Here is a look at each team’s goaltending situation heading in to the fantasy week of March 2nd to March 8th.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Team: New Jersey Devils
Goaltender: Martin Brodeur/Kevin Weekes
Opponents: @Toronto, @New York Islanders
Outlook: The Devils and Martin Brodeur are riding a 2 game winning streak and with 2 relatively weaker opponents this week. Brodeur and the Devils could make it 4 in a row.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: New York Islanders
Goaltender: Joey MacDonald/Yann Danis
Opponents: Colorado, New York Rangers, New Jersey, Phoenix
Outlook: Danis got the shutout against Buffalo and MacDonald lost his last game in a shootout, but with 4 games ahead of them this week, each tender should see time. Even with the Isles pointing in their last 2 games, this situation isn’t anywhere near “caution” or “safe.”
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only
Team: New York Rangers
Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist
Opponents: @New York Islanders, Boston
Outlook: Torts got his first win on Broadway in a decisive 6-1 victory over the Avs. Given the Bruins poorer play of late and the fact that the Islanders are, well, the Islanders, Lundqvist is a pretty safe bet this week.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Goaltender: Martin Biron/ Antero Niittymaki
Opponents: @Boston, Calgary, Nashville
Outlook: With Niitty back the platooning in Philadelphia continues. Heading into Sunday’s matchup vs. New Jersey the Flyers have earned points in their last 3 games. They start the week on the road against the top seeded Bruin then head home for a few games. It’s worth noting that the Flyers have pointed in 22 of the 30 games they’ve played this season in Philadelphia.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury
Opponents: @Tampa Bay, @Florida, @Washington
Outlook: Heading into Sunday’s game, the Pens look to have gotten back on track with 2 straight wins. Pitt has pointed in more than half of the games they’ve played on the road this season and they seem determined right now to get back into a playoff spot so go ahead and give Fluery the nod this week.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Northeast Division
Team: Boston Bruins
Goaltender: Tim Thomas/Manny Fernandez
Opponents: Philadelphia, Phoenix, Chicago, @New York Rangers
Outlook: The Bruins lost 7 of the 13 games they played in February and will be looking to start the month strong with a busy 4 game week. Two of the teams are in the hunt for an Eastern Conference playoff spot so wins won’t come easy, but they do start the week with 3 games in Boston where the Bruins have gotten a point in 26 of the 30 games they’ve played in front of the home crowd this season. Keep an eye on who’s expected to start as both goalies should see time this week.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Buffalo Sabres
Goaltender: Patrick Lalime/ Jhonas Enroth/Ryan Miller
Opponents: Montreal, Phoenix, @Ottawa
Outlook: No Thomas Vanek plus no Ryan Miller has equaled no wins in the past 3 games for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller isn’t expected back this week and they have 2 tough divisional games ahead of them. Keep an eye out to see if Enroth gets his first NHL start but either way, caution is advised with the current Buffalo goaltending situation.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Goaltender: Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price
Opponents: @Buffalo, @Atlanta, @Dallas
Outlook: The Habs have turned their game around as of late winning their past 4 contests. The big surprise has been the strong play of Halak who has gotten the start and the win in each of those 4 games. Montreal will most likely roll with the hotter tender in Buffalo on Wednesday but look for Price to see some action when the winning streak gets broken.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Ottawa Senators
Goaltender: Brian Elliot/Alex Auld
Opponents: Calgary, Edmonton, Buffalo
Outlook: The Sens are back to struggling as they’ve lost 5 of their last 6 games including 2 straight at home. Both goalies have seen time but neither has been successful as of late.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Goaltender: Vesa Toskala/Curtis Joseph
Opponents: New Jersey, @Washington, Edmonton
Outlook: The Leafs are riding an impressive 4 game win streak and an even more impressive 6 game point streak. This team will continue to try and be the play spoiler but with 2 tough matchups to start the week, caution is still advised as Toronto’s luck may run out.
Strategy: Use Caution
Southeast Division
Team: Atlanta Thrashers
Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen
Opponents: Florida, Montreal, Calgary
Outlook: Atlanta has lost 3 of their last 5 and their goalies have given up 3 or more goals in 8 straight. Add that statistic to games against 3 tough teams this week and you get an “emergency basis only” situation for the Thrashers.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only
Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Goaltender: Cam Ward
Opponents: @Washington, Calgary, @Tampa Bay
Outlook: The ‘Canes are fighting for a playoff spot and have been playing strong with wins in 4 of their last 6 games. They have back to back games Friday and Saturday so they could opt to give Ward a rest and play Leighton against a weaker Tampa team to end the week.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Florida Panthers
Goaltender: Craig Anderson/Tomas Vokoun
Opponents: @Atlanta, Pittsburgh, St. Louis
Outlook: Vokoun is still battling an ear infection and while it shouldn’t shelf him too much longer, just double check the starter against the Thrash to see if he’s able to get back in the lineup. The Panthers have some favorable matchups after Sunday’s contest in Washington so look for Florida to try and get more consistent as they look to secure a playoff birth.
Strategy: Safe To Start
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Goaltender: Kari Ramo/Mike McKenna
Opponents: Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Carolina
Outlook: The Bolts have lost 6 of their last 7 and rumor has it Mike Smith’s season may be officially over.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only
Team: Washington Capitals
Goaltender: Jose Theodore
Opponents: Carolina, Toronto, Pittsburgh
Outlook: Heading into Sunday, the Caps have won 6 of their last 8 games played and 6 of their last 9 in D.C. This team has a red hot offense and Jose Theodore has played well between the pipes so continue to give him the nod.
