October 26th – Fantasy Hockey Goalie Rankings
There are 11 games in the NHL today, however one is currently underway between Edmonton and Phoenix. For the other games here are my goalie ranking for this evening from 1-20. There are a couple of good games around the league tonight- Pittsburgh is in Toronto, both teams are coming off of disappointing losses on Friday. Montreal will try to upset San Jose like they did with Anaheim on Thursday and Minnesota vs. Chicago should be a fun one to watch as well.
1. Tuukka Rask (vs. Devils) – He has only given up 2-plus goals once in eight starts – #1 fantasy goalie vs. the Devils… Obvious must-start.
2. Jimmy Howard (vs. Rangers) – After a tough outing on Wednesday, he will bounce back against a depleted Rangers squad.
3. Jaroslav Halak (vs. Preds) – Has only given up five goals in his last three starts vs. Nashville. One bad start won’t deter me from trusting him.
4. Antti Niemi (@ Habs) – Not the best matchup, but not the worst either. His numbers (8-1-1 / 1.68 GAA / .927 SV%) speak for themselves… Start em.
5. Corey Crawford (vs. Wild) – Minny only has eight goals in their last five games. Even if Crawford doesn’t win he likely won’t give many up.
6. Kari Lehtonen (vs. Jets) – Love the matchup and Lehtonen has quietly put together a 1.41 GAA and .956 SV% – albeit in four starts.
7. Ben Bishop (vs. Sabres) – At this point when you see your goalie playing Buffalo, who ever it is… You start him.
8. Braden Holtby (@ Flames) – Four wins in his last five starts, vs. a below average Flames team… “Put me in Coach!”
9. Marc-Andre Fleury (@ Leafs) – He’s been great so far, tough matchup but he should get the win… Plus he has Crosby on his team!
10. Steve Mason (@ Islanders) – This has the makings of a letdown game for the Isles (Beat PIT yesterday), I like the Flyers here.
11. Carey Price (vs. Sharks) – Sharks have just one goal in their last two games, slowing down a bit? Price is risky, but should still be above-average tonight.
12. James Reimer (vs. Pens) – The matchup is terrible, but he should be able to provide a strong SV% at the very least.
13. Kevin Poulin (vs. Flyers) – Probably your best spot start option tonight, but just be mindful of a potential opening of the flood gates for the Flyers.
14. Carter Hutton (vs. Blues) – Great start to his Predators career, but this is a dangerous matchup. I would look elsewhere.
15. Niklas Backstrom (@ Hawks) – He says he isn’t 100%… Not a good team to not be perfectly healthy against.
16. Ondrej Pavelec (@ Stars) – Right now Pavelec is almost a lock to allow at least three goals… No thanks.
17. Cameron Talbot (@ Wings) – Detroit has no secondary scoring right now, so he might not give up too many goals… Can’t see him winning though.
18. Ryan Miller (@ Lightning) – Steven Stamoks and the boys can score the biscuit.. The Sabres can’t.
19. Martin Brodeur (@ Bruins) – It feels wrong to have a legend this low! But the Devils have no offence, and the Bruins pose a ton of problems.
20. Karri Ramo (vs. Caps) – Alex Ovechkin is sizzling right now and Ramo has 3.95 GAA – those two together, don’t translate into fantasy success for Ramo.