H2H Faceoff: A Little Look Ahead
Head-to-Head Faceoff is a weekly column by Mollie Krupp which will run every Sunday and continue into Monday. Here you’ll find a breakdown of each team’s schedule for the week as well as which goalies you can expect to see in net so you can make sure to set your fantasy rosters accordingly.
4 Games
Thrashers (@Fla, TB, NYR, @TB) Chris Mason collided with a teammate during Saturday’s game against Dallas. He left the game after the collision and did not return and is currently listed as DTD. Pavelec will need to snap out of the slump he has been in, especially if Mason stays out. Ondrej Pavelec has allowed 19 goals in the last four games.
Bruins (Car, @Car, Buf, @Col) With a busy Bruins week, Tim Thomas will continue to man the net for his team most of the week, however, Tuukka Rask may get another start. He fought hard in his game against Pittsburgh, allowing three goals on 33 shots but couldn’t quite out play Fleury.
Sabres (Mon, @Bos, NYI, @NYI) Ryan Miller was injured in the third period of Saturday’s game but finished the game out. If he stays healthy he will get the majority, if not all of the starts this week. Keep an eye on his health status so you can set your lines accordingly.
Flames (@Mon, Min, Dal, @Van) Miikka Kiprusoff ended his losing streak allowing only one goal against 33 shots. He will continue to be the number-one goaltender for the Flames but expect to see Henrik Karlsson again in this four-game week.
Hurricanes (@Bos, Bos, NYR, @Pit) It’s been said that Cam Ward will get the majority, if not all, starts for the Hurricanes in the games that come before the All-star game. So keep him active if you’ve got him.
Panthers (Atl, Cls, TB, @NJ) Scott Clemmensen got the start against the Predators and the Devils and has been proving himself as a reliable backup. From the sounds of it, Clemmensen may get more ice time this week. Tomas Vokoun was not happy to sit either game out but for now, he will remain in the number-one spot.
Kings (@Dal, @StL, Pho, @Pho) Quick lost six of the last seven games he started but that doesn’t mean you’ll see him less this week. Jonathan Bernier may get a start because the week is heavy for the Kings but Jonathan Quick won’t be losing his number-one goalie spot any time soon.
Habs (Cgy, @Buf, @Ott, Anh) Carey Price got his 40th start of the year on Saturday in the Habs win against the Rangers. Expect to see him to add at least three, if not all four, more starts to that number this week.
Devils (@NYI, Pit, @Phi, Fla) Martin Brodeur won both games against Tampa Bay but quickly broke that winning streak but losing to Florida on Saturday. Expect to see both Brodeur and Johan Hedberg this week for the Devils.
Islanders (NJ, Was, @Buf, Buf) Rick DiPietro allowed only three goals on 43 shots and went on to win against Buffalo. DiPietro has won the last three games he started and with a good performance like his last one, that could mean a lot more ice time for him this week.
Flyers (Was, Ott, NJ, @Chi) Sergei Bobrovsky has only started twice since the ringing in of the new year but he has won both of those game allowing only two goals in each. Brian Boucher has been a reliable backup but this week Bobrovsky should add a few more starts to his list.
Coyotes (SJ, NSH, @LA, LA) Ilya Bryzgalov has won his last three games since returning to the net for the Coyotes. He’ll look to continue that streak throughout the next week, as he will most definitely get the majority of starts.
TB (Cls, @Atl, @Fla, Atl) Dwayne Roloson has been consistent in his performances with the Lightning so far, going back and forth between shutouts and being pulled that is. It may just be that he is still getting used to his new team. He should see a break sometime this week as he continues to get adjusted.
3 Games
Ducks (@Ott, @Tor, @Mon) Jonas Hiller is the go-to goalie. He’s won six of his last eight games. He continues to be valuable in fantasy, even if he hits a few slumps here and there. He’ll be manning the net this week for the Ducks.
Avs (Van, Nsh, Bos) Craig Anderson ended his personal losing streak against the Wild. He should continue to start this week as the Avs fight for a playoff spot.
Blue Jackets (@TB, @Fla, @StL) Steve Mason is the front runner for the starting goalie spot this week. Columbus knows the potential that Mason has and aren’t giving up hope on him just yet.
