Unmasked: Rest key for goalies with condensed schedule

Joey Daccord has not served as the backup goalie for a single game this season.

Even during preseason games, when the Seattle Kraken No. 1 goalie was not starting, he was not in the lineup or on the bench as the backup. It's all part of a plan to find more rest for Daccord.

Several teams are using similar tactics more regularly to manage the condensed schedule that comes with NHL players taking part in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

"I think it's great, personally," Daccord said. "Trying to save as much energy as possible. … Any goalie will tell you that when you back up, yeah, it is a little less mental stress, but at the same time it's always the back of your head that you may have to go in, and you always have to be ready."

Daccord, who was one of four goalies to take part in the United States Olympic orientation camp in August, started 11 of the Seattle's first 13 games, but he's been out since sustaining an upper-body injury during a game against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 5.

The idea of sitting on the bench during a game might not seem like it would require a lot of energy, but the reality is backup goalies have to go through their pregame warmup routines and be prepared to go in at any time. And even though most goalies have a modified warmup that is less strenuous for nights they aren't likely to play, there still is a physical and mental toll that comes with that preparation.

"I have a different warmup when I'm not starting, but even including preseason I haven't done that warmup yet this season," Daccord said. "That's energy saved."

It's a strategy made possible by Seattle carrying three goalies this season: Daccord, Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray. They aren't the only team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators each have called up a goalie from the American Hockey League at least once this season to give their respective No.1 goalies -- Anthony Stolarz and Linus Ullmark -- a full night off in a back-to-back situation.

The Maple Leafs played back-to-back games against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 24-25, and Stolarz did not dress for the second game, with Cayden Primeau starting and Dennis Hildeby the backup. Ullmark did not dress for the front-end of a back to back Oct. 27 after starting the previous five games; Leevi Merilainen started and Hunter Shepard served as the backup. Ullmark returned to start the second game.

"It's a good mental break where [Ullmark] doesn't have to think about hockey and grinding," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "We've played a lot of hockey. … It's not just playing, you're dealing with media, you're grinding. … We thought it made sense that if he wasn't starting that he didn't back up."

The benefits of carrying three goalies can extend beyond extra rest for the No. 1.

Until Daccord got hurt, the Kraken were also able to ensure their starter for the second half of back-to-back games was rested by giving them the night off completely for the first game. That includes back-to-back games on the road, with Murray flying ahead to Washington for an Oct. 21 start against the Capitals while Daccord and Grubauer took care of the goaltending duties at the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 20. This allowed Murray to avoid the late postgame arrival in the second city and get proper rest ahead of his start.

It's a strategy the Montreal Canadiens used with three goalies during the 2023-24 season when they carried Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen and Primeau.

"One time we played on the road and then back to back at home, so I just stayed at home because I was playing the second game," Montembeault said.

The Carolina Hurricanes have had three goalies since Pyotr Kochetkov returned from injury in early November, so when the team flew to play at the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second half of a back to back Nov. 9, goalie Frederik Andersen, who wasn't slated to play, stayed behind. The 36-year-old also got the night off completely when Kochetkov made his season debut at the New York Rangers on Nov. 4, with Brandon Bussi backing up.

The Buffalo Sabres have carried three goalies since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned from injury, serving as the backup Oct. 24 and starting his first game Oct. 25. The Sabres haven't seemed as deliberate in their use of the extra goalie in games since, though Alex Lyon did get a night off completely last week after starting 10 of the first 13, with Colten Ellis backing up Luukkonen against the St Louis Blues on Nov. 6.

For Daccord, not having to dress as the backup for games he's not starting helps beyond avoiding his modified pregame preparation. It also helps him rest and recover properly.

"Any person who does a workout at 10 p.m. and then tries to go to bed at 11, you're just not going to sleep as well," he said. "And if you do fall asleep, it's not quality sleep, so that's the biggest one. The second thing is I'm able to schedule my weeks out so I can plan when I can get workouts in, bike rides in, not be worried about, 'Hey, I might have to play tomorrow.' It helps me structure all my in-season training so I can stay in top fitness."

Having an extra goalie on the roster also can make it easier to manage workload in practice by allowing the No. 1 to avoid some of the less goalie-friendly parts that add needless saves and butterfly drops, something most teams count specifically as a measurement of workload. They can get on the ice and do position-specific work with a goalie coach, then get off before the team portion of practice starts, usually with rush drills.

It's how Devan Dubnyk managed to start 38 straight games for the Minnesota Wild during the 2014-15 season, with Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom handling most of the practices.

The Canadiens took advantage of having two practice rinks and three goalies during 2023-24.

"So instead of just having a guy waiting in the corner, every practice would be 20 minutes on the other side with the goalie coach," Montembeault said. "When it's all flow drills you just get shots but you don't really work on your game, so we'd have one goalie do 20 minutes on the other side with the goalie coach. It gave us a lot more time to work with our goalie coach."

Some teams bring in practice goalies to accomplish the same thing, but too much practice time hasn't been a problem during this season's condensed schedule. The opposite, in fact, is true, which is why Daccord makes saves in virtual reality to supplement the extra time off.

"I love getting practice time when we can have it, but rest is probably most important," he said. "I didn't skate for two days (Oct. 21-22) because of back to back, then a travel day, so I just did (NHL) Sense Arena both days and then played (at the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 23), and felt like I was seeing the puck just like I'd practiced those two days."