Weekly Goalie Outlook for April 6th to April 12th (Week 27)

Weekly Goalie Outlook for April 6th-April 12th (Week 27)

Here is a look at each team’s goaltending situation heading in to the final week of the fantasy season (April 6th – April 12th).

Atlantic Division

Team: New Jersey Devils
Goaltender: Martin Brodeur
Opponents: Toronto, @Ottawa, Carolina
Outlook: After 6 straight losses the Devils have gotten back on track with 2 straight wins. Weekes is out for the rest of the regular season so we’ll see Marty in all 3 of this week’s games. Carolina handed New Jersey one of the 6 straight losses and Toronto and Ottawa will be looking to play the spoiler role, but if the Devils can continue their recent turnaround, they’ll march into the playoffs on a 5 game winning streak.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: New York Islanders
Goaltender: Yann Danis/Joey MacDonald
Opponents: @Carolina, @Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston
Outlook: With 4 games against 4 teams likely playoff bound in the East, the Isles could very well be a lock in the “Tavares Sweepstakes” after Sunday.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: New York Rangers
Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist
Opponents: Montreal, Philadelphia, @Philadelphia
Outlook: The Rangers have lost 2 straight at the hands of playoff bound teams and face 2 more to finish off the season. Montreal has pointed in all 3 games against New York this year and the season series with Philly is 2-2. If you’re a manager who has a comfortable goaltending lead in a matchup this week, or your league doesn’t penalize your tenders for losses, give Lundy the nod in all 3 games.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Goaltender: Martin Biron/Antero Niittymaki
Opponents: Florida, @New York Rangers, @New York Islanders, New York Rangers
Outlook: The Flyers have lost 3 of their last 4 as both goalies have once again been seeing pretty equal time. This team will look towards Biron for the playoffs but neither tender has been on their game recently, so continue to monitor who gets the start; especially with a back-to-back to finish off the season.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury
Opponents: @Tampa Bay, New York Islanders, @Montreal
Outlook: The Pittsburgh Penguins have pointed in 16 of their last 17 games heading into Sunday’s contest in south Florida. The Pens are one of the hottest team in hockey right now and with 2 matchups against the bottom squads in the East, there’s no sign of them slowing down.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Northeast Division

Team: Boston Bruins
Goaltender: Tim Thomas/Manny Fernandez
Opponents: @Ottawa, Montreal, @Buffalo, @New York Islanders
Outlook: The Bruins have won 6 straight, locking up the top seed in the East in the process. The have 3 games on the road to finish things up but with a streak like this, who cares where you play. They do have a back-to-back to finish the season off so be sure to check and see who’s expected between the pipes.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Buffalo Sabres
Goaltender: Ryan Miller
Opponents: Detroit, @Toronto, @Carolina, Boston
Outlook: Their playoff chances are slim, but the Sabres have pointed in 5 of their last 6. With 4 games this week, look for Buffalo to fight to get into the postseason, riding Ryan Miller all the way.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Montreal Canadiens
Goaltender: Carey Price/Jaroslav Halak
Opponents: Ottawa, @New York Rangers, @Boston, Pittsburgh
Outlook: At the start of the season people were talking Stanley Cup; now it’s a hope just to make the playoffs. The Habs have a tough road ahead of them but they’ve won 5 of their last 6. Halak has gotten the last 2 starts so make sure to check on which goalie is starting. Montreal is playing good puck right now so the situation remains safe to finish out the season.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Ottawa Senators
Goaltender: Brian Elliot/Alex Auld
Opponents: @Montreal, Boston, New Jersey, @Toronto
Outlook: The Sens have lost 4 of their last 6 and will officially miss the playoffs this season. Both goalies should see time in the last 4 games, but with 2 games against opponents locked into the postseason and 1 team fighting for a spot, you’re best bet is to use caution with Ottawa’s goaltending.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Goaltender: Martin Gerber/Curtis Joseph
Opponents: @New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa
Outlook: The Leafs’ goaltenders have given up 14 goals in their past 2 games; enough said.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Southeast Division

