goaltending

noun goal·tend·ing \ ˈgōl-ˌten-diŋ \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of goaltending

1 : the act of guarding a goal (as in hockey)

2 : a violation in basketball that involves touching or deflecting a ball that is on its downward path toward the basket or on or within the rim of the basket

Recent Examples of goaltending from the Web

Last season, the Blue Jackets cruised to a franchise-record 108 points and 50 wins, relying on a scorching power play and stellar goaltending by eventual Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Despite Injuries and Penalties, Blue Jackets Prove Resilient in OT Win Against Capitals," 13 Apr. 2018
Vigneault had said that the Rangers would only go as far as their goaltending would take them this season, a comment that was perceived as being critical of Lundqvist and his backup, Ondrej Pavelec.

— allan kreda, New York Times, "With Alain Vigneault Out, Rangers Have Yet Another Position to Fill," 8 Apr. 2018
Overall, our goaltending has been solid all year and our power play really picked up.

— lewis bagley, Indianapolis Star, "Indy Fuel earn their first ECHL playoff berth in 4th season," 8 Apr. 2018
Inconsistent goaltending and defense Jan. 30 to March 10: four games of four or more goals allowed March 12 to present: five games of four or more goals allowed The overall goaltending numbers have remained about the same between the two spans.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "How Panthers' hard-charging playoff push hit a wall," 1 Apr. 2018
Xavier all but clinched the game on a questionable goaltending call against the Johnnies with something like 18 seconds left.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Do the right thing, Anderson. Redskins is outdated, at best.," 31 Jan. 2018
Westbrook rebounded from a 3 for 9 start with the 17-point fourth quarter, including a huge three and a layup (goaltending was called) in a 15-second span that stretched the Thunder’s one-point lead to six with under two minutes left.

— barry jackson, miamiherald, "Heat leads entering fourth but loses to Westbrook-led Thunder | Miami Herald," 23 Mar. 2018
The other story is the goaltending situation, for which there really isn't any change.

— dylan bumbarger, OregonLive.com, "Thunderbirds 5, Winterhawks 4 (shootout)," 5 Mar. 2018
The Wings played fast, pressured the Hurricanes, and took advantage of subpar goaltending.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings win again, defeat Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1," 2 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'goaltending.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.