H2H Faceoff: Grabbing Ozzy for the day
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.
Today, I’d like to commemorate Chris Osgood, as he faces the chance for a 400th career win at home against the Dallas Stars. I’ve decided to take a big fantasy risk and pick up Osgood for the day. Now, keep in mind I am about to say goodbye to my six week winning streak and have tried everything in my fantasy power to get points this week and have a miracle win. My last attempt will be putting all of my faith into Ozzie, hoping he can pull out his 400th win and do a little something for my fantasy team all at once. Fantasy aside, this is a big day for Ozzie, and although, I feel much more comfortable, as a Wings fan, with Howard in net these days, I still have a great respect for Osgood and what he has done for the Wings in the past, so I hope today proves to be a good one for him and all Wings fans and players. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go knock on wood.
4 Games
Thrashers (@Tor, StL, @Bos, TB) Ondrej Pavelec will get the majority of starts in this heavy Thrashers week but with back-to-back games, expect to see Chris Mason in the mix.
Penguins (Pho, Fla, @Was, @Ott) The Penguins have a heavy week with back-to-back games so Johnson may get another start, although he was rusty in his last performance against the Rangers. Marc-Andre Fleury, however, will get the majority of starts and should be well rested from a light schedule last week.
Blues (Van, @Atl, Det, Nsh) The Blues will continue to rely on Jaroslav Halak this week but with back-to-back games Ty Conklin could see another start.
Lightning (Car, @NYI, @NYR, @Atl) Mike Smith has won two consecutive games, which is saying a lot from the inconsistent goalies on this team, they’ll likely play him until he loses it.
Canucks (@StL, @Det, @Cls, Edm) Roberto Luongo has stepped up his game and will continue to man the net as much as possible for the Canucks.
3 Games
Ducks (@Bos, @Buf, @LA) Jonas Hiller continues to face a ton of shots, when he did finally get a break last week Curtis McElhinney was pulled during the Islanders game and Hiller had to step in. The Ducks do face back-to-back games against Boston and Buffalo but I think there will be hesitation to put McElhinney for either of those games.
Flames (@Min, @Cls, @Dal) Henrik Karlsson should make an appearance with back-to-back games this week.
Hurricanes (@TB, Mon, Was) Justin Peters did well in net when Cam Ward was pulled against the Panthers last week, but with a light week for the Canes, expect Ward to get the starts.
Blue Jackets (Cgy, Van, @Chi) Mathieu Garon has been the go-to goaltender lately to a struggling Blue Jackets team, not to say his performance has been any more standout than the rest of his team.
Stars (Mon, Cgy, Pho) Kari Lehtonen has returned and will be in net for the Stars this week.
Wings (Van, @StL, @Min) Jimmy Howard should be in net all week.
Oilers (@SJ, @LA, @Van) Nikolai Khabibulin will continue to netmind for the Oilers this week.
Panthers (@Phi, @Pit, @Buf) Tomas Vokoun will get the majority of starts this week, but look for a Clemmensen appearance with back-to-back games against the Pens and Sabres.
Wild (Cgy, @Col, @Det) Niklas Backstrom may see the majority of starts this week, as the Wild hopes to find a hot streak at some point in one of their goalies.
Habs (@Dal, @Car, @NYI) Carey Price will get starts for the majority of games as the Habs hit the road for the next handful of games.
Predators (@Chi, Ott, @StL) Pekka Rinne should be back this week to take over for the Predators. Anders Lindback did well in Rinne’s place and may get another start with back-to-back games this week.
Devils (@Was, NYI, Tor) Martin Brodeur is struggling along with the rest of his Devils team. This could mean Johan Hedberg and Brodeur sharing time this week.
Islanders (TB, @NJ, Mon) Rick DiPietro is resting while experiencing some swelling in his knee. Lawson was pulled up from the AHL in the meantime. Nathan Lawson and Dwayne Roloson will likely share time until DiPietro feels ready to return.
Coyotes (@Pit, @SJ, @Dal) Ilya Bryzgalov was out with the flu last week and it is now reported that he also suffered an upper-body injury. He will be out against Pittsburgh putting Jason LaBarbera in net.
Caps (NJ, Pit, @Car) Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth should both make appearances this week, although Neuvirth had an injury scare last week. Keep an eye on the starting goalies page game days for Boudreau’s decision.
Kings (@Col, @Edm, @Ana) Jonathan Quick should get all three starts here.
2 games
Bruins (Anh, Atl) Tim Thomas will likely be the netminder for the Bruins this week.
Sabres (Anh, Fla) The Sabres have a light week , expect to see Ryan Miller in net.
Avalanche (LA, Min) Craig Anderson should be in net for this light Avs week.
Blackhawks (Nsh, Cls) The Hawks will use Corey Crawford in net for their light week.
Senators (@Nsh, Pit) Brian Elliott is covering for Pascal Leclaire who is suffering a lower-body injury. Elliott hasn’t been performing well and the Senators will be hoping for a return from Leclaire soon.
Sharks (Edm, Pho) Antero Niittymaki has been playing a little better but will continue to share net time with Antti Niemi for the time being.
1 Game
Rangers (TB) The Rangers have a one-game week so Henrik Lundqvist will get the start.
Flyers (Fla) Michael Leighton is no longer on IR which leaves the Flyers facing a different problem than a lot of teams on the league, Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have both been solid, which means they will carry three goalies until they reach a decision. Check on game day to see who will get the start.
Maple Leafs (Atl, @NJ) JS Giguere is out and worried that his groin injury might be much more serious than expected. This means a lot of playing time in net for Jonas Gustavsson.
Home Sweet Home: The Bruins, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Stars, Rangers, Flyers and Sharks all have a week of home games.
Packing Their Bags: The Ducks, Flames, Oilers, Panthers, Habs and Coyotes will all be on the road this week.