Top 5 Breakout Goalies in 2007/2008

Kari Lehtonen- Lehtonen is a speedy goalie who plays for the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers have had a good season so far. Most of their success has come from 3 key players. Of course Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, but most fans over look the play of Lehtonen. Drafted in 2002 as the second overall pick, the Thrashers expected Lehtonen to become a great goaltender. This season he has played 48 games for the Thrashers and has 24 wins and 15 losses. Lehtonen also has a solid 90.9 save percentage and an average of 2.85 goals per game. Lehtonen has the skills to be a great goalie in the years to come. His size, at 6' 4", takes up a large portion of the goal and he still has incredible speed to move side to side. As the Thrashers improve their game, look for Lehtonen to do the same.

Marc-Andre Fleury- The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a fantastic season, and don't look to be slowing down anytime soon. New Players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have made the Penguins into a powerhouse. Fleury is another one of these young players. Fleury struggled early on in his career with Pittsburgh, playing a majority of his rookie season in the minors. Fleury has grown and matured into a goalie who is calm under pressure, and can deliver a win when the Penguins need it. On the season, he has 25 wins and 12 losses, and a good save percentage of 91%. Again, as the Penguins continue to improve in their success and continue drafting great players, look for Fleury to back stop Pittsburgh's way to the playoffs and beyond.

Antero Niittymaki- The Flyers have played terribly in the 06-07 season. As most would agree Niittymaki has played rather strong on most occasions and has been the star for the Flyers in more than a few games. Niittymaki proved his worth when he led the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers minor league team, to a championship in 04-05. Also in the 2005-2006 Olympics, Niittymaki was elected to the Olympic Tournament All-Star Team, as well as winning Olympic Tournament Best Goaltender and Olympic Tournament MVP. Niittymaki knows how to play his position, and I believe that he will only continue to help the Flyers dig themselves out of the ditch they are in.

Peter Budaj- When the Avalanche traded goaltender David Aebischer to the Montreal Canadiens for Jose Theodore, they expected that Theodore would bring his game with him. Their expectations of Theodore ended up being a pipe dream and Theodore has not played well for the Avalanche. This is where Budaj comes in. Budaj is Theodore's back up, but has recently stolen the spotlight and has played well. Budaj has played 32 games this season and has 16 wins and 12 losses. His save percentage is good at 90.4% and has allowed 2.66 goals a game. With Theodore's play so inconsistent, I believe that the Avalanche will latch on to Budaj and see if he can help them get into the playoffs.

Ilja Bryzgalov- The Anaheim Ducks are having a great season, only there is one problem, they have two number one goalies. Jean-Sebastien Giguere has played fantastically for the Ducks this season, and the Ducks want to ride his hot streak. Bryzgalov has found it hard to get his way into the net, although when he does he has played decently. He has 5 wins and 7 losses with 2.76 goals per game. Look for the Ducks to deal Brygalov either this season or next, and watch for him to become a number one goaltender wherever he goes.