Team: Atlanta Thrashers
Goaltender: Johan Hedberg/Ondrej Pavelec/Kari Lehtonen
Opponents: Washington, Florida, Tampa Bay
Outlook: The Thrash went 9-4 in the month of March and are currently riding a 4 game winning streak. Kari Lehtonen’s status for the week remains in the question as he has been out since late March with an upper body injury. Tampa, Florida and Washington are all teams that the Thrashers have beaten over the past month, so have some confidence in a young team and give Moose or Pavelec a shot. Preliminary reports have Hedberg playing early on in the week and Pavelec possibly finishing it out. Keep an eye on Pavelec in the off-season. With Lehtonen needing a new contract, we could see a changing of the guard in Atlanta in this uncertain goaltending situation.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Goaltender: Cam Ward
Opponents: New York Islanders, Buffalo, @New Jersey
Outlook: On Saturday night, Cam Ward stopped Sidney Crosby on a breakaway and Evgeni Malkin on a penalty shot leading the ‘Canes to their 8th straight win. This team is on fire right now, they have officially locked themselves into the postseason, and their goaltender has played outstanding over the past month. This one’s a no brainer.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Florida Panthers
Goaltender: Tomas Vokoun/Craig Anderson
Opponents: @Philadelphia, @Atlanta, Washington
Outlook: Anderson has started 4 straight heading into Sunday’s game, and he got the “W” in 3 of the 4. Florida is fighting for a spot in the postseason and has a tough road ahead of them, especially when you factor in the Thrashers hot streak. Monitor this situation on game nights. Vokoun had only won 3 games in the March and from what we’ve seen from Anderson this season and last, we know he’s capable of holding down a starting position. Should be interesting to see what the Panthers do with Anderson since he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Goaltender: Kari Ramo/Mike McKenna
Opponents: Pittsburgh, Washington, @Atlanta
Outlook: The ‘Bolts have lost 6 straight and with Vinny done for the year, don’t expect to see Tampa ending the ’08-’09 season on a winning streak.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Washington Capitals
Goaltender: Jose Theodore/Simeon Varlamov
Opponents: @Atlanta, @Tampa Bay, @Florida
Outlook: They’ve pointed in 6 of their last 7 and could be this year’s Pittsburgh Penguins with their young talent. They finish things off on the road where their record isn’t as strong as the one at home but with this offense, they could definitely head into the playoffs riding a 3 game winning streak. Oh yeah, and the Caps haven’t lost in Florida all season. It’s worth noting that with an overtime loss to the Sabres on Friday, the Caps gained the point that clinched them the Southeast Division, so it wouldn’t be too far out of line to assume we’ll see Varlamov once, maybe twice this week to give Theodore a breather heading into the playoffs.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Central Division

Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Goaltender: Nikolai Khabibulin/Cristobal Huet
Opponents: @Nashville, Columbus, @Detroit, Detroit
Outlook: Busy schedule ahead this week for a “Hawks team that has won 2 straight. Khabibulin seems to be the main guy in the Windy City but with such a heavy load, expect to see Huet between the pipes at some point. Nashville and Columbus are both fighting for playoff spots and a home-and-home with Detroit is no easy task, but with Chicago’s solid play as of late, they could break a few hearts this week and land a nice playoff seed in the process.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Goaltender: Steve Mason
Opponents: @Chicago, @St. Louis, Minnesota
Outlook: The Jackets have lost 3 of their last 4 heading into Sunday, with 2 of the losses coming at the hands of St. Louis. Columbus is looking for their first playoff birth in franchise history and face 2 potential playoff teams in the process. Columbus will be digging hard to get into the postseason this week so give Mason the nod in all 3 contests.
Strategy: Safe To Start

Team: Detroit Red Wings
Goaltender: Ty Conklin/Chris Osgood
Opponents: @Buffalo, Nashville, Chicago, @Chicago
Outlook: They’ve lost 3 straight and will be looking to get back on track before the playoffs. They could end up just going with whoever has the hotter glove this week so monitor the situation to see who gets the nod on game nights. Osgood is slated as the starter in the playoffs, so maybe we see Conklin a 2-3 times this week.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Nashville Predators
Goaltender: Pekka Rinne
Opponents: Chicago, @Detroit, @Minnesota
Outlook: The Preds have won 4 of their last 6 and are looking to squeak into that final spot in the West. Playing Chicago and Detroit won’t make that task easy, but Rinne is playing too well right now to call this situation cautious.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: St. Louis Blues
Goaltender: Chris Mason
Opponents: @Phoenix, Columbus, @Colorado
Outlook: The Blues have pointed in 7 of their last 8 and Chris Mason has been phenomenal down the stretch. St. Louis is also looking to grab that last seed and their schedule is more favorable than some of the other bubble teams with games against Phoenix and Colorado. With Mason’s play as of late, there’s no other choice but to start him.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Northwest Division