Strategy: Safe To Start
Western Conference
Central Division
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Goaltender: Cristobal Huet/Nikolai Khabibulin/Antti Niemi
Opponents: Anaheim, @Boston, Colorado
Outlook: With Khabibulin listed as day-to-day with a groin injury the Hawks have called upon youngster Antti Niemi. Niemi looked solid in his NHL debut vs. Pittsburgh, holding the Pens to a single goal. However, Chicago has dropped 3 straight and start their week against a hungry Ducks team so until they get back on track, you may want to use some caution.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Goaltender: Steve Mason
Opponents: Los Angeles, @Nashville, @Detroit
Outlook: Columbus has looked good lately winning 7 of their last 10 games. Mason recorded his 8th shutout Thursday night and continues to hold his squad in a playoff spot. Normally there would be some concern with a game against the Wings but the Jackets have beaten Detroit in their last 2 meetings so if you play the trends, give him the nod.
Strategy: Safe To Start
Team: Detroit Red Wings
Goaltender: Ty Conklin/Chris Osgood
Opponents: @St. Louis, @Colorado, Columbus
Outlook: The meltdown against Nashville was embarrassing to say the least but sometimes a big loss like that is just what a great team needs to refocus. Expect the Wings to fire back strong this week with both goalies continuing to see time.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Nashville Predators
Goaltender: Pekka Rinne
Opponents: Edmonton, Columbus, @Philadelphia
Outlook: The Preds have won 4 straight behind Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis’ time between the pipes continues to diminish considerably. This team is certainly proving their worth down the stretch here.
Strategy: Safe To Start
Team: St. Louis Blues
Goaltender: Chris Mason/
Opponents: Detroit, @Tampa Bay, @Florida
Outlook: Another surprisingly hot team as of late are the Blues winning 4 of their last 5 games. The game against Detroit will be tough as they should be fired up after the Nashville blowout and with another tough game against a Florida team hungry for wins, the Blues’ streak may be coming to a close.
Strategy: Use Caution
Northwest Division
Team: Calgary Flames
Goaltender: Miikka Kiprusoff
Opponents: @Ottawa, @Philadelphia, @Carolina, @Atlanta
Outlook: The Flames head to the East coast riding a 4 game win streak. Calgary has also come out of their last 7 contests with at least a point. With such a heavy schedule, Curtis McElhinney may see a start on the road this week, so keep an eye out for who gets the nod.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Goaltender: Peter Budaj/Andrew Raycroft
Opponents: @New York Islanders, Detroit, @Chicago
Outlook: Colorado has lost 4 straight and other than the Isles game, have a few tough teams to play this week. Steer clear of Budaj and Raycroft in the latter half of the week.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Goaltender: Dwayne Roloson
Opponents: @Nashville, @Ottawa, @Toronto
Outlook: The Oilers lost 4 of their last 6 going into the first week of March. They need a big week out of their goaltenders if they want to hold onto their playoff spot as their offense has failed to score more than three goals in 7 of their last 8 games. It’s probably best to continue to use caution until we start seeing some consistency.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Minnesota Wild
Goaltender: Niklas Backstrom/ Josh Harding
Opponents: @Vancouver, @San Jose, @Los Angeles, @Anaheim
Outlook: The Wild have a busy schedule this week as they look to get back on track after dropping their past 3 games. Both goalies are sure to see time with 4 games in the queue, but with all of their opponents playing well right now, it’s probably best to pick and choose where to start a Minnesota goaltender this week.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Vancouver Canucks
Goaltender: Roberto Luongo
Opponents: Minnesota, San Jose
Outlook: The Canucks are on fire right now with wins in 9 of their last 11 games heading into Sunday. They have a light schedule this week so make sure you have Luongo starting on your roster on Tuesday and Saturday.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Pacific Division
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Goaltender: Jean-Sebastien Giguere/Jonas Hiller
Opponents: @Chicago, Dallas, Minnesota
Outlook: The Ducks have won 3 of their last 4 and Giggy looks to be the starter again with Hiller not seeing action in the past 5 games. All 3 of their opponents this week are struggling a bit so he should be a safe bet.
Strategy: Safe to Start
Team: Dallas Stars
Goaltender: Marty Turco
Opponents: @San Jose, @Los Angeles, @Anaheim, Montreal
Outlook: The Stars are hoping the road treats them better than their recent home stand where they lost 4 straight games. With 3 games against some tough divisional foes, you might be better off using caution again with Marty Turco.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Goaltender: Jon Quick
Opponents: @Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota
Outlook: L.A. has dropped off as a late losing 4 of their last 5 games. They have a tough matchup to start the week, then take on two struggling teams. Certainly an opportunity to get back on track. It might be better, however, to be more cautious until the Kings start winning more frequently.
Strategy: Use Caution
Team: Phoenix Coyotes
Goaltender: Ilya Bryzgalov
Opponents: @Boston, @Buffalo, @New York Islanders
Outlook: The Coyotes have lost 3 straight and other than the game on Long Island, have some tough opponents as they head to the East coast. You might be better off with other options this week.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only
Team: San Jose Sharks
Goaltender: Evgeni Nabokov
Opponents: Dallas, Minnesota, @Vancouver
Outlook: The Sharks have won 5 of their last 7 and start the month off against 2 struggling teams. This is still a no brainer…
Strategy: Safe to Start
Subscribe to our RSS feed!
Loading ...