Cam Talbot is expected to start for the Red Wings against the Flames as they try to extend their four-game winning streak.
On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.
9 games on Saturday, Feb. 1
* = confirmed
Petr Mrazek, CHI* at Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* (1 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at Jeremy Swayman, BOS (3:30 p.m. ET)
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at Leevi Merilainen, OTT* (7 p.m. ET)
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB (7 p.m. ET)
Juuse Saros, NSH at Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT* (7 p.m. ET)
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at Logan Thompson, WSH (7 p.m. ET)
Darcy Kuemper, LA at Frederik Andersen, CAR (7 p.m. ET)
Joseph Woll, TOR at Stuart Skinner, EDM (7 p.m. ET)
Cam Talbot, DET at Dustin Wolf, CGY (10 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Cam Talbot, DET at CGY (48% rostered)
Last chance to roster Talbot? Since Jan. 1, he's been one of the best goalies in the league with a 8-1-0 record, .911 SP and 2.63 GAA. The Red Wings have won four straight, three of them with Talbot in net, though they come into this game as the underdog. The Flames added some firepower with Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, but it might take some time for them to adjust to their new team, not to mention they've having disappointing seasons so far. I'm pretty confident in Talbot in this matchup and see no glaring reason why he shouldn't be a good streaming option. He allowed just one goal on 25 shots (.960 SP) in a 2-1 win on Nov. 27 in Detroit, and also boasts a career 12-6-0, .919 SP, 2.42 GAA record against them. As the Wings' current 1A option, he should also have ROS value.
Talbot should be a good streaming option. The Flames offense is deeper after the trade for Frost and Farabee but still lacks an elite scorer. The Wings offense is better, though they'll face a tough goalie, too, in Dustin Wolf. I like Talbot for the possibility of getting a win, some saves and a high save percentage.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT vs. NSH (15% rostered)
Nedeljkovic's play has really improved since he took over as the starter, earning three wins in five games and only one game with a save percentage below .929. This is going to be a close game between two bottom-tier teams; the Preds were rolling with five straight wins but have since hit a skid and enter the game with two straight losses while the Penguins have lost seven of their past 10. Given Nedeljkovic's recent performances, I think we can expect a strong start. Whether or not he gets enough goal support to win the game is another question.
If you're looking for a saves and a good save percentage, Nedeljkovic is a good choice. I can see both teams grinding out goals, keeping the goals against to a minimum. As for the win, it's basically a coin flip; NHL.com's FanDuel odds has the Penguins (-111) favored ever so slightly against the Preds (-100) as of Friday evening.
Petr Mrazek, CHI at FLA (11% rostered)
Ah, matinee games. Funky things always happen. I'm not calling for an upset because the Blackhawks have lost four of their past five, but note they've won three of their past five meetings, including most recently on Nov. 21. That being said, they are facing Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been excellent with three straight wins and only four goals allowed. The Blackhawks offense has improved under Anders Sorensen, especially at the top of their lineup but, generally speaking, their lineup is still rather meek.
Start Mrazek only if you have no other choice, and the only thing he can really provide is a high volume of saves.
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