a goalie who ended the season as a Vezina Trophy candidate. While he isn’t popping up in Vezina conversations this year, that could soon change if he keeps this going. If, by some chance, he can drag this Flames team into a playoff spot, he has a great shot at being a top-three finalist in Vezina voting for the second time in his career.

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