Weekly Goalie Outlook for March 9th-15th (Week 23)

Here is a look at each team’s goaltending situation heading in to the fantasy week of March 9th to March 15th.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Team: New Jersey Devils
Goaltender: Martin Brodeur
Opponents: Calgary, Phoenix, @Montreal
Outlook: So he is human after all? Despite a tough outing against the Islanders, Brodie has been stellar in his return. New Jersey continues to play extremely well down the stretch and should lock up two wins this week against the ‘Yotes and Habs. The Calgary game is going to be a good one after Calgary’s mini-facelift on deadline day.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: New York Islanders
Goaltender: Joey MacDonald/Yann Danis
Opponents: @Toronto, @Montreal, @Boston, @Chicago
Outlook: The Islanders have been playing better as of late and may surprise this week playing some teams who have been struggling as of late. Certainly choose more favorable matchups if available, however, managers who have to start Danis or MacDonald could catch a nice surprise.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: New York Rangers
Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist
Opponents: @Carolina, @Nashville, @Philadelphia, Philadelphia
Outlook: Lundy and crew have had two nice wins heading into Sunday’s contest but the week ahead is certainly a test for a team who has struggled in recent weeks. Those 2 wins were against two of the worst teams in the league and all 4 games the Rangers have this week are against teams that are playing well as of late. If you’re a Lundy owner, see what your other tender(s) can offer this week before you rely too much on a team struggling to score.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Goaltender: Martin Biron/Antero Niittymaki
Opponents: Buffalo, Washington, New York Rangers, @New York Rangers
Outlook: The Flyers continue to platoon Biron and Niittymaki so make sure to double check your starters on game day. Certainly a tricky schedule for Philly this week but nothing the team can’t handle. Be careful about that Washington game, though. The Flyers hold the season series 3-2 but this newly formed rivalry should make for a tough test in Philly.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury
Opponents: Florida, @Columbus, Ottawa, Boston
Outlook: The Pens are cruising right now and a big reason for that is Marc-Andre Fleury’s rock solid play. Don’t even hesitate to start him this week as he should see all 4 starts. With Fleury playing as well as he has and Pittsburgh back in the thick of the playoff race, their number one tender should see the majority of the workload down the stretch.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Northeast Division

Team: Boston Bruins
Goaltender: Tim Thomas/Manny Fernandez
Opponents: @Columbus, Ottawa, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh
Outlook: Boston continues their up and down play and taking some uncharacteristic losses in the past few weeks doesn’t make any of these games a sure thing this week. Play it cautiously this week and see if Thomas and Fernandez can return to form before you rely on them heavily heading into fantasy playoffs.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Buffalo Sabres
Goaltender: Patrick Lalime/Mikael Tellqvist
Opponents: @Philadelphia, Florida, Atlanta
Outlook: Lalime’s numbers since taking over have not been terrible and Buffalo’s offense is finally coming around. However, A tough loss to the Sens on Saturday night knocked them down a peg in the playoff race. 3 tricky games this week for the Sabres as the team is known to have trouble with the Flyers and Thrashers. Managers that have more favorable matchups between the pipes are encouraged to play them.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Montreal Canadiens
Goaltender: Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price
Opponents: Edmonton, New York Islanders, New Jersey
Outlook: It appears Halak has recovered from the flu and could certainly be thrown into the mix this week. The Habs have not played the best hockey as of late and there are a lot of questions surrounding players underperforming at this point in the season. Edmonton and New Jersey should give them a run for their money and as we saw with the Thrashers this past week, you can’t rule out the lower end teams playing Montreal tough either.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Ottawa Senators
Goaltender: Brian Elliot/Alex Auld
Opponents: Toronto, Tampa Bay, @Boston, @Pittsburgh
Outlook: With the deadline acquisition of Pascal Leclaire, Brian Elliot should have a challenge on his hands next season to fight for number one position. Until then, Elliot will assume the role of starter for the Sens. He’s coming off of 2 wins and could very well see 3 starts this week. Look at Toronto and Tampa to hopefully to build a nice statistical foundation for the week. Then pick and choose your matchups from there on out based on personal situations.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Goaltender: Martin Gerber
Opponents: @Ottawa, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay, Calgary
Outlook: It’s the Martin Gerber show in Toronto from here on out. It’s going to take a week to feel out his playing ability with the Leafs, so managers who opted to pick him up as an insurance policy, keep him on the bench for a week to see if he’s had some sort of prolific realization in the AHL and is ready to be a top fantasy option down the stretch.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Southeast Division

Team: Atlanta Thrashers
Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen
Opponents: @Colorado, @Edmonton, @Buffalo
Outlook: Honestly, the Thrashers have been playing better as of late. For this week, give Lehtonen a ride against the ‘Lanche for sure and the Sabres as the Thrashers are known Sabre killers.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Goaltender: Cam Ward
Opponents: New York Rangers, @Chicago, @Dallas, @Washington
Outlook: The ‘Canes are red hot right now as they are making the most of their matchups in the push to the playoffs. Not an easy schedule this week by any stretch, however, the return of Erik Cole has sparked Eric Staal and the ‘Canes to put up some serious offense over the previous 2 games. Cam Ward has been dynamite as well which makes Carolina a very dangerous team as we finish up the season.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Florida Panthers
Goaltender: Tomas Vokoun/Craig Anderson
Opponents: @Pittsburgh, @Buffalo, Tampa Bay
Outlook: The Panthers are turning up the heat offensively and with sound goaltending and a playoff position on the line, it’s going to be full throttle in Sunrise from here to the end of the season. Managers looking for wins this week with Vokoun should look at the Buffalo and Tampa games for the best opportunities.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Goaltender: Kari Ramo/Mike McKenna
Opponents: @Ottawa, @Toronto, @Florida
Outlook: Lightning tenders have given up 24 goals in the past 5 games. That’s not going to cut it in ANY fantasy hockey format.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Washington Capitals
Goaltender: Jose Theodore
Opponents: @Nashville, @Philadelphia, Carolina
Outlook: The Caps are on a bit of a skid losing their last 3 heading into Sunday. Michal Neuvirth has seen some action recently but with the recent slide, Theodore should be back in net against 3 difficult teams this week. Give him the nod and hope that Washington can get back on track.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Western Conference

