Coffee in the Crease: Returns to the Lineup

Welcome back everyone! Coffee in the Crease today is more of an afternoon Cup of Joe or maybe a “Cuppa”. Regardless, we have a fun early slate underway and there’s nothing better than to watch some hockey at home or at work. Like maybe oh say, you’re at work right now hoping that your Outlook doesn’t flash orange again for the 100th time on a Monday while Senators/Bruins plays in the background. Hypothetically, of course.

Jarry Returns

I don’t know how far our archive of Coffee in the Crease or Weekend Outlook goes back here at GoaliePost but I definitely feel like I have written the headline, “Jarry returns” at least once this season. Well, as it reads, Tristan Jarry will be back between the pipes tonight for the Pittsburgh Penguins and for fantasy owners it’s a nice sigh of relief.

Before he missed nine games with an upper body injury, Tristan Jarry wasn’t really stellar by any stretch with 16 wins and a .917 save percentage on the season but he at least was someone that you could usually point to as the starter each night for Pittsburgh in net. For the Penguins and those platooning Casey DeSmith as your fantasy starter it was a rocky ride, with DeSmith winning only four of his nine starts and allowing more than five goals in two of those starts. I’ve often thought that Pittsburgh is a club that has wanted to rotate both Jarry and DeSmith in and out of starts as more of a tandem but as we move forward here into March, I have a hard time seeing that happening.

For fantasy I’d be cautious in starting Jarry, it would be strictly by matchup. When it’s all going right for Pittsburgh this is a club that can put six goals on the score sheet but when it’s wrong, and I really do mean this, they’re Blackhawks/Blue Jackets/Ducks look-alikes. I think if Jarry is going up against a sub .500 club he may be worth the start or if you you’re between him and another netminder that isn’t necessarily matchup proof. For DFS I personally rarely play Pittsburgh, too infrequent where the offense is coming from so the correlation between him, and Pittsburgh skaters goes out the window. You can play him at whatever his price will be but I’d look elsewhere on most slates.

Freddie Andersen’s play

Show of hands, how many of you knew that there was an outdoor game on Saturday? Past that how many of you knew where this game was actually being played? Probably very few, but for the 14 or so of us (I exaggerate of course) that watched a bit of the Stadium Series game, Frederik Andersen’s play was once again fantastic.

On Saturday, Andersen allowed one goal on a Tom Wilson shot that was at an odd angle and could have been off a strange bounce on the outdoor ice. Regardless, Andersen has looked great since returning from injury going 8-1-1 and allowing two goals or fewer in eight of those games. He’s part of the reason why Carolina is 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, and I’d say he’s part recommendation for the week as well as just me highlighting his play here. I believe he has moved back into the “must start” category and this week looks to be very favorable for him with the Hurricanes in action at home against St. Louis on Tuesday, Ottawa on Friday, and Arizona on Saturday. Freddie will likely see the first of those three games and given those matchups if you’re rostering him in fantasy I’d lock him in to each start. For DFS he will be very pricey, and I think it’s only worth playing the most expensive goaltender on a slate if there’s shutout possibility, which their likely is.

Goalies to target this week

Connor Ingram, Arizona Coyotes (Rostered in 2% of ESPN leagues, 22% Fantrax, 3% Yahoo) 19 starts, 5 wins, 4 OTL, 3.16 GA/G, .912 Sv%, 1 SO

The Coyotes have been starting Connor Ingram as of late and I don’t think it’s because they intend on trading Karl Vejmelka, but what I think they’re trying to do is get exposure for Ingram and make him a moveable piece as we approach the deadline. If that is indeed the plan out in Arizona it may just work, Ingram has been great recently, starting two of the past three game, winning two of them and earning a shutout in one. Arizona this week also fits a very nice piece of the puzzle that is the NHL schedule with games on Wednesday and Sunday, both light days.

Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken (Rostered in 7% of ESPN leagues, 46% Fantrax, 32% Yahoo) 20 starts, 12 wins, 1 OTL, 2.81 GA/G, .923 Sv%, 1 SO

I was hoping that Seattle would turn to Philipp Grubauer today but the club went back to Martin Jones on this Monday early-slate. I don’t know, you have to ask them the thinking behind that decision, but my guess would be is that they are trying to give Grubauer extra rest right now before Thursday’s matchup against the Boston Bruins. That will be a tougher matchup but I like him as a lower rostered option this week and a potential way to really get unique in DFS.

For continued fantasy news and notes throughout the season, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz