Head-to-Head Faceoff: Halaking the Caps
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
(@Tor, Tor) The Bruins will face a light week, which should allow for Tim Thomas to get both starts against the Leafs. Last week, Thomas had back-to-back shutouts, his second and third of the season. Tuukka Rask has been stepping in now and then to allow Thomas the rest he needs, which means he could play one of the two games.
Buffalo Sabres
(NYI, Det, @Nsh) Ryan Miller remains out with concussion-like symptoms and his status and return date are still up in the air. Jhonas Enroth has been the No. 1 goalie in Miller’s absence and will continue to get most of the starts until he returns. His performance thus far hasn’t been remarkable, although he did shutout the Hurricanes. Keep an eye on him if he’s still available in your league, if you got the room he might be worth picking up.
Calgary Flames
(Nsh, Cls, @Edm, @Van) The Flames face back-to-back games this week but that doesn’t necessarily mean Henrik Karlsson will get a start, as Miikka Kiprusoff handled the last back-to-back games.
Carolina Hurricanes
(Fla, NYR, Pit) Cam Ward will be in net this week for the Hurricanes as Ward looks to find some consistency in his game.
Chicago Blackhawks
(Pho, NYI, @StL) Back-to-back games should allow for Ray Emery to get another start in the upcoming week. Corey Crawford continues to be a decent fantasy goalie, despite the few games he’s allowed five or more goals in the past month.
Colorado Avalanche
(Dal, NJ, StL, Det) Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Semyon Varlamov had been sharing starts in recent weeks, but the goalie situation may not be the real problem in Colorado. Varlamov is likely to get the majority of starts in this week, but with four-games, the start sharing may not be over just yet.
Columbus Blue Jackets
(@Van, @Cgy, @Edm) Steve Mason has missed a few games due to a concussion and is not quite ready to make his return. The Mason injury has allowed Curtis Sanford to step in and take over the No. 1 goalie duties. He’s allowed only one goal in the majority of games he’s played so far. It’s still a bit of a gamble to put him on your roster, given the team in front of him, but he might be worth the risk if your goalie situation is in need of a change.
Dallas Stars
(@Col, Ott, NYI) Kari Lehtonen was placed on IR today, meaning he will miss at least seven days. Expect Andrew Raycroft to play on Monday against the Avalanche with coach Glen Gulutzan playing the rest of the week by ear. Rookie Richard Bachman could get a crack at the job. (Ed. following Lehtonen’s injury)
Detroit Red Wings
(TB, @Buf, @Col) Jimmy Howard has been outstanding for the Wings this month. He’ll start this week and likely only be given a break when, or if, he wants one. There’s no question about whether or not you should play him in your everyday lineup.
Edmonton Oilers
(Nsh, Min, Cls, Cgy) Back-to-backs will likely allow for Devan Dubnyk to get another start to add to the handful he’s had this month. Nikolai Khabibulin hasn’t been on the same streak he was on at the beginning of the season but he still continues to be a much better fantasy option than many of us had imagined. As long as he stays strong, he’ll continue to get the majority of starts for the Oilers.
Florida Panthers
(@Car, @LA, @SJ) With Scott Clemmensen still injured, Jose Theodore will continue to get most of the starts for the Panthers. Even when Clemmer does return, he likely won’t take over, as Theodore has been good for the team.
Los Angeles Kings
(SJ, Fla, Mon) November hasn’t been the best month for Jonathan Quick, but even with the losses, he’s been pretty solid. He’s not a goalie you should lose faith in any time soon.
Minnesota Wild
(TB, @Edm, NJ, @Anh) The Wild continue to be in a nice spot with two strong goalies in their net. Josh Harding covered for Niklas Backstrom, who was unable to play in a few games last week, but it was nothing to worry about as Harding has proven to be a reliable backup when called upon. With four games this week, we could see another strong performance from him again while Backstrom remains the starting goalie.
