It’s every team’s dream to have a hot goaltender going into the playoffs.

A goalie at the top of his game can be the difference in a close postseason series, as was the case when Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastian Giguere guided the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals five years. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in the 2003 playoffs, posting a 1.62 GAA, .945 save percentage and five shutouts for the surprising Ducks.

Giguere wasn’t too shabby in Anaheim’s championship run last season, and he’s certainly playing well with the postseason just a week away. Here are the save percentage leaders among goalies since the beginning of March.

Top Save Percentages, March 1 & Since
(minimum 7 games)

Goaltender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .W-L-OTL. . . . . . . . . .GAA. . . . . . .SvPct
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pit. . . . . . . . .9-1-1. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.44. . . . . . . .951
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana. . . . .5-1-1. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.55. . . . . . . .944
Dan Ellis, Nsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4-1. . . . . . . . . . . . .2.00. . . . . . . .943
Tomas Vokoun, Fla. . . . . . . . . . . .5-3-1. . . . . . . . . . . . .1.86. . . . . . . .940
Niklas Backstrom, Min. . . . . . . . . 7-1-4. . . . . . . . . . . . .1.72. . . . . . . .939

The play of Marc-Andre Fleury and his Penguin teammates makes Pittsburgh one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup finals. Minnesota’s Nicklas Backstrom has the Wild on the verge of their first Northwest Division title, and he will be key to how far the defensive-minded Wild advance in the playoffs.

Equally noteworthy is the 11-0-1 record of San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov since March 1. Although his .910 save percentage doesn’t rank with the best, he’s posted a 1.99 GAA and provides the Pacific Division-leading Sharks a dependable option in goal for the postseason.