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Monday January 10, 2011 3:32 am

Jonas Hiller on fire between the pipes




Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL,

Jonas HillerJonas Hiller stopped 37 shots on Sunday, lifting his Anaheim Ducks to a 1-0 victory and getting a second straight shutout in the process. Among his 37 stops included a few gems that may make this season’s goaltenders’ highlight reel. For Hiller, it was just another day between the pipes. With 21 wins this season, Hiller has silently been of the best goaltenders playing. Only Detroit Red Wings' Jimmy Howard has more wins, and he’s playing in front of a much better team.

Hiller leads the league in shots faced at 1,245 and is also first with 1,156 of those shots stopped. His .929 save percentage puts him third in the league in that category. His two most recent games have everybody talking, but in fact, he only let in five goals in his three games prior to his current shutout streak. Hiller’s putting on a goaltending clinic for the league and the Ducks are reaping the benefits.

Anaheim’s next five games are all against teams in the lower echelon of the standings, including the Maple Leafs, Senators and Oilers. Another shutout or two certainly could be in Hiller’s future. While the competition over the next two weeks may be light, Hiller is still a long way from breaking Alec Connell’s longest shutout streak record of 461:29. All it takes is a bad bounce or a tipped shot to end it for Hiller. But if he can blank the Blues and Coyotes, we may be onto something.

Hiller has been the star behind leading a red hot Ducks who seem to be once again mighty. At 50 points apiece, Anaheim and Nashville headline a group of nine teams who are within four points of each other in the Western Conference standings. Only five of those nine teams hold playoff positions. If Hiller can continue playing as well as he has for the last two weeks, his Ducks will have no problem securing one of those elusive playoff spots.

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