NHL Starting Goalies: Thursday, October 12

Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets

2023-10-12T23:00:00.000Z

Carter Hart

Confirmed

2023-10-12T15:20:33.759Z

W-L-OTL:	12-9-3
GAA:	2.8
SV%:	0.906
SO:	1

Carter Hart will start the Flyers' season opener vs. Columbus. Hart will begin his sixth NHL season as the starter for the Philadelphia Flyers in their season-opening matchup against the Blue Jackets. In 55 games last season (22-23-10), Hart posted a respectable 2.94 GAA and .907 SV% for a struggling Flyers team that ranked 26th last season (31-38-13). The Flyers will hope to get off to a good start against a Blue Jackets team that ranked third-worst offensively last season, averaging only 2.60 goals per game. Hart is the bonafide starting goalie in Philadelphia and should see plenty of action this season.Source: Mark Scheig

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Elvis Merzlikins

Confirmed

2023-10-12T14:54:52.937Z

W-L-OTL:	13-17-8
GAA:	3.45
SV%:	0.897
SO:	1

Elvis Merzlikins will start Columbus' season opener vs. Philadelphia. After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.Source: Mark Scheig

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New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres

2023-10-12T23:00:00.000Z

Igor Shesterkin

Confirmed

2023-10-12T22:31:46.751Z

W-L-OTL:	35-17-2
GAA:	2.63
SV%:	0.911
SO:	3

Shesterkin will start Thursday in Buffalo. Shesterkin’s performance in the 2022-23 season may not have lived up the otherworldly campaign he enjoyed the previous year, but don’t let that trick you into overlooking one of the best goaltenders in the world. The .916 SV% and 2.48 GAA he put up last season are still elite compared to his peers, and it earned him a 37-13-8 record across 58 appearances. He is expected to command a heavy workload for the Rangers again this season and should continue to be a rock in goal for your fantasy teams, though he doesn’t draw the easiest matchup in Thursday’s season-opening clash with the Sabres. Source: Mollie Walker

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Devon Levi

Confirmed

2023-10-12T22:34:57.633Z

W-L-OTL:	10-8-2
GAA:	3.1
SV%:	0.899
SO:	0

Levi will start against the Rangers on Thursday. Levi appears likely to enter the season as the starting goalie for the Buffalo Sabres after a seven-game stint (5-2-0) with the team at the end of the 2022-23 campaign that saw him post a 2.94 GAA and .905 SV%. Expectations are high in Buffalo for the rookie goaltender as the team around him has solidified an equally impressive core of young forwards and defensemen. The Sabres are +117 home underdogs tonight against a New York Rangers team that ranked 12th offensively last season, scoring an average of 3.33 goals per game. Working in his favour, Levi has already suited up twice against the Rangers in his young career, posting a dazzling 1.89 GAA and .934 SV% in those contests (2-0-0). Source: Mike Harrington

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Detroit Red Wings at New Jersey Devils

2023-10-12T23:30:00.000Z

Ville Husso

Confirmed

2023-10-11T16:15:40.543Z

W-L-OTL:	9-5-2
GAA:	3.55
SV%:	0.892
SO:	0

Ville Husso will be the Red Wings' opening night starter vs. New Jersey. Husso is entering his fourth NHL season after posting a 26-22-7 record, .896 SV%, and 3.11 GAA with Detroit in 2022-23 and will be the Red Wings' opening night starter vs. New Jersey. The 28-year-old is entering his second season in Detroit after signing a three-year, $14.5 million deal in the 2021-22 offseason. He draws the tough first task of New Jersey, who finished 2022-23 fifth in both goals for (289) and shots per game (34.4). Source: Ansar Khan

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Kaapo Kahkonen

Confirmed

2023-10-11T19:33:28.889Z

W-L-OTL:	7-24-3
GAA:	3.63
SV%:	0.898
SO:	1

Kaapo Kahkonen will start the Sharks' season opener Thursday vs. Vegas. Kahkonen struggled in 2022-23 as he was 9-20-7 with a 3.85 GAA and a .883 SV% but will draw the opening night start for San Jose as they host Vegas on Thursday. The 27-year-old is entering his fifth NHL season and will hope to help the Sharks finish outside the bottom three after they were 29th in the NHL in goals against last season (315). He takes on the Vegas Golden Knights, who are 1-0-0 after a 4-1 win over Seattle on opening night that saw them put 28 shots on goal. Source: Curtis Pashelka

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St Louis Blues at Dallas Stars

2023-10-13T00:00:00.000Z

Jordan Binnington

Confirmed

2023-10-12T23:34:48.032Z

W-L-OTL:	28-20-5
GAA:	2.82
SV%:	0.913
SO:	3

Binnington will start in Dallas on Thursday. Binnington is the likely starting goalie in the Blues' season opener against the Dallas Stars. His stats have declined each year since leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup and reached career-worsts in 2022-23, where he posted a 3.31 GAA and .894 SV% in 61 games (27-27-6). Binnington, who has an annual cap hit of $6 million, will presumably receive the lionshare of time in the crease but any mistep could prompt rookie Joel Hofer to get a more thorough look between the pipes. Binnington lost both contests against the Stars last season (0-2-0) despite a strong 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. That said, the Blues are +186 road underdogs against the Stars.Source: Jeremy Rutherford

