Goalie stats
NHL Goalie Games Started Leaders
2026-27All situationsThrough 11 team games
Jesper Wallstedt (MIN) leads NHL goalies with 9 games started in 2026-27, ahead of 
Jeremy Swayman (BOS) (8).
Leaders: Games Started, 2026-27
- 1stJesper WallstedtMIN · 9 GP9Share
- 2ndJeremy SwaymanBOS · 8 GP8Share
3rdKarel VejmelkaUTA · 8 GP7Share
4thSergei BobrovskyTOR · 7 GP7Share
5thAndrei VasilevskiyTBL · 7 GP7Share
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Games Started measures
This board ranks NHL goalies by games started, regular season only. Pick any season back to 2017-18 above the table. Games the goalie started, regular season.
Starts follow the depth chart and health more than form, so they carry over well within a season.
Games started counts the games a goalie began in net. Workhorse starters reach 60 or more; most teams now split the net closer to 55-27. Starts are opportunity: every win, save and shutout needs one. Watch for timeshares forming early in the season. In 2026-27, 65 goalies qualify for this board; the median is 5 and Jesper Wallstedt leads at 9.
Games Started leaderboard
| # | Goalie | Team | GS | GP | W | SV% | GAA | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesper WallstedtMIN | MIN | 9 | 9 | 6 | 0.915 | 2.20 | 100 | 98%▲1.1 |
| 2 | Jeremy SwaymanBOS | BOS | 8 | 8 | 6 | 0.928 | 1.98 | 98 | 97%▲0.8 |
| 3 | Karel VejmelkaUTA | UTA | 7 | 8 | 5 | 0.879 | 2.89 | 88 | 98% |
| 4 | Sergei BobrovskyTOR | TOR | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0.902 | 2.96 | 88 | 84%▼1.2 |
| 5 | Andrei VasilevskiyTBL | TBL | 7 | 7 | 5 | 0.898 | 2.46 | 88 | 99% |
| 6 |  Linus UllmarkOTT | OTT | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0.945 | 1.33 | 88 | 92%▲3 |
| 7 |  Juuse SarosNSH | NSH | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0.906 | 2.82 | 88 | 85% |
| 8 |  Ilya SorokinNYI | NYI | 7 | 7 | 5 | 0.934 | 1.72 | 88 | 97% |
| 9 |  Mackenzie BlackwoodCOL | COL | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0.889 | 2.90 | 88 | 92%▲0.8 |
| 10 |  Carter HartVGK | VGK | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0.888 | 2.87 | 88 | 90%▲1.2 |
| 11 |  Jake OettingerDAL | DAL | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0.945 | 1.13 | 88 | 99% |
| 12 |  Logan ThompsonWSH | WSH | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0.901 | 2.90 | 88 | 99% |
| 13 |  Lukas DostalANA | ANA | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0.881 | 3.16 | 88 | 82%▼1.1 |
| 14 |  Spencer KnightCHI | CHI | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0.888 | 3.59 | 88 | 73% |
| 15 |  Ukko-Pekka LuukkonenBUF | BUF | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0.860 | 3.59 | 69 | 67%▲1 |
| 16 |  Kevin LankinenVAN | VAN | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0.807 | 6.40 | 69 | 18%▼4.1 |
| 17 |  Dylan GarandNYR | NYR | 6 | 7 | 4 | 0.929 | 1.85 | 69 | 68%▲14 |
| 18 |  Jacob MarkstromFLA | FLA | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0.897 | 2.21 | 69 | 88%▼4.1 |
| 19 |  Jake AllenNJD | NJD | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0.883 | 3.15 | 69 | 51%▼2.8 |
| 20 |  John GibsonDET | DET | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0.873 | 3.58 | 69 | 60%▼4.1 |
| 21 |  Joseph WollPHI | PHI | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0.917 | 2.64 | 69 | 37%▼2.7 |
| 22 |  Stuart SkinnerWPG | WPG | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0.910 | 2.65 | 69 | 67%▲5.3 |
| 23 |  Joel HoferSTL | STL | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0.919 | 2.19 | 69 | 83% |
| 24 |  Pyotr KochetkovCAR | CAR | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0.899 | 1.98 | 69 | 73%▲19 |
| 25 |  Arturs SilovsPIT | PIT | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0.866 | 3.51 | 69 | 56%▼1.2 |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Games Started in 2026-27?
Jesper Wallstedt leads with 9. The median of the 65 qualified goalies is 5.
How is Games Started calculated?
Games the goalie started, regular season. Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Games Started?
Starts follow the depth chart and health more than form, so they carry over well within a season.