Stars (LA, @Edm, @Cgy) Kari Lehtonen has won his last four of five games and Andrew Raycroft has proven himself as a reliable backup as he shutout the Wild in his last start. Expect to see Lehtonen in between the net this week.
Wings (@Pit, @StL, Chi) It pains me to see Chris Osgood out and Jimmy Howard listed as DTD, however, Howwie could return as soon as Tuesday, I don’t know about the rest of you, but my fingers will be crossed. In the meantime, Joey MacDonald will be in net for the Wings. MacDonald allowed five goals on 30 shots but came up with a win against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Oilers (Min, Dal, Nsh) There’s not much that can be said for Edmonton goalies this week. Nothing positive anyway. Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk should continue to share time this week in hopes that one of them will hit a hot streak.
Wild (@Edm, @Cgy, @SJ) Niklas Backstrom should be returning to the lineup soon as he will serve as backup to Anton Khudobin in the Wild’s game against Vancouver. Theodore is listed as DTD with a hip injury. Until both Backstrom and Jose Theodore are healthy against, Khudobin will be the go-to goalie.
Preds (@Pho, @Col, @Edm) Pekka Rinne has won his last six of seven games and continues to be a strong starting goalie for the Predators. Expect to see him in net as the Preds hit the road this week.
Rangers (Tor, @Car, @Atl) Henrik Lundqvist had quite the game against Montreal on Saturday. He let his anger get the best of him and received a minor penalty for roughing but went on to make 38 saves and received second star, despite the teams lost. Expect to see him in net this week.
Senators (Anh, @Phi, Mon) Brian Elliott has lost the last seven games he started. The only win the Senators have seen was when Robin Lehner was in net against the Islanders. Elliot will continue to be the starting goalie but if Lehner gets another chance to prove himself, he could get a few more starts.
Penguins (Det, @NJ, Car) Marc-Andre Fleury has won his last three of five games and will continue to start for the Penguins this week.
Sharks (@Pho, @Van, Min) Antti Niemi got a win against the Blues on Saturday which ended his four game losing streak. These days, it looks as if Niemi is the goalie that the Sharks have been relying on to man the net. Check the goalie page on game days but expect to see more Niemi than Antero Niittymaki.
Blues (LA, Det, Cls) Jaroslav Halak has lost five of his last six games but will continue to be the starting netminder for the St. Louis Blues.
Leafs (@NYR, Anh, Was) Jean-Sebastien Giguere returned to the net against the Flames on Saturday. If Giguere remains healthy Jonas Gustavsson will go back to being the Leafs backup.
Canucks (@Col, SJ, Cgy) The Canucks have been rotating their goalies recently and will continue to do so. Both goalies have been strong performers and the reason the starts have been shared may be because the Canucks don’t want to wear out Roberto Luongo before the playoffs. Check game days to see who gets the start.
Caps (@Phi, @NYI, @Tor) Semyon Varlamov has been getting the majority of starts recently for the Caps and will continue to man the pipes for them this week.
2 Games
Blackhawks (@Det, Phi) Corey Crawford had back-to-back shutouts against the Islanders and Colorado last week. He will get the starts in the Blackhawk’s two games this week.
Home Sweet Home: The Avs, Oilers and Blues will be home all week.
Packing Their Bags: The Caps, Preds, Wild, Blue Jackets, Ducks and Kings are all on the road this week.
This week, I thought I’d make a little addition to the H2H column. Below you will find, what I like to call, a sneak peek. This list will give you a glimpse of how many games each team has, not this upcoming week, but the following week, which can be useful when you’re looking into picking up a player and want maximum point opportunities.
For the week of January 24-30 the number of games for each team are as follows:
2 Games: Bruins, Flames, Hurricanes, Avs, Stars, Oilers, Panthers, Kings, Preds, Islanders, Coyotes, Blues, Leafs, Canucks and Caps
1 Game: Ducks, Thrashers, Sabres, Hawks, Blue Jackets, Wings, Wild, Habs, Devils, Senators, Flyers, Pens, Sharks, Lightning.