Joonas Korpisalo is slated to face his former team for the first time this season.
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11 games on Thursday, Jan. 23
* = confirmed
Anton Forsberg, OTT at Joonas Korpisalo, BOS* (7 p.m. ET)
Sam Montembeault, MTL* at Cam Talbot, DET* (7 p.m. ET)
Samuel Ersson, PHI* at Igor Shesterkin, NYR (7 p.m. ET)
Daniil Tarasov, CBJ* at Frederik Andersen, CAR* (7 p.m. ET)
Ilya Samsonov, VGK* at Joel Hofer, STL* (8 p.m. ET)
Karel Vejmelka, UTA* at Filip Gustavsson, MIN* (8 p.m. ET)
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* at Dustin Wolf, CGY* (9 p.m. ET)
Thatcher Demko, VAN* at Calvin Pickard, EDM* (9 p.m. ET)
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at John Gibson, ANA (10 p.m. ET)
Charlie Lindgren, WSH* at Joey Daccord, SEA (10 p.m. ET)
Juuse Saros, NSH at Yaroslav Askarov, SJ* (10:30 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Calvin Pickard, EDM vs. VAN (9% rostered)
Pickard is going for his third straight win and gets the rematch against the Canucks following Saturday's loss. Stuart Skinner has lost two straight but I think this is an interesting decision by the Oilers with a homestand without any back-to-backs. Pickard's numbers at home have not been good - .853 SP, 2.97 GAA - but I do think the Oilers get their revenge even without Connor McDavid in the lineup.
I like Pickard's odds of winning and the Canucks offense can be anemic at times; a good save percentage may be more elusive, so the main upside is getting the win.
Joel Hofer, STL vs. VGK (7% rostered)
Hofer gets his chance against the Knights as they wrap up a home-and-home series. Hofer is going for his third straight win and he's been quite good with only three goals allowed in two games. Normally, I'd avoid this start, but the Knights are slumping with six losses in their past seven games. Goaltending and defense has been a problem, so while I think the Blues may upset, the Knights offense is still to be feared.
I think Hofer has a chance to win the game but would not bank on a good save percentage unless the Blues do an outstanding job of defending, which they have not done against the Knights this season. They've allowed eight total goals in their previous two matchups.
Joonas Korpisalo, BOS vs. OTT (13% rostered)
Jeremy Swayman started in their previous two games against the Sens, both of which were close losses, so Korpisalo might get the start in a potential revenge game. The wrinkle is Korpisalo came in relief for Swayman last night against the Devils, which makes me wonder if they're going back to Swayman again tonight. What's more worrying, however, has been Korpisalo's sporadic use, and note the Sens are 5-1-1 in their past seven. Despite a winning record with eight wins in 14 starts, Korpisalo has a subpar .892 SP on the season. I think this game could go either way, but I'm not hopeful for a strong performance.
Samuel Ersson, PHI at NYR (24% rostered)
Both teams are playing well but I think the Flyers have a bit more momentum with five wins in six games, and Ersson is going for his sixth straight win. I think we might see a low-scoring, grinding affair, and my concern is the Flyers don't provide enough goal support for Ersson to earn the win. I'm a little less confident in the Flyers' chances if they start Ivan Fedotov, who are playing the first game of a back-to-back. Expected Rangers starter Igor Shesterkin has had back-to-back shutouts.
I think the result's a coin flip even though the Rangers are favored, but I don't anticipate Ersson seeing a lot of shots. The Flyers are too good at suppressing them.
Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at ANA (13% rostered)
John Gibson, ANA vs. PIT (14% rostered)
If I had to pick, it's definitely Nedeljkovic. It's far more likely he gets better goal support, and he's also been excellent over his past two starts with three goals allowed on 68 shots (.956 SP). The Ducks are having trouble scoring, getting shut out three times in their past six games. While neither team is very strong defensively, their previous game was a 2-1 OT win for the Pens.
I think Nedeljkovic is the better option for a win but would not be surprised if Gibson offers more saves and the better save percentage.
Cam Talbot, DET vs. MTL (40% rostered)
I wonder if the Red Wings will turn to Talbot and start him over Alex Lyon, who started the past two games but lost both. The Wings' lack of offense was predictable; their power play was converting over 50 percent of their opportunities and, at some point, it was going to overheat - they're 1-for-9 during their three-game losing streak. I would not underestimate the Habs; since Dec. 1 they're 16-7-1 with the third-best P% in the league heading into Wednesday's games.
I'm very concerned that the coaching bump from Todd McLellan is over, and don't expect a win from Talbot. His save percentage has generally been good but the Wings generally don't allow a lot of shots, which hurts the odds of him being able to rack up the saves.
Connor Ingram, UTA at MIN (34% rostered)
Utah's playing the first game of a back-to-back so Ingram will either get this game or Friday's in Winnipeg. Neither will be easy, and note the Wild are expected to have top scorer Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon in the lineup. If you're looking for signs of a potential upset, note Utah's strong on the road (12-8-3) and the Wild weak at home (11-10-1), and Ingram's performances have been encouraging. I still think the Wild take this game but am fairly confident Ingram can at least deliver a good save percentage.
Daniil Tarasov, CBJ at CAR (2% rostered)
This will be the Jackets' fourth road game in six nights and their second in as many nights, so fatigue is a real danger here coming off a big 5-1 win against the Leafs last night. As much as I think the Jackets offense can provide good support - good enough to beat the Canes - this is a difficult matchup and I don't have that much confidence in Tarasov. He's had some good games recently, but overall this season owns a .872 SP.
This is a potentially high-scoring game - with a minimal chance of an upset - and note the Canes are heavily favored with a 5-1-1 record in their past seven. I'd shy away from this matchup and look for something more certain.
Yaroslav Askarov, SJ vs. NSH (16% rostered)
The Sharks collapsed for the second straight game against the Preds on Wednesday, allowing four third-period goals yet again. While this should be a revenge game, I'm not entirely confident the Sharks can pull off the win, and Askarov has reportedly been battling an illness. He's lost two straight with seven goals allowed while the Preds offense has really come alive during their four-game winning streak, averaging a league-best five goals per game. If you're looking for saves, Askarov is an option, but he's in the bottom tier of streaming options with a very low chance of an upset.
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