Montreal Canadiens
(@Anh, @SJ, @LA) Carey Price seems to have stepped up his game and will continue in net this week on the Habs’ California road trip. The Habs do face back-to-back games which could allow for Peter Budaj to step in. Keep that in mind when setting your lines and check back game days so you can set your lines accordingly.
Nashville Predators
(@Edm, @Cgy, @Van, Buf) Pekka Rinne’s performance in the last week has been less than impressive, but it’s no reason to worry. The team will face back-to-back games in this four-game week which may allow Lindback to get a start and give Rinne a rest, so he’ll be refreshed and back to his elite self in no time.
New Jersey Devils
(@Col, @Min, @Wpg) Martin Brodeur will get the majority of starts as the Devils hit the road this week. But back-to-back games should allow for Johan Hedberg to get a start as well. In Hedberg’s last performance he got a shutout so if you’ve got either Devils goalie, you should play him.
New York Islanders
(@Buf, @Chi, @Dal) Back-to-backs means appearances by both Rick DiPietro and Al Montoya but if you have other options, go with those first.
New York Rangers
(Pit, @Car, @Tor) Henrik Lundqvist continues to be a solid goalie, not that anyone is surprised. Play him as you always would.
Ottawa Senators
(@Wpg, @Dal, @Was) Craig Anderson should get all of the starts this week as the Senators hit the road. The Sens will face strong teams this week, so play Anderson wisely.
Philadelphia Flyers
(@Anh, @Pho) The Flyers have a light schedule this week, but their only two games will be back-to-back. Check back on game days, to see if Sergei Bobrovsky or Ilya Bryzgalov will end up snagging both games, likely they’ll split the time.
Phoenix Coyotes
(@Chi, @Wpg, Phi) Mike Smith continues to impress fantasy owners and his team with a solid performance this month. He’ll look to keep with the streak this week, play him if you’ve got him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
(@NYR, @Was, @Car) Marc-Andre Fleury will likely get most the starts in this three-game Penguins week. His time in net has been solid and you should play him with confidence.
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
(@Was, @Col, Chi) Jaroslav Halak gets the first game of the week no matter how well Brian Elliott plays. From there, all bets are off.
Tampa Bay Lightning
(@Min, @Det, NYR) Dwayne Roloson continues to be inconsistent, so you can never be sure what you’ll get out of him. Play him cautiously. Mathieu Garon started back-to-back games which could continue if he plays better than his counterpart.
Toronto Maple Leafs
(Bos, @Bos) James Reimer is still not ready to return. Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens have stepped up in his absence and with Gustavsson’s most recent wins, it’s possible he’ll notch two more starts this week. Despite the small winning streak, neither ‘tender should be your top fantasy option.
Vancouver Canucks
(Cls, Nsh, Cgy) Roberto Luongo missed a few games last week due to an upper-body injury but Cory Schneider didn’t let the team down. In fact, he managed two consecutive shutouts for his team. Luongo should be back in net this week, but at least fantasy owners and Canucks know they’ll be okay if he gets injured again.
Washington Capitals
(StL, Pit, Ott) The Caps and their goalies have been struggling a bit as of late. Check back on game days to see who the Caps go with; even with their current struggles, it’s worth the risk to play either goalie as the Caps should turn things around soon.
Winnipeg Jets
(Ott, Pho, NJ) Ondrej Pavelec continues to be the go-to goalie for the Jets. The team continues to pick up the pace and find their groove, it’s safe to start playing Pavelec regularly.
A look ahead to the following week, December 5th-11th
4 Games: Bruins, Panthers, Rangers, Senators, Coyotes, Sharks, Lightning
3 Games: Ducks, Sabres, Flames, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Avalanche , Blue Jackets, Wings, Oilers, Kings, Wild, Habs, Predators, Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Penguins, Blues, Leafs, Canucks, Caps, Jets
2 Games: Stars