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Jake Oettinger

Confirmed

2023-10-12T15:34:20.493Z

W-L-OTL:	35-14-4
GAA:	2.72
SV%:	0.905
SO:	3

Jake Oettinger will take the crease in the Stars' season opener vs. St. Louis. Oettinger is one of the premiere young goalies in the NHL and enters the 2023-24 campaign as a contender for the Vezina Trophy. In 62 games with the Stars last season (37-11-11), Oettinger had a 2.35 GAA and .919 SV% along with five shutouts. The Stars enter the season as -210 home favourites against a St. Louis Blues team that parted ways with talented scorer Vladimir Tarasenko in the offseason. In his lone appearance against the Blues last season, Oettinger recorded a 25-save shutout victory.Source: Bruce LeVine

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Florida Panthers at Minnesota Wild

2023-10-13T00:00:00.000Z

Sergei Bobrovsky

Confirmed

2023-10-12T11:38:51.682Z

W-L-OTL:	36-17-4
GAA:	2.37
SV%:	0.915
SO:	6

Bobrovsky will start the Panthers' season opener in Minnesota. In 50 games last season (24-20-3), Bobrovsky posted a very pedestrian 3.07 GAA and .901 SV% before ultimately losing priority in the crease to, then-Panthers' backup, Alex Lyon down the stretch. Bobrovsky regained his composure in the postseason, leading the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals with a 2.78 GAA and .915 SV% in 19 games (12-6-0). Bobrovsky is coming off a lacklustre preseason, posting a 2.75 GAA and .883 SV% in three games (1-2-0), and has been frustratingly inconsistent since joining the Panthers in 2019-20. It's difficult to predict what to expect from Bobrovsky as the Panthers are listed as +114 road underdogs in their season-opener against the Minnesota Wild.Source: Steve Goldstein

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Filip Gustavsson

Confirmed

2023-10-12T15:18:20.883Z

W-L-OTL:	20-18-4
GAA:	3.06
SV%:	0.899
SO:	3

Filip Gustavsson will start the Wilds' season opener vs. Florida. Expectations are high this season for the 25-year-old Gustavsson, who made his presence known in his first season with the Wild, posting a 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in 39 games (22-9-7) en route to eventually capturing the starting role from veteran Marc-Andre Fleury. As the confirmed starting goalie in Minnesota's season-opener, Gustavsson appears poised to pick up where he left off and should see an even larger role between the pipes this season. The Wild enter action tonight as -130 home favourites against the Florida Panthers, who will be without their top two defensemen, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.Source: Sarah McLellan

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Seattle Kraken at Nashville Predators

2023-10-13T00:00:00.000Z

Philipp Grubauer

Confirmed

2023-10-12T17:21:35.016Z

W-L-OTL:	14-16-2
GAA:	2.85
SV%:	0.899
SO:	2

Philipp Grubauer will start Thursday vs. Nashville. Grubauer will get his second start of the season after allowing three goals on 27 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Last season, Grubauer posted a 2.85 GAA and .895 SV% in 39 games (17-14-4) but was considerably better on the road where he had a 2.59 GAA and .904 SV% in 17 games (9-5-2). The Kraken are slight -102 road underdogs against a Predators team that was also defeated on opening night, 5-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his only game against the Predators last season, Grubauer saved 14 of 16 shots in a 7-2 victory.Source: Piper Shaw

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Juuse Saros

Confirmed

2023-10-12T23:35:56.026Z

W-L-OTL:	35-24-5
GAA:	2.86
SV%:	0.906
SO:	3

Saros will start Thursday's game against the Kraken. Saros will be looking to rebound against Seattle on Thursday after a difficult opening-night matchup against the Lightning. The 28-year-old workhorse surrendered four goals on 33 shots enroute to a 5-3 defeat. Saros remains one of the best goaltenders in the NHL despite the poor start to the season he endured on Tuesday, and he’s got a great chance of notching his first win of the campaign at home against the Kraken on Thursday. Source: @NHLPreds

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Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks

2023-10-13T02:30:00.000Z

Logan Thompson

Confirmed

2023-10-11T19:31:49.925Z

W-L-OTL:	25-14-5
GAA:	2.7
SV%:	0.908
SO:	1

Logan Thompson will start Thursday vs. San Jose. Thompson was 21-13-3 with a .915 SV% and a 2.65 GAA in an injury-riddled 2022-23 with Vegas and will start their second game of the season Thursday in San Jose. The 26-year-old is entering his third NHL season and is expected to split starting time with Adin Hill throughout the season. He draws the San Jose Sharks on the road, who struggled to score in 2022-23 and finished 25th in goals for (233) and 25th in shots per game (29.5). Source: Danny Webster

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Vitek Vanecek

Confirmed

2023-10-12T14:32:48.379Z

W-L-OTL:	17-9-3
GAA:	3.18
SV%:	0.89
SO:	0

Vites Vanecek was in the starters' crease at morning skate and will start Thursday vs. DetroitEntering his fourth NHL season, Vanecek is coming off of his busiest campaign which saw him play 52 games (33-11-4) and record a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV%. Vanecek had an extremely strong start to last season before cooling down to a .896 SV% in his final 16 regular season games (9-6-1). His struggles continued in the postseason where he posted a 4.64 GAA and .825 SV% in seven games (4-1-3) and battled for time with Akira Schmid. The two goalies will likely share time in the crease this season unless one can pull away as the clear favourite. The New Jersey Devils are considered a serious Stanley Cup contender this season and open their campaign as -230 home favourites against the Detroit Red Wings.Source: Amanda Stein

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