Central Division

Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Goaltender: Cristobal Huet/Antti Niemi/Nikolai Khabibulin
Opponents: Carolina, Columbus, New York Islanders
Outlook: Nikolai Khabibulin is almost ready to return to the lineup after being shelved with a groin injury. Make sure to keep an eye on the starters this week in case he is ready to return to action. Chicago is playing decent puck right now, so go ahead and start them. It’s just going to require some checking to see who is going to get the nod on game days.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Goaltender: Steve Mason
Opponents: Boston, Pittsburgh, @Chicago, Detroit
Outlook: Columbus has been up and down over the past week or so but the highs of that stretch include a 1-0 shutout of the Oilers and an 8-2 shellacking of the Red Wings. The Jackets have played with the best of them this season and Mason continues to look like their goalie of the future. Let’s see what they got this week.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: Detroit Red Wings
Goaltender: Ty Conklin/Chris Osgood
Opponents: Phoenix, Calgary, @St. Louis, @Columbus
Outlook: First a meltdown against the Preds and now a full collapse at the hands of the Jackets. Goaltending issues in Detroit may be starting to surface and with a tough Calgary team and Columbus again this week, we may have to use these matchups as a deciding factor on how to handle the Wings for the rest of the fantasy year. Ride ‘em this week to see if these blowouts are somewhat of a fluke and we’ll re-assess the situation next week.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Nashville Predators
Goaltender: Pekka Rinne
Opponents: Washington, New York Rangers, @Phoenix
Outlook: Pekka Rinne has been red hot and the Preds are more than capable of handling the Rangers and Coyotes this week if you’re looking for surefire win situations.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: St. Louis Blues
Goaltender: Chris Mason/
Opponents: Dallas, Detroit, San Jose, Minnesota
Outlook: The Blues have one of the toughest schedules to play this fantasy week and it may be best to just leave Mason out of the rotation.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Northwest Division

Team: Calgary Flames
Goaltender: Miikka Kiprusoff
Opponents: @New Jersey, @Detroit, @Toronto
Outlook: The new look Flames are going to be a scary team to deal with down the stretch here. Start Kippers in every format.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Colorado Avalanche
Goaltender: Peter Budaj/Andrew Raycroft
Opponents: Atlanta, Minnesota, @Edmonton, @Vancouver
Outlook: NO.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Edmonton Oilers
Goaltender: Dwayne Roloson
Opponents: @Montreal, Atlanta, Colorado
Outlook: A relatively harmless schedule should make Roloson easy to start this week.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Minnesota Wild
Goaltender: Niklas Backstrom/Josh Harding
Opponents: San Jose, @Colorado, @Dallas
Outlook: Things are just not going as planned in Minnesota right now and looking at the week ahead, it would be advisable to only consider the game against Colorado as a winnable matchup.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Vancouver Canucks
Goaltender: Roberto Luongo
Opponents: @Los Angeles, @Anaheim, Los Angeles, Colorado
Outlook: The Canucks continue to roll and a favorable schedule this week should allow Luongo to make it a 3 win week. Fire at will.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Pacific Division

Team: Anaheim Ducks
Goaltender: Jean-Sebastien Giguere/Jonas Hiller
Opponents: Vancouver, San Jose
Outlook: Short week for the Ducks but even in the shortened week, recent struggles make it difficult to give either Duck tender the nod with confidence. Short weeks are difficult, especially in leagues that require a certain number of appearances to qualify tender stats. Be careful.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Dallas Stars
Goaltender: Marty Turco
Opponents: @St. Louis, Carolina, Minnesota.
Outlook: Turco and the Stars catch 2 struggling teams this week so managers looking for wins may want to consider giving him the nod against the Blues and the Wild.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Los Angeles Kings
Goaltender: Jon Quick
Opponents: Vancouver, @Vancouver, @San Jose
Outlook: Not the most favorable schedule for a struggling team to want to have to deal with. Quick owners may want to consider other options this week.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Phoenix Coyotes
Goaltender: Ilya Bryzgalov
Opponents: @Detroit, @New Jersey, Nashville
Outlook: A tough schedule for a struggling team. One thing to note though is now that Mikael Tellqvist has been traded to Buffalo, the ‘Yotes have called up Josh Tordjman from San Antonio. He’s a pretty decent goaltending prospect and could see a few starts down the stretch if Phoenix falls out of contention completely.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: San Jose Sharks
Goaltender: Evgeni Nabokov/Brian Boucher
Opponents: @Minnesota, @St. Louis, Los Angeles, @Anaheim
Outlook: Nabby is slated to return to action on Tuesday against the struggling Wild. With Nabby back between the pipes for the Sharks in a week where the schedule is in their favor, certainly give him the nod in all contests that he starts.
Strategy: Safe to Start