Winnipeg Jets backup Laurent Brossoit gets a chance to earn his sixth straight win and third straight shutout.
Thursday, March 21. 11-game slate.
* = confirmed/probable
Jonathan Quick, NYR* at Jeremy Swayman, BOS* (7 p.m. ET)
Samuel Ersson, PHI* at Frederik Andersen, CAR* (7 p.m. ET)
Ilya Sorokin, NYI* at James Reimer, DET* (7 p.m. ET)
Laurent Brossoit, WPG* at Jake Allen, NJ* (7 p.m. ET)
Joel Hofer, STL* at Anton Forsberg, OTT* (7 p.m. ET)
Kevin Lankinen, NSH* at Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* (7:30 p.m. ET)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* at Stuart Skinner, EDM* (9 p.m. ET)
Arvid Söderblom, CHI* at Lukáš Dostál, ANA* (10 p.m. ET)
Samuel Montembeault, MTL* at Casey DeSmith, VAN (10 p.m. ET)
Philipp Grubauer, SEA* at Logan Thompson, VEG* (10:30 p.m. ET)
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB* at Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ* (10:30 p.m. ET)
Streaming Options
(ranked by matchup)
Arvid Söderblom, CHI at ANA (3% rostered)
With Petr Mrázek coming off a 6-2 loss to the Kings, perhaps Söderblom gets this start, but I think both goalies would be good options against the lowly Ducks, who have lost seven straight and averaging just one goal (!) per game. (Mrázek would obviously be the more desirable stream, however).
The Ducks have been shut out three times in their past four, and while I don't think it's likely the Hawks shut them out, I do expect them to allow very, very few goals. This is one of the few times I don't mind streaming a Hawks goalie.
Joel Hofer, STL at OTT (13% rostered)
With Minnesota and Vegas coming up, the Blues are electing to give Jordan Binnington some rest and start Hofer against the Sens, who have lost two straight by a combined 13-4 score.
Hofer was excellent in his previous two starts against the Ducks and Bruins, allowing just three goals on 65 shots (.954 SP) and I think this is a really favorable matchup. The Sens have struggled all season and have not won a game in regulation since Feb. 22.
Laurent Brossoit, WPG at NJ (27% rostered)
Brossoit will be going for his sixth straight win and third straight shutout, and he's been arguably the best backup in the league. Though the Devils are marginally improved under Travis Green, I think Timo Meier is a bigger scoring threat now than at any point during the season, and Jake Allen gives them at least some credibility in net as a veteran.
The Devils lost 6-3 to the Jets earlier this season, and I suspect the same outcome will occur here, but the game will probably be closer. This will be one of the tougher tests Brossoit has faced recently after facing just 57 shots in his past three games. I think Brossoit can provide a win, especially if the Devils offense is kept in check. They've fired 25 shots or less on net in four of their past six games, which is unusually low for any team, but the Devils in particular.
James Reimer, DET vs. NYI (9% rostered)
After securing both of the Wings' wins over the past week, it's no surprise to see Reimer back in net. Alex Lyon is going to take a back seat as long as Reimer plays well, and this is a chance for the Wings to get some momentum going again following a brutal losing streak.
Reimer has played well and this might end up being a high-scoring game, but I think he can at least secure a win as a streamer. Reimer's track record against the Isles in his career is pretty good -- 8-3-2 with a .914 SP and 2.81 GAA.
Kevin Lankinen, NSH at FLA (2% rostered)
Interesting decision to start Lankinen against the Panthers. The more ideal start would've been their previous game against the Sharks, where Lankinen would've had a much higher chance of winning and save Juuse Saros for the Panthers.
Lankinen was very good in his previous two starts but the opponents were the Jackets and Ducks -- not exactly the toughest competition. Given how good the Panthers are, even with their recent stumble and Lankinen's decent career numbers against them (4-3-2, .913 SP, 3.11 GAA) this feels a bit like a scheduled loss.
Jake Allen, NJ vs. WPG (25% rostered)
Allen has been excellent with a .946 SP and 2.01 GAA in three starts with the Devils, and coming off a 5-2 win against the Pens, I think there's little doubt that they're leaning on Allen being the starter. This is a really tough matchup, but the hope is Allen can rack up the saves. The Devils are still porous defensively with Allen facing an average of 37 shots per night. If you need saves and maybe a good save percentage, Allen's a viable option.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muE_Diu98kk[/embed]
Lukáš Dostál, ANA vs. CHI (7% rostered)
It's always a tough call between two bad teams but, in this case, while I do think the Ducks have a chance to pull off a win, they've been so bad lately that I think it's really unlikely. Even if Dostál has a strong game, he's just not getting enough goal support.
In Dostál's previous matchup against the Hawks on Dec. 7, he allowed just one goal on 25 shots, but ended up losing 1-0, anyway.
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at VEG (37% rostered)
Grubauer will make his third straight appearance but only because he had to relieve Joey Daccord against the Sabres on Monday. With a back-to-back Thursday and Friday, we may see Daccord again, but neither goalie inspires a lot of confidence right now.
True, the Knights have not been good in 2024, but neither have the Kraken, who have lost five straight games and don't have the offense to compete with the Knights if this becomes a high-scoring game. Grubauer has a sub-.900 SP in three straight starts.
Jonathan Quick, NYR at BOS (39% rostered)
Quick is expected to start after leaving practice early on Wednesday. His fantasy value has certainly lost some luster since the beginning of the season but note he's going for his seventh win in his eighth start. He beat the Bruins previously on Nov. 25 in a 7-4 win, stopping 27 of 31 shots in a game where neither him nor Linus Ullmark were particularly sharp. This feels like a coin flip matchup and I'd avoid streaming Quick unless you're desperate for a start.
Samuel Ersson, PHI at CAR (39% rostered)
The Flyers were very good in a 4-3 win against the Leafs with Ersson stopping 27 of 30 shots. The Canes, however, are on another level, and they're one of the best home teams in the league with a 22-9-4 record. Ersson has only one career appearance against the Canes, a 6-5 loss in where he was pulled and replaced by Carter Hart, only to return to finish the game after Hart was injured.
The only way the Flyers win this game is if they're suffocating the Canes' speed, which will be really hard to do. The Canes are much better and deeper, which makes Ersson a really risky start.