H2H Faceoff: Do We Get Another Goalie Trade?
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.
The trade deadline is approaching quickly. We’ve already seen Colorado and Ottawa swap goalies and now Dan Ellis is in Anaheim. Several goalies have been placed on waivers and are being passed around. What do you think of the trades this year? How do you think players will perform on their new teams? Do you think these trades will benefit their teams? Let us know your thoughts!
Four Games
Sabres (@NYR, @Car, @Phi, @Min) Ryan Miller will continue this week as starting goalie for the Sabres. Miller has only let in two goals or less in each of six games, despite only marking two wins in that span. The Sabres face a heavy week on the road with back-to-back games.
Flames (@StL, @Chi, Cls, Nsh) Miikka Kiprusoff won three of his last five games, including a shutout against Montreal. With a busy week, there’s a chance Henrik Karlsson could get another start, but expect Kip in most of the time.
Blackhawks (@Min, Cgy, Car, @Tor) Corey Crawford has chalked up three consecutive wins for the Blackhawks including a shutout against Nashville. Crawford doesn’t look like he’ll be losing the starting spot any time soon. If you’ve got him, play him.
Red Wings (@LA, @Anh, @SJ, @Pho) Jimmy Howard will continue to start this week for the Wings. He’s lost his last two but has a strong team in front of him and fantasy owners shouldn’t worry. Babcock has been consistent with playing the backup for back-to-back games. Joey MacDonald performed well in his game against the Sabres, stopping both shots in the shootout and helping the Wings to victory. Expect him to get a start this week. Chris Osgood is looking to return the second week of March.
Panthers (@Car, Mon, @Atl, Was) Tomas Vokoun had a notable performance against Atlanta on Friday stopping 45 shots and allowing only one goal leading his team to victory. He’ll be in most of the week but Clemmensen may step in during the four-game week to give him a break. However, with the trade deadline approaching, Vokoun very well may not play for the Panthers at all this week.
Wild (Chi, @NYI, @NYR, Buf) Jose Theodore allowed only two goals on 48 shots against the Ducks on Friday. He’s proven himself to be a reliable backup for the Wild but Niklas Backstrom will be in the majority of this week.
Islanders (@Was, Min, StL, NJ) Rick DiPietro and Kevin Poulin remain on IR for the Islanders. Al Montoya has taken over in net in their absence. The Islanders will likely continue to rely on Montoya this week as their number-one goalie.
Rangers (Buf, Min, @Ott, Phi) Henrik Lundqvist shutout the Caps on Friday, stopping 35 shots on goal. Lundqvist will start most of the week, but the Rangers face a heavy week with back-to-back games so this may be a good chance to give Lundqvist a rest and Martin Biron a start.
Canucks (Cls, Nsh, @LA, @Anh) Roberto Luongo has only won one of his last five games played but it isn’t anything for fantasy owners to worry about. He continues to be a strong goalie. The Canucks have a busy week, so backup, Cory Schneider may get a chance to help his leading team to another victory.
Three Games
Ducks (Det, Dal, Van) There’s still no return date for Jonas Hiller following his bout with vertigo. Ellis was traded to the Ducks this week and it looks like he will be the starting goalie this week. Ray Emery was called up to serve as his backup while the Ducks await Hiller’s return.
Thrashers (Mon, Ott, Fla) Ondrej Pavelec is listed as DTD but isn’t expected to be out for too long. In the meantime Chris Mason will start for the Thrashers until Pavelec is ready to return.
Bruins (@Ott, TB, Pit) Tuukka Rask has two consecutive wins for his team as has Tim Thomas. Thomas isn’t going to lose his starting spot this week even if he goes through a slump.
Hurricanes (Fla, Buf, @Chi) Cam Ward has made 22 consecutive starts for the Hurricanes. This week the Hurricanes face back-to-back games. Check the starting goalies page on game days to see if he’ll get a break this week or keep his starting streak going.
Blue Jackets (@Van, @Edm, @Cgy) Steve Mason has won his last four games started, including a shutout against Nashville. He seems to have secured his spot in net but Mathieu Garon may get another start this week as the team faces back-to-back games.
