Goalie Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

Hello everybody and welcome back to Goalie Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em - where we crunch the numbers, identify the streaks, and check our guts all while trying to figure out who start at fantasy hockey’s most volatile position. Coming back from the extended Olympic break (and congratulations to all the men and women who participated over there!) the scheduling gods have loaded up Thursday night with 12 contests, featuring 24 teams and 24 starting goalies to choose from. Oh, and by the way, 8 of those teams (NJD, PHI, TOR, TBL, SEA, COL, LAK, and EDM) will be on the second half of a scheduled back to back, so let’s be mindful of their D-men’s legs after taking a break from NHL action for the past 3 weeks. And since we’ve been waiting long enough for fantasy hockey to resume, let’s dive in without further ado!

(Please note that the goalies listed are considered “probable” to start. Keep refreshing your Goalie Post app to see which goalies are “confirmed” starting. Don’t have the app? Get it for Apple or Android.)

START ‘EM

Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders - The Islanders were one of the hottest teams in the NHL before the Olympic break, rattling off wins in 5 of 7 and holding opponents to just above 2 goals a game (2.29GA/G) during that stretch. Their favorite twine tender, Ilya Sorokin, has played the part of a Vezina candidate this season, leading the league in shutouts (6) and delivering fantasy managers some stellar stats, such as his 2.43 GAA and .916 SV%. While a matchup in Montreal against the Canadiens’ 3rd ranked offense (3.49 GF/G) isn’t the juiciest of matchups on paper, Sorokin has actually handled the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge throughout his career and currently sports a 5-0-2 record in head to head meetings, with productive peripherals of 1.67 GAA and .945 SV% during those contests. It can be hard to predict a matchup when neither team has played for the past 3 weeks, but let’s trust Sorokin in net, as he has been one of the leagues most reliable starters this season (57.1 Quality Start %). Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators - Ullmark has only played 2 games since the calendar flipped to 2026 but he won both of those starts and will look to win another when he takes the ice against the Red Wings on Thursday night. The Sens entered the break looking sharp, winning 5 of their last 6 games and they will need to continue that level of play if they want to make up ground in the tightly contested Eastern Conference. For the year, the Swedish Olympic representative hasn’t quite looked like himself, posting a 2.86 GAA and .884 SV%, but on Thursday night he has an opportunity to push those numbers closer to his career averages of 2.57 GAA and .914 SV%. We know he has what it takes and this matchup against the Red Wings, who entered the break losing 4 of 5, should remind us of his fantasy impact when healthy. Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh Penguins - The unfortunate side effect of NHL participation at the Olympics was risk of injury and the Penguins were one of the clubs devastated the most, - their captain Sidney Crosby will miss at least 4 weeks with a lower-body injury that he sustained in Team Canada’s quarterfinal win over Team Czechia. Without their points and emotional leader, we should expect the Penguins to take a downward swing and, as such, any goalie backstopping their net should be treated with caution. Overall, Skinner has looked good in his black and yellow uniform, winning 8 of his last 10 games after dropping his first 3 as a Penguin, but Thursday’s dance with the Devils, who may be feeding off the high of Jack Hughes’ own Golden Goal, looks like it may end up disappointing the currently favored team from Pittsburgh. Until we see how the Penguins looks without Crosby, Sit ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild - The Wild have excelled on the road this season (17-8-3), but their opponents on Thursday night, the Colorado Avalanche, are even better (21-3-4) this year on their home ice at Ball Arena. After splitting their first 2 matchups, this will be the third meeting between the two Central Division juggernauts, but it will be Gustavsson’s first taste of the Avs this season. The Gus Bus didn’t pick up any steam in the Olympics, conceding the net to fellow countrymen Markstrom, and we should be cautious starting him against the recently frustrated Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Those two superstars will be on their revenge tour after their gold medal aspirations fell short and Gustavsson’s net could end up as their next victim. Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE START

Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken - Gru was able to provide some solid play between the pipes for Team Germany during the winter Olympics, earning two victories in 4 games played to go along with a 2.79 GAA and .912 SV%. The German keeper is in the middle of his best statistical season since joining the Kraken and gets a chance to continue his resurgence on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues, who (in case you forgot over the extended break) are second to last in the league in goal differential (-56) and third worst in goals forced per game (2.58). At only 33% rostered in Fantrax and 24% in Yahoo, check the waiver for the Kraken net minder, who has a fairly safe matchup against the Blues this Thursday night. Start ‘Em!

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! My name is Garrett Finlay and you can follow me on X @garrett_fi51284 and on Bluesky @garrettfinlay.bsky.social where I am often talking goalies and fantasy hockey. I’ll be back here next Thursday to breakdown another busy night of twine tending action! Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!