Goalie Start 'Em, Sit 'Em ft. Saros, Skinner, Hofer and More

Good day and good night ahead in all of your fantasy hockey endeavors! It’s the end of March and we are in the midst of playoff season for almost all fantasy hockey leagues. Hopefully your team is still alive and well and if not, then let’s just enjoy what hockey is left to us and maybe you still have a consolation bracket to compete in. My teams are still kicking it, but I’m going to need some breaks to fall my way if I have a chance of moving on to any championship rounds. And with that, you will find me on the front lines alongside you on this Thursday evening, trying to make the most out of a 13 game slate, honing in on any advantage I can find, minuscule or massive, and clinging to hope like a lifeboat at sea. The waves keep coming but maybe, just maybe, they will bring me to shore. So let’s crunch the numbers, identify the streaks, check our guts, and let’s dive in to Goalie Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em!

(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

Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators - The Predators are riding a 5 game win streak and have clawed their way back into a playoff position. Their Finnish pipe patroller, Saros, has won 4 of his past 5 starts (the 1 loss coming in a shootout) and has yet to let by more than 3 pucks in any of his 8 starts in March. Smashville has, also, been host to 5 straight home triumphs and the Predators boast a healthy 20-13-3 record there overall. The visiting Devils will be playing in their 4th straight road game (2-1 so far), and while they have scored 6 goals in 2 separate contests on this trip, New Jersey, for the season, has the 6th lowest Goals Forced per Game in the NHL at 2.76. 2025-26 hasn’t been Saros’ best statistical season (26-19-7, 3.11 GAA, .895 SV%), but Juice has had some stretches of superb play and he seems to be in the middle of one of them right now. Let’s ride it while we can. Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Karel Vejmelka, Utah Mammoth - OK, so you probably started Vejmelka on Tuesday only for him to get lit up by McDavid and Co. and subsequently get pulled 2 periods in… but given that he already got lit up - the only place his numbers can go this week are up, up, and up, and there’s a good chance it starts on Thursday at home against the Capitals. The Caps have been holding cold hockey sticks all month long, scoring 2 or fewer goals 8 times in their 10 games so far in March. Admittedly, Vejmelka has been a bit uneven, himself, in March (4-4-1, 3.22 GAA, .837 SV%), but at this point we should give him a chance to improve upon his disastrous start on Tuesday, if only because he would be hard pressed to bring down his weekly numbers any further. Plus, the upside of facing one of the lowest scoring teams recently makes this a prime spot for “Veggie” to return to form. With little left to lose, Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pens come into Thursday night as the 3rd best team in the Metropolitan division, but only 1 point ahead of the New York Islanders, who currently sit outside of the playoff bubble. Through March, the Penguins have had no qualms with scoring goals (44 goals in 13 games, 3.38 GF/G), but have decidedly given up on keeping the puck out of their own net, letting by 46 goals in those 13 games, allowing 3.54 GA/G for the month. On Thursday, Skinner and the Penguins will be in Ottawa to take on the streaking Senators who have compiled 8 victories in their past 10 games and have held their opponents to 2 or fewer goals in every match of a current 4 game win streak. While he does have Crosby back on his side, Skinner hasn’t had much of anything else going for him lately, as he has just 1 win going back to the beginning of February. Yes, the Penguins nearly always burn these Start/Sit articles (it’s like they don’t even care), but the trends tell a story and it reads like a tough task for the goalie backstopping the Penguins’ crease. Sit ‘Em.

SIT ‘EM

Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken - Kucherov. I’m not sure what else has to be said here, but I’ll try to elaborate. On Thursday, the Kraken will be in Tampa Bay to face the league’s leading scorer in Nikita Kucherov, who has 14 points in his last 5 games, 25 points in 12 games in March, 104 points in his last 50 games, and etc. The 34 year old German, meanwhile, has dropped 3 of 4 in March, including a 6-2 loss to this same Tampa Bay club on the 17th (which, coincidentally, is his last start in net). The Kraken have a shot at the playoffs, but have just 2 wins out of their last 10 games, and have let in 5 or more goals in 5 games during that span. Gru has been good for spot starts throughout this season, but March has not been friendly to the Kraken. This one may not be worth the risk. Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE START

Joel Hofer, St. Louis Blues - It’s March, so the Blues are the best team in hockey. Seriously, though, the Blues are on a massive heater running through March with an 8-1-2 record, allowing just 17 goals over those 11 games, good enough for an average of 1.55 GA/G. Binnington and Hofer have been rotating starts and it hasn’t seemed to matter who has been between the pipes for the Blues for this stretch, as both net minders have been hot: Binnington has quality starts in 4 of his last 5 starts, while crease-mate Joel Hofer has a streak of 8 straight quality starts (including his shut out victory on Tuesday against the Capitals). Meanwhile, the Blues’ opponent on Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks, have dropped 5 straight contests and have allowed 4 or more goals in all of those losses. At 53% rostered on Fantrax and 39% on Yahoo, let’s let Hofer, or Binnington (Fantrax 58%, Yahoo 45%), or whoever dons the mask for the Blues - take the reigns and deliver another solid fantasy performance. It’s the fantasy playoffs after all, maybe the Blues know what’s at stake here. 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!