Team: Calgary Flames
Goaltender: Miikka Kiprusoff
Opponents: Los Angeles, @Vancouver, @Edmonton, Edmonton
Outlook: The Flames are 2-2 in their last 4 and have 3 difficult games this week against a Vancouver team trying to win the division and an Oilers squad that’s looking for a playoff berth themselves. It’s tough to doubt Kippers, so the Flames need to hope their defense steps up so the load doesn’t rest solely on their goaltender.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Colorado Avalanche
Goaltender: Peter Budaj/Andrew Raycroft
Opponents: @San Jose, Dallas, Vancouver, St. Louis
Outlook: A 3 game home stand to finish the year means absolutely nothing for a Colorado team who has lost 8 straight. The Avs have now become one of the favorites in the “Tavares Sweepstakes.”
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Edmonton Oilers
Goaltender: Dwayne Roloson
Opponents: Los Angeles, Calgary, @Calgary
Outlook: The Oilers are fighting for their playoff lives but they’ve lost 3 of their last 4. With 2 games against the Flames, who will be trying to clinch the division, the odds aren’t in their favor.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Minnesota Wild
Goaltender: Niklas Backstrom
Opponents: Dallas, Nashville, @Columbus
Outlook: The Wild have pointed in 3 straight games heading into Sunday’s matchup with Detroit. However, with Nashville and Columbus both fighting for playoff spots, it’s best to use caution with the Minnesota goaltending this week.
Strategy: Use Caution

Team: Vancouver Canucks
Goaltender: Roberto Luongo
Opponents: Calgary, Los Angeles, @Colorado
Outlook: The Canucks have won 3 of their last 5 but they’ve dropped 2 straight. They’re in a battle with Calgary for the Northwest Division title and with 2 favorable matchups against L.A. and Colorado, the 3rd seed in the West is very attainable.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Pacific Division

Team: Anaheim Ducks
Goaltender: Jean-Sebastien Giguere/Jonas Hiller
Opponents: Dallas, @Phoenix
Outlook: The Ducks have won 9 of their last 10 heading into Sunday’s game in San Jose. They’ve won 4 straight in front of Jonas Hiller who looks to be the #1 guy in Anaheim right now. They currently are holding the 7th spot in the West and with matchups against 2 struggling teams this week, they’ll be looking to lock up a seed and focus on another Cup run.
Strategy: Safe to Start

Team: Dallas Stars
Goaltender: Tobias Stephan/Matt Climie/Marty Turco
Opponents: @Minnesota, @Colorado, @Anaheim
Outlook: After 7 straight losses the Stars have won 2 of their last 3. They were officially eliminated from a playoff berth on Saturday and will finish the season on road, possibly without their starting goaltender who is out with a lower-body injury. Even with a game against a weak Colorado team, there’s really no reason to start a 2nd or 3rd string Dallas tender. And, if Turco can make it back for Anaheim, keep him on the bench!
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Los Angeles Kings
Goaltender: Jon Quick
Opponents: @Calgary, @Edmonton, @Vancouver, San Jose
Outlook: L.A. has lost 3 of their last 4 and have a tough schedule ahead of them this week with games against 3 of the top 4 seeded teams in the West. Don’t use caution; simply don’t use a Kings goalie this week.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: Phoenix Coyotes
Goaltender: Ilya Bryzgalov/Al Montoya
Opponents: St. Louis, @San Jose, Anaheim
Outlook: The Coyotes have recalled Al Montoya who nabbed a shutout in his first NHL start this past week. We talked about Montoya in a team breakdown before the season started, so keep an eye on him over the next season as he has the ability to take over the starting job if Bryzgalov falters. The ’Yotes have a difficult week ahead of them, however, for those managers looking for a goaltending flyer in the final week of play, we could see 1-2 start from Montoya to finish out the season.
Strategy: Emergency Basis Only

Team: San Jose Sharks
Goaltender: Evgeni Nabokov/Brian Boucher
Opponents: Colorado, Phoenix, @Los Angeles
Outlook: The Sharks are trying to lock up the top seed in the West and looking at the 3 teams they face this week it’s extremely possible that they’ll do just that. Don’t rule out Boucher this week for a game or two in order to give Nabby a breather before the playoffs begin.
Strategy: Safe to Start