McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Oct. 25 – Marc-Andre Fleury vs. Jake Allen

Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Tue. Oct. 25, 2022:

Why I like this matchup:

It’s two wily veterans going head-to-head in Fleury’s hometown of Montreal.

What to watch for:

To see if Fleury can drag the Wild into the fight. And if Allen can continue his under-appreciated work in the Canadiens crease.

This 2022-23 season has not been kind to Fleury. But despite a 5.25 goals against average in four appearances, the future Hall of Fame goaltender has managed to earn the Wild points in two of his starts. The Wild have been really poor in the defensive zone, especially below the hash marks. But Fleury has pressed at times, seemingly trying too hard to make up for Minnesota’s deficiencies. It’s not that Fleury has forgotten how to play. He just needs to streamline his game.

Allen, on the other hand, has continued to punch above his weight in Montreal. The Canadiens are young. They’re not the most responsible team with the puck. But Allen has repeatedly bailed his club out since arriving in Quebec at the start of the 2020-21 season. I think Allen is one of the more cerebral goaltenders in the NHL. He reads the play extremely well and is rarely out of position. Allen boasts a .913 save percentage and has won two of his four starts.

What fantasy owners should do:

I think there’s a good chance this is a high-scoring game, so starting either goaltender carries risk. If your team is willing to roll the dice, Fleury is due for a big game. And Allen has been pretty steady. But I’d look to other options first.

Bottom line for Marc-Andre Fleury:

He is in desperate need of a statement game.

Bottom line for Jake Allen:

Being the underdog can be fun. And going up against Fleury is always exciting. But Allen will have to be ready for Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov and his explosive offense.