The NHL schedule doesn’t often play favourites like this.
Such is the case this week, when four Central Division teams (Chicago, Colorado, Nashville, St. Louis) play four times, while two other teams (Anaheim and Toronto) play just once.
All other teams play either two or three times.
During such a week, it might be just as beneficial to own a backup goalie for a team that plays three or four games as it is to own a starting goalie for a team that plays just once. That assumes that the team playing three or four games has a set of back-to-back games. Most teams use this opportunity to give their backup goalie some action. In the majority of cases, a goalie is better when he is not overworked.
Let’s find out which teams could tap into their goaltending depth and which teams might not need to this week.
START:
Corey Crawford, CHI (vs. NSH, @NSH, vs. WPG, vs. VAN)
As mentioned earlier, the Blackhawks are one of four teams playing four games at home this week. Three of those games happen to be at the United Center, where the Hawks are 8-3-1 this season. If the Blackhawks’ goaltending pattern holds up, Crawford would start three games this week, as backup Scott Darling is only starting when the Hawks play back-to-backs.
Crawford might even start two games against Nashville, a team that he earned wins against in both of his regular-season starts last season.
Brian Elliott, STL (vs. ARI, vs. PHI, vs. DAL, vs. COL)
Jake Allen has taken over as the Blues’ starting goalie. Yet, he’s been hit or miss lately, allowing four goals in three of his past six starts. This opens the door for Elliott, who could start two games this week.
With Allen allowing four goals in a surprising home loss to the Leafs on Saturday, Elliott could be named the starter for Tuesday’s game against Arizona. The Blues also play a rare set of home back-to-backs on Saturday against Dallas and Sunday against Colorado, so we’d have to assume Elliott would also start one of those two games.
With four home games this week, both Elliott and Allen could be in for a strong week.
Kari Lehtonen, DAL (vs. CAR, vs. PHI, @STL)
It’s difficult to know how many starts Lehtonen will receive this week. At a minimum, he will start one of the back-to-backs against Philadelphia and St. Louis. It’s possible that he could also start on Tuesday against Carolina, but we have no way of knowing until closer to game day.
This prediction is clearly a gamble, but the best-case scenario would have Lehtonen starting against both Carolina and Philadelphia, two of the league’s worst offences. Lehtonen (2.37 GAA, .918 save percentage) has slightly outperformed his Finnish goaltending partner Niemi (2.57 GAA, .909 save percentage), so we’ll go out on a limb here and predict that he starts two games this week.
WHO TO SIT:
Garret Sparks, TOR (vs. NJ)
The Leafs play on Tuesday against New Jersey, then they are off for the rest of the week. That’s not going to help much if you are playing in a tight head-to-head weekly matchup. With the Leafs’ goaltending depth being challenged, Sparks has filled in admirably with wins in two of his three starts.
We’d have to assume Sparks will start again on Tuesday because of James Reimer’s injury, and Jonathan Bernier’s rehab stint in the AHL. But that’s all you’re going to get from him.
John Gibson, ANA (vs. CAR)
Gibson was a fantasy star last week with two shutouts. So if he is sent back to the AHL once Frederik Andersen is ready to return, it will be more due to his contract status than his actual play. But even if he manages to hang around long enough to start Friday’s game against Carolina, it would be his only start of the week.
Andersen returned to the lineup on Sunday from a longer-than-normal bout with the flu, so it’s possible that Gibson might not start at all this week.
Anders Nilsson, EDM (vs. SJ, vs. NYR)
Nilsson has started five consecutive games and nine of the last 10 games for the Oilers. But even though he has claimed the starting goalie job over Cam Talbot, he will be limited in terms of what he can provide for fantasy teams this week.
Of those two potential matchups for Nilsson, both are against offences ranked in top half of the league. If you’re thinking more long-term, though, Nilsson could be worth an add in your league.
Check out the daily starting goalie grid over at Goalie Post for up-to-the-minute starter information.
