Head-to-Head Faceoff: Hiller and #DanEllisProblems

Anaheim Ducks

(@SJ, Dal, Pho) With back-to-back games to start the week (Sunday and Monday) It’s possible Ellis will make an appearance, but for the majority of time Hiller will continue to start as the Ducks look to find victory at home this three-game week.

Boston Bruins

(Car, Tor, SJ) The defending Stanley Cup champs seem to be off to a slow start so far this season with more marks in the loss column than the win column thus far, but that doesn’t mean you should worry about Tim Thomas if he’s on your roster. The Bruins face a three-game week, but no back-to-back games. That doesn’t mean Rask won’t make an appearance either. The Bruins will be careful this season not to burnout their number one goalie, which means we may see more of Rask this year than we did last. Check back game days to set your lineups accordingly.

Buffalo Sabres

(@Mon, @Fla, @TB) Miller is off to a strong start for the Sabres. There’s not much to say about him, his talent speaks for itself. If you’ve got him play him, if he keeps it up, or even if he doesn’t, you likely won’t be disappointed.

Calgary Flames

(Edm, NYR, Nsh) There’s no doubt that Kipper will continue to start this week for the Flames. Henrik Karlsson debuted in the St. Louis game but allowed five goals to the Blues. With a fairly light week with three home games, it is likely the Flames won’t be needing their backup. Then again, they started him instead of Kiprusoff with a milestone on the line. Check back on game days for this starting goalie.

Carolina Hurricanes

(@Bos, @StL, @Wpg) Back-to-backs this week for the Hurricanes, which means a likely appearance by Boucher. We’ve seen Boucher’s potential in the past but with limited playing time, as backup to Cam Ward, he can only offer so much to your team, he may be good for some extra points here and there, serve as a possible No. 3 goalie if needed, but Ward is the guy to rely on for this North Carolina team.

Chicago Blackhawks

(@Pho, @Col, Col) Backup goalie, Ray Emery made his debut with the Blackhawks on Thursday and also got his first win with his new team. Unless Crawford gets injured, you likely will only see Emery occasionally throughout the season for back-to-back games. Expect to see Crawford in net during the Hawks three-game week.

Colorado Avalanche

(@Tor, Chi, @Chi) Although it’s early in the season, it seems that Varlamov is fitting in nicely with his new team. After losing to Detroit in his debut, he bounced back and shutout the Bruins in his second appearance for the Avs. Giguere also made an appearance and notched a win, but don’t expect to see him too often, he will serve merely as the backup while Varlamov hold the No. 1 spot.

Columbus Blue Jackets

(Dal, @Det, @Ott) Steve Mason is still looking for a win and will continue his quest this weekin net for the Blue Jackets. It’s hard to have much faith in the Columbus team or their goalie at this point. Give them some more time to warm up, if you’ve got other goalie options, stick with those in the meantime.

Dallas Stars

(@Cls, @Anh, @LA) Lehtonen is off to a strong start for the Stars and will continue this week defending the net for his team. Fantasy owners, sit back and enjoy the benefits that come from having him on your roster.

Detroit Red Wings

(Cls, @Was) With back-to-back games for the Red Wings you can expect to see both Howard and Conklin in the net. Last week we saw Conklin shutout the Avs and Howard shutout the Canucks,and with the Red Wings off to a strong start, either goalie will be a safe bet to play this week if you’ve got ‘em.

Edmonton Oilers

(Nsh, @Cgy, Min, NYR) With a four-game week, we can expect to see both Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin in net for the Oilers, as it looks like they may be fighting for the No. 1 goalie spot. Both came out strong in their debuts for the Edmonton team, each allowing only one goal and making over 30 saves. Dubnyk is the likely candidate for getting the majority of starts this season, but you can never be too sure. Keep an eye on these two, although I wouldn’t rely on either as your No. 1 goalie.

Florida Panthers

(@TB, @Was, Buf, NYI) If you’ve got Theodore, you’ve got to play him wisely. Consider the teams the Panthers will be up against this week and let that help you determine whether or not to play him. He’s got a busy week and facing some fierce competitors, it might be best to go with other options. With back-to-back games, backup Jacob Markstrom may also get the chance to step in, keep that in mind when setting your lines as well.

Los Angeles Kings

(StL, @Pho, Dal) In the games we’ve seen Quick play in so far, he’s played well and that makes him the most likely candidate to start for the King in this three-game week. There has been talk of giving Jonathan Bernier more time in net, but with Quick playing the way he is, it is in the Kings’ best interest and yours to start him.

Minnesota Wild

(Pit, @Edm, @Van) Backstrom should be in the net for the week. He’s got two wins and two losses so far in the season and will look to add a few more wins this week. Be cautious in playing him against the strong teams, like Pittsburgh or Vancouver, it may be best to go with other goalie options for those games.

Montreal Canadiens

(Buf, @Pit, Tor) Carey Price will seek his 100th career win this week in net for the Habs. We should see some strong playing out of him in his attempt to reach number 100, let’s just hope his team will lend him some extra support

Nashville Predators

(@Edm, @Van, @Cgy) Rinne hit a bit of a bump in the road in his third appearance this seasonas he allowed four goals against Phoenix, but fantasy owners shouldn’t be worried. Rinne is a fierce goalie and should be played whenever possible.

