Khudobin started a career-high 37 games, going 16-17-5 with a 2.57 GAA and .923 SV% in 2018-19. Ben Bishop started the first two games of the season, including the first game of the back-to-back, so Khudobin will go tonight in Detroit. Khudobin was 9-10-4 with a 2.74 GAA, .918 SV% and two shutouts on the road last year. As good as this matchup looks, the Red Wings did have an impressive showing in their season debut (5-2 win in Nashville).
Brossoit allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Jets come from behind shootout win in New Jersey on Friday. With Connor Hellebuyck struggling in his season debut, the Jets will give Brossoit a second straight start tonight vs. the Islanders. Brossoit is 8-6-0 in 14 career road appearances with the Jets.
Fehervary played well in his first three NHL games but heads back to Hershey with Evgeny Kuznetsov now on the active roster and Michal Kempny set to return soon from a hamstring injury.
Morrow spent the 2018-19 season with the Jets, where he had one goal and six assists (seven points) in 41 games. It was a career-high in games played for the former first-round pick, who is expected to head to Binghamton (AHL) should he clear waivers.
Greiss has averaged 38 starts per season during his four years with the Islanders. In his 39 starts in 2018-19, Greiss went 23-14-2 with a 2.28 GAA and .927 SV%. It was an impressive season and he will be in a similar role this year, splitting time with Semyon Varlamov. Greiss was 1-2-0 with a 1.70 GAA, .929 SV% and one shutout vs. the Capitals last season.
Dell gave up one goal on six shots after replacing Martin Jones in the Sharks blowout loss to Vegas last night. With Jones losing back-to-back games to open the season, Dell will make his first start tonight in Anaheim. Dell was 7-5-3 with a 3.55 GAA and .875 SV% on the road in 2018-19.
Gibson stopped 32 of the 33 shots in the Ducks 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Thursday. Gibson will need to turn in performances like this on a nightly basis for the Ducks to be successful. The Sharks have had a terrible start to the season and Gibson was 2-0-1 with 2.96 GAA and .919 SV% against them last year.
Halak had a great start to the 2018-19 season but faded a little bit down the stretch. Still, he put together a 22-11-4 season while posting a 2.34 GAA and .922 SV% (both ranked inside the top-10). With the Bruins looking to limit Tuukka Rask’s workload, Halak could conceivably start 35-plus games again in 2019-20, making him one of the best backups to own in fantasy. He’s a solid spot-start in Arizona, who got off to a slow start on Thursday.
Bishop gave up two goals on 20 shots in the Stars 2-1 loss to the Bruins on Thursday. Both goals came in the first period but Bishop settled in gave the Stars a chance to comeback. His season starts against the two teams that were in the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring. He was 2-1-0 with a 1.69 GAA and .941 SV% in three starts vs. the Blues last year.
Saros’ start volume has increased each season he’s been in the NHL as the Predators are making a concerted effort to cut-back Pekka Rinne’s workload. 2018-19 was Saros’ worst season to date, but his .921 SV% through his first three years is among the NHL’s best. He did not face Detroit last season but was 6-5-1 with a 2.94 GAA and .902 SV% on home-ice.
Markstrom had a rough start to the 2019-20 season, allowing three goals on 22 shots in the Canucks loss in Edmonton. His splits are always going to be mediocre but the Canucks offence should give him enough chances to win games. He was 3-2-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .917 SV% in five games vs. the Flames last season.
Dubnyk surrendered four goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s loss in Nashville on opening night. The Wild need Dubnyk to be great if they’re going to have any success this season and Game 1 was not his best performance. He was 2-2-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .938 SV% vs. the Avalanche last season but is a risky option on a busy Saturday night.
With Joonas Korpisalo starting the season opener vs. Toronto, it sets Merzlikins up for a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his NHL debut. The Blue Jackets have high hopes for the 2014 third-round pick, who turned in a .921 SV% in two straight seasons while playing with Lugano of the Swiss-A League. He will have spot-start value this season, but this is a tough spot for him.
Vasilevskiy stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Lightning’s 5-2 win over the Panthers on Thursday. It was just another day at the office for the 25-year-old net minder, who was tied for sixth in the NHL in SV% (.925) last season. Vasilevskiy is 5-1-0 against the Panthers over his last six starts, so roll him out with confidence tonight.
Blackwood allowed two goals on nine shots in the Devils shootout loss to the Jets last night. Blackwood entered the game with a 4-2 lead after Cory Schneider got hurt and he continued to blow the Devils four-goal lead. Blackwood was solid last season, posting a .918 SV% 21 starts, so there’s no reason to panic after half of a game. He was 4-7-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .914 SV% on the road last year, so you have a right to be nervous tonight.
Kuemper stopped 27 of the 29 shots the he faced in the Coyotes opening game loss in Anaheim. Kuemper picked up right where he left off last season but didn’t get any help from his offence. He will look to put a notch in the win column tonight vs. the Bruins, a team he was 0-2-0 against last year.
Grubauer allowed three goals on 30 shots in Colorado’s 5-3 win over the Flames on Thursday. Grubauer passed the first test as Colorado’s new No.1 goalie and draws a good matchup in his second start. Minnesota was beat up in Nashville in their opener and Grubauer was 1-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .908 SV% vs. them last season.
