H2H Faceoff: Rinne out; Where do we go?

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

Ducks (@Edm, @Van, Cgy, Min) With a heavy week and back-to-back games, expect Jonas Hiller to get a break at some point.

Stars (@Cls, @Chi, Car, @Pho) Kari Lehtonen was feeling under the weather last week but that didn’t seem to affect his performance, as he has his four games. But with a back-to-back week expect to see Andrew Raycroft on the weekend.

Red Wings (SJ, Nsh, Mon, @NJ) Chris Osgood will step in for a game during this heavy week. check the starting goalies page on game days to make sure your lines are set accordingly.

Sharks (@Det, @Phi, @Buf, Chi) The Sharks netminders, Antero Niittymaki and Antti Niemi will continue to share the net until one of them shows enough promise to become the starting goalie.

Maple Leafs (@Was, @Pit, Phi, Mon) Jean-Sebastien Giguere‘s last game against Boston got the Maple Leafs the first win they’ve seen in awhile. With Jonas Gustavsson being a let down as of late, Giguere may get the majority of starts this week.

Capitals (Tor, Fla, Col, @NYR) Semyon Varlamov should get the majority of starts, but unless Varlamov hits a serious hot streak, Michal Neuvirth will make an appearance too.

3 games

Thrashers (Nsh, Col, @NYI) Ondrej Pavelec will get the starts this week. I don’t think anyone wants to risk breaking his hot streak

Bruins (Buf, NYI, Phi) Tim Thomas should continue to get the starts this week.

Sabres (@Bos, SJ, Pit) With 2 consecutive shootouts in the past week, Ryan Miller will get the starts for this 3-game week.

Flames (TB, @LA, @Anh) Despite allowing seven goals from the Canucks, Miikka Kiprusoff is still the starting goalie and should be expected to be seen all week.

Avalanche (@Fla, @Atl, @Was) Craig Anderson should be seen getting back into the rotation this week. If Anderson stays healthy, Peter Budaj will go back to backup status.

Blue Jackets (Dal, @Stl, NYR) Despite struggling lately, Steve Mason should still get the majority of starts this week; Mathieu Garon will be ready if needed.

Oilers (Anh, TB, Van) Nikolai Khabibulin returned from a groin injury with back-to-back wins expect to see him this week.

Panthers (Col, @Was, @Nsh) Despite a great performance by Scott Clemmensen on Saturday, Tomas Vokoun still gets the number 1 spot.

Wild (@Pho, @LA, @Anh) Jose Theodore has gotten the majority of starts lately, there’s a good chance you’ll see both him and Niklas Backstrom sharing time this week.

Habs (Ott, @Det, @Tor) Carey Price is still the go to netminder for the Habs, it’s safe to set him in your lineup this week if you’re lucky enough to have him.

Predators (@Atl, @Det, Fla) Pekka Rinne is out and isn’t expected to return for 2 to 4 weeks. So Anders Lindback will get the majority of start time until then.

Devils (@Pit, @Ott, Det) Johan Hedberg will continue to start for the Devils until Martin Brodeur returns to the lineup .

Rangers (@Ott, @Cls, Was) Henrik Lundqvist will start the majority of this 3-game week, but if he needs a break for the back-to-back games, Martin Biron will cover the net.

Senators (@Mon, NYR, NJ) Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire may share time this week, depending on Leclaire’s performance on Sunday against the Rangers.

Flyers (SJ, @Tor, @Bos) Sergei Bobrovsky will start at least 2 of 3 games. Since they’ve got back-to-backs Brian Boucher may make an appearance.

Penguins (NJ, Tor, @Buf) Marc-Andre Fleury has finally been stepping up and should get all three starts this week.

Lightning (@Cgy, @Edm, @Van) Dan Ellis hasn’t been amazing, but Mike Smith has been worse as of late, it looks like Ellis will be the top choice for the week.

Canucks (Anh, TB, @Edm) Roberto Luongo will continue to mind the net in Vancouver until he needs a break. Expect to see him all week.

2 games

Hurricanes (@Dal, StL) Cam Ward will play for the Hurricanes.

Blackhawks (Dal, @SJ) It’s possible Corey Crawford will start with week for the hawks depending on his Sunday performance. But so far, he’s prove to be a pretty reliable backup.

Kings (Cgy, Min) Jonathan Quick will be in net for the Kings this week.

Islanders (@Bos, Atl) The Islanders continue to struggle, if Dwayne Roloson performs well Saturday against the Flyers he could get both starts this week. But check game days to be sure.

Coyotes (Min, Dal) Ilya Bryzgalov will start for the Coyotes in this 2-game week. Bryz has been great but could use a little team support.

Blues (Cls, Car) Jaroslav Halak will be the netminder for the Blues this light week.

Home Sweet Home: The Blues, Coyotes, Kings, Oilers and Bruins will play at home all week.

Packing Their Bags: Lightning, Wild and Avs will spend the week on the road.

Riding the Hot Streak: If you’re a Rinne owner, like me, you might be feeling disappointed about losing him for a few weeks, especially after his recent shutout. But I’ve decided to take advantage of this opportunity. To take some risks and have some fun while he’s out. My league allows me to have several moves every week and with Rinne on my IR I have an open space to play with. Since finding out Rinne was out, I have been taking gambles and picking up backup goalies or a free agent on a hot streak for extra points during a certain night. So instead of crying over losing Rinne for a few weeks, or Brodeur or whoever it is you’re mourning, take advantage of IR and have a little fun