Thursday's slate includes one more game after the Chicago Blackhawks at Buffalo Sabres game was postponed from Wednesday.
Thursday, Jan. 18. 11-game slate.
* = confirmed or probable
Petr Mrazek, CHI* at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* (7 p.m. ET)
Alexandar Georgiev, COL* at Jeremy Swayman, BOS* (7 p.m. ET)
Cayden Primeau, MTL* at Joonas Korpisalo, OTT* (7 p.m. ET)
Jake Oettinger, DAL* at Samuel Ersson, PHI* (7 p.m. ET)
Filip Gustavsson, MIN* at Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB* (7 p.m. ET)
Jordan Binnington, STL* at Charlie Lindgren, WSH* (7 p.m. ET)
Martin Jones, TOR* at Dan Vladar, CGY* (9 p.m. ET)
Joey Daccord, SEA* at Stuart Skinner, EDM* (9 p.m. ET)
Juuse Saros, NSH* at David Rittich, LA* (10 p.m. ET)
Connor Ingram, ARI* at Thatcher Demko, VAN* (10 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR* at Logan Thompson, VEG* (10 p.m. ET)
Streaming Options
( < 50% rostered in Yahoo leagues, ranked by matchup)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. CHI (22% rostered)
Obviously, with goaltending, things can change on a dime, but Luukkonen makes the most sense coming off a 3-0 shutout against the Sharks. It'll be his fourth straight start and the Hawks have very little offensive firepower to be weary of.
There are relatively more streaming options despite a small Wednesday slate, and Luukkonen sits at the top of the pile.
Charlie Lindgren, WSH vs. STL (42% rostered)
Darcy Kuemper posted a shutout in his previous start, but it was the Ducks, after all. The Caps have fared better with Lindgren in net and, at worst, they'll split the starts with a home-and-home series against the Blues.
The Caps don't have much offensive firepower and note the Caps have lost four straight meetings against the Blues and allowed at least five goals in each game. That should change with Lindgren in net, who should provide at least a good save percentage.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. DAL (35% rostered)
If I'm confident in anything about Ersson, it's his ability to deliver a good save percentage, his previous outing against the Stars notwithstanding.
That 5-4 overtime loss was way back on Oct. 21 in Ersson's first start of the season, and needless to say he's improved significantly since then. This is a tough matchup; both teams are (usually) tough to score against, and I'm hoping for a low-scoring matchup where the Flyers can pull off a minor upset. Ersson and the Flyers are getting to a point where we needn't worry too much about blowout losses.
David Rittich, LA vs. NSH (3% rostered)
A small hunch, but do we see Rittich in this spot? Cam Talbot's struggling and coming off a 5-1 loss to the Stars while Rittich's now won three of his four starts and allowed just two goals against the Canes.
This is a favorable matchup for the Kings and far better than Saturday against the Rangers, which Rittich may draw if Talbot starts against the Preds and loses. Rittich has been impressive so far and I'd be willing to roll the dice, but still wouldn't count out the Kings acquiring another goalie, which puts a damper on Rittich's long-term value and ability to steal the starting job.
Cayden Primeau, MTL at OTT (2% rostered)
Primeau likely draws the start in the second half of a back-to-back with travel from New Jersey. I think the Habs are a much stronger team and have a good chance at winning, but Primeau's play doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, and note the Habs may be tired. Not sure how well Primeau will play, but I would be surprised if the Habs didn't win.
Dan VladarDan Vladar, CGY vs. TOR (11% rostered)
Vladar's coming off a strong performance against the Coyotes but this is a tough matchup. No matter if the Leafs stack their top line or not, or if they're slumping a little, Vladar faces arguably the league's best goal scorer in Auston Matthews.
The games are usually close but the Leafs have historically dominated this matchup, winning 10 of their past 14. Other than some positive momentum for the Flames' top line, I don't like this matchup.