New Jersey Devils

(SJ, @Pit) Brodeur has started twice for the Devils thus far but is already having health issues. His arm was hit by a puck and it may cost him a game. Keep an eye on his progress when setting your lines. Also keep in mind that although the Devils have a short week, their games are back-to-back which means Johan Hedberg is likely to make an appearance no matter what.

New York Islanders

(@TB, @Fla) Rick DiPietro, not surprisingly, is out with a concussion after getting hit in the maskwith a puck, he should have used one of the best airsoft mask for glasses available. Evgeni Nabokov will likely serve as backup to Al Montoya, although it’s your best bet to check back on game days to see who the Islanders decide to play. Montoya has been good for the Islanders thus farand with this team, it’s best for them to play the hot hand while they’ve got it, so they may do just that.

New York Rangers

(@Van, @Cgy, @Edm) The lack of winning the Rangers are experience so far this season, has less to do with their goalie and more to do with the rest of the team. Lundqvist has performed well and will continue to do so. He’s a reliable goalie and expect him to defend the net this week as the Rangers look to snag a W or two.

Ottawa Senators

(Phi, Wpg, Cls) Craig Anderson is off to a rough start allowing several goals in each game he has started, the worst of the bunch being the game against the Avs in which he let seven get by him. It’s still too early to rule him out but until we can see a stronger performance from him it might be better to stick with other options if you can. He’ll be refreshed this week, as Alex Auld started in net Saturday against the Caps, maybe that’s what he needs to get a good jumpstart in the net.

Philadelphia Flyers

(@Ott, Was, StL) Bryz has three wins in three games for the Flyers. Bobrovsky has yet to make an appearance and may continue to wait for the chance to man the net as this week is a light, three-game week. If you’ve got Bryz, play him whenever possible, most of the time, he’ll get you the points you’re looking for.

Phoenix Coyotes

(Chi, LA, @Anh) Mike Smith will look for his first win of the season this week. His performance against the Stars made up for the season opener but he has yet to notch a win for the team. LaBarbera lead the team to their first victory when he started against the Preds but Smith will still hold the top spotfor the Coyotes.

Pittsburgh Penguins

(@Wpg, @Min, Mon, NJ) Marc-Andre Fleury was out with a cold last week but should be healthy this weekand able to start the majority of games for the Penguins. This is a four-game back-to-back week for the Pittsburgh team which means Johnson will have another chance to lead his team to victory as he has lost his first two starts of the season.

San Jose Sharks

(Anh, @NJ, @Bos) Antti Niemi should be 100% and ready to start this week for the Sharks. Greiss has been in net in the meantime. He may get one more start this week as the Sharks do have back-to-back games and it might be best not to put too much of the workload on Niemi upon his return until we know whether or not he is completely healthy and ready to defend the net for his team.

St. Louis Blues

(@LA, Car, @Phi) Halak has been somewhat inconsistent in his performance this far which makes him a bit of a gamble for fantasy owners. It’s more than likely that he’ll get all three starts this week after Brian Elliott started on Saturday.

Tampa Bay Lightning

(Fla, NYI, Buf) A seemingly ever-inconsistent Dwayne Roloson hasn’t had much luck in the net his last two performances, allowing five goals in both games and being pulled in the Islanders game. The Lightning will continue to rely on him this week in hopes that he gets his groove back, but if he doesn’t keep an eye out for another Mathieu Garon appearance.

Toronto Maple Leafs

(Col, Wpg, @Bos, @Mon) The Leafs face back-to-back games in this four-game week, which means Gustavsson is likely to get a start. So far Reimer has managed to shutout the Habs and still manage a win after allowing five goals against Ottawa. He will remain No. 1 in net this week and in the future.

Vancouver Canucks

(NYR, Nsh, Min) Roberto Luongo is off to another slow start this season, but fantasy owners shouldn’t be worried just yet. He and backup Cory Schneider will be in net this week for the Canucks so your lineups should be set accordingly.

Washington Capitals

(Fla, @Phi, Det) Vokoun will likely be in net all week while backup Michal Neuvirth recovers. He started off rocky in his season debut but bounced back and reminded us why he is a great fantasy option. Play him with confidence.

Winnipeg Jets

(Pit, @Tor, @Ott, Car) Expect to see both Chris Mason and Ondrej Pavelec start this week for the Jets. Pavelec and the Jets excitement in their debut was cut short when they fell to the Habs, but the Jets have a lot of talent on their team and have a hopeful season ahead of them. Check back game days to see who will get the start for which game this week.

When making moves this week, keep in mind how many games your players will have in the upcoming week. Use the preview below to help you make the right moves to victory.

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Oct. 24th-Oct 30th

4-Ducks, Blue Jackets, Oilers, Kings, Habs, Senators, Flyers, Maple Leafs
3-Sabres, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Stars, Red Wings, Panthers, Predators, Devils, Islanders,Rangers, Coyotes, Penguins, Sharks, Blues, Lightning , Canucks , Jets
2-Bruins, Flames, Wild, Capitals

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