Stars (@Pho, @Anh, @SJ) Kari Lehtonen has two consecutive wins which ended a five game losing streak for the Stars. Despite the Stars losing streak, Lehtonen has only allowed two or less goals in each of his last three games. Lehtonen and Andrew Raycroft should both be seen in net this week as the Stars face back-to-back games.
Oilers (Nsh, Cls, @Col) Nikolai Khabibulin is on IR for an eye infection and it is unknown when he will return. Devan Dubnyk is likely to hold down the fort in his absence, however, Gerber was pulled up from the AHL and it is likely he will get some time in net as well.
Kings (Det, Pho, Van) Jonathan Quick has won his last two starts for the Kings and continues to be a strong play for fantasy owners. He should continue to start in this three-game week.
Habs (@Atl, @Fla, @TB) Carey Price was sick over the weekend and Alex Auld stepped in while he was gone. Auld will start for the Habs until Price is feeling better.
Preds (@Edm, @Van, @Cgy) Pekka Rinne and the Preds have been struggling recently, losing their last four games. Rinne needs more support from his team and he’ll look for that this week as he continues to be the Preds number-one goalie.
Devils (TB, Pit, @NYI) Johan Hedberg won seven consecutive games with the Devils in Brodeur’s absence before giving up two goals to Tampa Bay to end the winning streak. Martin Brodeur will start today (Sunday) against Florida and Hedberg will serve as his backup as rumors circulate that he may be traded before the deadline. Even with a good performance by Hedberg, Brodeur should get the starts this week as long as he stays healthy.
Senators (Bos, @Atl, NYR) Craig Anderson has won three of his last four games since arriving in Ottawa. Anderson seems to have a new attitude, wanting to secure his spot with his new team while showing Colorado that despite their lack of faith, he’s still got it. He should continue to start for the Senators this week.
Flyers (Tor, Buf, @NYR) With back-to-back games this week, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher should both see a start. Boucher has won four of his last five starts which have been spread out throughout February. Bob has won two of his last four started.
Coyotes (Dal, @LA, Det) Look for Ilya Bryzgalov to start this entire week.
Penguins (@Tor, @NJ, @Bos) The Penguins and Marc-Andre Fleury have won only one of their last five games. Fleury allowed five goals in the Toronto game but his team still managed to win against the Leafs. The Pens have back-to-back games toward the end of this week, so Brent Johnson may step in to give Fleury a break for one of those games.
Sharks (Col, Det, Dal) The Sharks and Antti Niemi have won their last six consecutive games. Niemi and his fantasy owners can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity that he was presented by the injury of Antero Niittymaki. Niemi will hope to continue his winning streak this week for the Sharks.
Blues (Cgy, @Was, @NYI) Jaroslav Halak has yet to return back to the lineup after suffering an injury to the hand but it looks like he could be back for this three-game Blues week. Keep an eye on his status so you know when to activate him again.
Lightning (@NJ, @Bos, Mon) Dwayne Roloson won his last two games, but to say he may have found his groove would be pushing it, allowing six goals in one night and one in another, for those who own him, here’s to hoping he keeps up his winning streak. He will continue to start for the Lightning this week. Curtis McElhinney was also placed on waivers by the Lightning on Saturday.
Leafs (Pit, @Phi, Chi) James Reimer has been the go-to goalie for the Leafs as of late. Jean-Sebastien Giguere is ready to serve as backup but the Leafs seem to be leaning towards Reimer for this week.
Caps (NYI, StL, @Fla) Semyon Varlamov is listed as DTD with an undisclosed injury. Michal Neuvirth will start while Varlamov is out.
Two Games
Avs (@SJ, Edm) The Avs have a light week which might do them some good. Brian Elliott hasn’t been amazing so far for the Avs and Budaj is doing the best he can with the team in front of him. Check back game days to see who the Avs start.
Home Sweet Home: Sharks, Kings, Thrashers, Ducks
Pack Their Bags: Penguins, Preds, Habs, Stars, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Sabres
A Peek into Next Week: March 7-13
4 Games: Sabres, Blue Jackets, Stars, Oilers, Kings, Senators, Blues, Caps
3 Games: Ducks, Thrashers, Bruins, Flames, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Avs, Red Wings, Panthers, Wild, Habs, Preds, Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Coyotes, Penguins, Sharks, Lightning, Leafs, Canucks
2 Games: Rangers