Just as we celebrated the return of Carey Price, he’s back on the shelf again.
The Canadiens’ goalie will be missing additional time after re-aggravating his lower-body injury. The hope is that Price will be ready by the Winter Classic, but another stretch without Price will be difficult for Habs’ fans and his fantasy owners.
In the meantime, it’s going to be more of Mike Condon. Because of Price’s injury, Condon is turning out to be one of the most important waiver-wire adds in all of fantasy hockey. He and the Habs will play three games this week, including two at home. If somehow he’s still available in your league, you’ll want to add him ASAP.
If Condon isn’t available and you’re in a deep league, you might want to take a chance on Dustin Tokarski. No Price means that the starting job in Montreal could be more wide-open than normal.
On to the starts and sits for the week.
Start
Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (vs. CAR, @NYI, vs. COL, vs. OTT)
Lundqvist, arguably fantasy hockey’s top goalie this season, seems to be taking a usual place in this spot. But his schedule is worth mentioning here, in case you had any inclinations of benching or overlooking him. The Rangers play four games this week, including three at MSG, where Lundqvist has a sparkling 1.93 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Don’t worry about him allowing at least four goals in three of his past four starts – Lundqvist is proven stock in fantasy hockey.
Cory Schneider, NJ (vs. COL, @CAR, vs. PHI, vs. FLA)
Is Schneider a top-5 fantasy goalie at the moment? Since the Devils have been better than expected, he can certainly be considered in the argument. Schneider is posting all-star level numbers (2.03 GAA, .928 SV%), and he also benefits from an easy schedule. Like the Rangers, the Devils play three of their four games at home this week. But even better, all four of the Devils’ opponents do not currently hold a playoff spot.
Jaroslav Halak, NYI (vs. COL, vs. NYR, vs. STL, @OTT)
It’s a metropolitan New York-themed group of goalies to start this week. Like the Rangers and Devils, the Isles play four games, including three at home. Although Halak has been better on the road than at the Isles’ new home in Brooklyn, his home numbers (2.28 GAA, .914 SV%) also suggest that he is start-worthy. Even though his schedule is more difficult than Schneider’s, feel free to deploy him this week.
Sit
Braden Holtby, WAS (@MON, @WPG)
Holtby has also played at an all-star level this season (1.95 GAA, .926 SV%). However, his owners will be in tough this week with just two games that happen to both be on the road. His road numbers (2.16 GAA, .910 SV%) are still fairly reasonable, but Holtby owners won’t have an easy time chasing wins this week. One particularly tough start could be against Montreal on Thursday, since the Canadiens are at the top of the standings and possess one of the league’s best offenses.
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT (@SJ, @LA, @ANA)
In spite of what appears to be a stacked offense, the Penguins have had to rely on Fleury a lot this season. With three games this week, all on the road, that might be a tall order. The timing isn’t great for the Penguins to begin a road trip on the other side of the continent, having lost three of their last four games. Unfortunately, Fleury’s numbers have ballooned this past month (2.78 GAA, .910 SV% in November) after a strong October showing. With that in mind, there might be more tough sledding ahead.
Jonas Hiller, CGY (vs. DAL, vs. BOS)
In case you’re eager to use Hiller after activating him off IR, just be aware what you’re up against. After missing the past month with a hip injury, Hiller returned to allow five goals against the Sharks on Saturday. To make matters worse, the Flames play only two games this week, both of which are against top-5 offenses that score over three goals per game. With a 3.58 team goals-against average, the Flames currently sit dead last in that category. Stay away from any Calgary goalie if you can.
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