Varlamov allowed four goals on 33 shots in Colorado’s loss to Chicago on Thursday. After a 7-1-0 start to December, Varlamov finished out the month with three consecutive losses while posting a 3.86 GAA and .870 SV%.Varlamov has been wildly inconsistent this season and has become very difficult to trust on a nightly basis.
Markstrom allowed five goals on 38 shots in the Canucks loss to the Kings on Monday. The loss snapped a brief two-game winning streak for Markstrom, who is expected to make his fourth consecutive start. Markstrom comes in with a 2.61 GAA and .917 SV% on the year and draws a nice matchup vs. the Ducks.
Bernier was not supposed to start on Wednesday, but thankfully for the Maple Leafs he did. He stopped 39 of 41 shots in the Leafs’ 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins. After a dreadful start to the season, Bernier has now won four of his last six starts while posting a 2.90 GAA and .901 SV%, which is skewed by one terrible, six-goal outing. At the start of January, he is a much safer start than he was at the start of December.
Schneider stopped all 36 shots that he faced in the Devils’ shutout win in Ottawa on Wednesday. It was a great effort from Schneider, who wrapped up 2015 ranked sixth in the NHL in Wins (16), seventh in SV% (.927) and 10th in GAA (2.10). He has been one of the better fantasy options through three months of the season, but will be a risky starter tonight with Dallas in town.
Montoya stopped 15 of 16 shots in the Panthers win over the Devils on December 17th. Roberto Luongo started the last six games, but Montoya will start the second game of the back-to-back. The Panthers are the hottest team in the NHL and Montoya has been one of the top backup options in the NHL, going 5-1-1 with a 1.79 GAA and .930 SV% in eight starts.
Luongo allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Panthers win over the Canadiens on Tuesday. Luongo has now won six straight games while posting an impressive 1.47 GAA and .942 SV%. He has been red-hot and tonight he will take on a Rangers team that has lost four of six while giving up an average of 4.33 goals per game over that span. Start Luongo and don’t think twice.
Mrazek allowed four goals on 36 shots in the Red Wings loss to the Penguins on Thursday. Mrazek finished December at 5-4-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .913 SV% and will look to improve as the calendar flips over to 2016. Today he’ll take on the Sabres for the third time this season, he has gone 1-1-0 with a 2.93 GAA and .903 SV% in the first two meetings.
Caron did not record point and was a minus-3 in four games during his time with the Blues. His return to the AHL suggests that the Blues could get Patrik Berglund back in the lineup on Saturday.
Pelech, 21, did not record a point in two games with the Islanders this season, but has six points (2G / 4A) in 26 games with the Sound Tigers. He has been recalled because Johnny Boychuk was injured on Thursday.
Boychuk left Thursday’s game late in the third period and did not return. The Islanders blueliner will miss at least seven days, but as of now there is no timetable for his return. Expect him to be evaluated this weekend and a firm timetable should be released after that.
Quick allowed two goals on 44 shots in the Kings win in Edmonton on Tuesday. He won both games of the Kings’ back-to-back, stopping 69 of 71 (.972 SV%). Quick has gone 9-2-0 with a2.06 GAA and .926 SV% in December and tonight he starts in Calgary, where the Flames have been red-hot as of late. Quick is 10-3-1 on the road this season.
Rinne allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Predators win over the Rangers on Monday. Carter Hutton started on Tuesday, so Rinne is expected to be between the pipes tonight in Dallas. Rinne has struggled on the road this season, going 3-6-3 with a 2.91 GAA and .891 SV%. I wouldn’t expect anything to be easy for him tonight against the NHL’s highest scoring squad.
Tarasenko missed the morning skate, but it was announced that he would play. However, Tarasenko will be held out of the lineup vs. the Wild.
Darling will make his first start since December 10th. Darling allowed fovea goals on 33 shots in a loss in Nashville that night and has lost his last three outings. Tonight will be his sixth road start of the season and it has not been kind to him. In his previous five away starts he has gone 0-3-2 with a 3.41 GAA and .890 SV%.
Zakoff made 27 saves on 28 shots in the Penguins loss in Winnipeg on Sunday. Matt Murray started four of the last five games, including last night, but Zatkoff will go tonight in Detroit. Zatkoff has lost his last five games, but was victorious in his only career start against his hometown Detroit Red Wings.
