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

Ahh, December is upon us! The cold is in the air and the frost is on the ground and it all just gives off the cool vibes of midseason hockey! The change in weather also marks the end of the beginning of the season - that first part of the season, where even bottom feeding teams that are destined for draft lottery still can fool us into believers, just as eventual Cup champions can trick us into disbelief. And as our season rolls into December, I would like to give some love to the goalies that have been giving our fantasy clubs chances to win, week in and week out. The goalies that, in my humble opinion, are at the top of the Vezina list, or perhaps more importantly for us - the goalies that are at the top of the “Fantasy Hockey Goalie of the Year” list. So let’s check in on our current standout goaltending studs, including some dark-horses that should keep everyone on their toes for the remainder of the season. Reigning champion Connor Hellebuyck is missing from this list because of his recent injury. Also missing are the Colorado “Wood”s, due to their committed timeshare, which is working wonders for the Avs as a real team, but not so much for fantasy purposes (unless you are the lucky manager that picked up both “Wood”s for your fantasy team!).

1. Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals: 12-6-1, 2.02 GAA, .918 SV%, and 0 SO
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning: 11-6-2, 2.26 GAA, .917 SV%, and 1 SO
3. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers: 11-9-2, 2.45 GAA, .911 SV%, and 1 SO
4. Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: 11-7-0, 2.80 GAA, .910 SV%, and 0 SO
5. Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild: 8-0-2, 1.74 GAA, .944 SV%, and 4 SO

Out of the group, Swayman would be the easiest one to acquire, as the jury is still out on the Bruins being “for real” and thus Swayman could be considered, by some owners, a sell high candidate. If you are in need of goaltending help for a potential fantasy championship run, he could be a great option to target. Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin are perennial contenders here, each having won this prestigious title before, proving their draft worth year in and year out. Meanwhile Logan Thompson appears on this list for the second year in a row, as he continues to outplay his timeshare and provide stability in net for the Capitals. A true dark horse, Wallstedt has been playing out of his freakin’ mind this year, but it is unknown if that level of excellence can be carried throughout the season, or if opponents will start “keying in” to certain weaknesses in his game and exploiting the young twine tender. If you have any of these goalies, give yourself a pat on the back and consider yourself either very lucky or very smart. If you don’t have one of these studs in your crease, well hey - thats what this article is for! So without further ado, let’s dive into it: time for 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

Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers - Edmonton was blanked by the aforementioned Wallstedt at home on Tuesday night on home ice at Rogers Place, but there’s no way the Oilers pull that again. McDavid and Draisatl are just too good, and they take their jobs too seriously to treat their home fanbase like that. Look for goal support in this one for the Oilers goalie, Skinner, who, admittedly, has not had the best statistical season up to this point (9-8-3, 2.90 GAA, .887 SV%, 2 SO). And while his season boasts some of the worst goalie starts this year, he is currently on a bit of a heater - allowing only 1 goal over his last two starts. In fact, just last Saturday he posted a shutout against the same Seattle Kraken team that he will be facing Thursday night, a team that Stone Stu has an inspiring 9-3 record on for his career (alongside a 2.68 GAA and .907 SV%). He may not garner any Vezina votes this year, but he should be able to handle his crease on home ice against a Kraken team that has turned cold with the weather and currently sits at the bottom of the league in scoring. Start Stu for this one. Start ‘Em!

UPDATE - Calvin Pickard is in the starter's crease for the Oilers. His GAA is 4.04 and his SV % is .847 - even against an ice cold Kraken team this may not be the start you need. Conversely, Joey Daccord and the Kraken may end up with a win in this one after all!

START ‘EM

Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings - Another hot goalie matchup, the Canadian born Kuemper enters Thursday’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks with a 9-3-2 record in career matchups with the ‘Hawks, boasting a 2.32 GAA and .915 SV% in head to head meetings. Chicago, also, visits Los Angeles on a downswing, having lost 6 of their last 7 games on the season. So while Crypto.com arena has been closer to Kryptonite arena than a Fortress of Solitude this year (Kings have only 3 wins in 11 home games), Kuemper has been doing his part to buck that trend lately, having gone 2-1-1 and allowing only 5 goals total over his last 4 home starts. The Kings can and should win this one at home. Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators - The Senators turned in an uneven November, posting wins in 6 of their 13 games played. They enter Thursday’s matchup with the New York Rangers after a 5-2 victory in Montreal on Tuesday night. Ullmark has gone as the Senators go, posting an underwhelming, but good enough, 10-6-4 record with a 3.05 GAA and .876 SV%. Ullmark hasn’t been the hometown hero this year, either, winning only 3 of his 8 home starts this season. The Rangers, meanwhile, have played spoiler to many a home fan this year, conquering road arenas along the way to an 11-4-1 record, where they have scored 17 more goals than the home teams they have faced. Given the Rangers lofty road record, let’s leave Ullmark, the former Vezina winner, on the bench for this one. Sit ‘Em!

UPDATE - Looks like its Merilainen between the pipes for the Sens tonight. The Finnish netminder is 3-0 at home this year, but given the opponents knack for road victories, I still think the Rangers get a few goals by him tonight. Look for other options in net.

SIT ‘EM

Arturs Silovs, Pittsburgh Penguins - I want to pick on the Penguins here because they have made fools of many good goalie starts this season and it’s all finally coming back around on them. Silovs has dropped his last 4 games, and has been pulled in the 2nd period of his last 2 starts after allowing 4 goals against on just 10 shots in each. Now the 24 year old Latvian twine tender is on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league in the Tampa Bay Lightning (winners of 15 of 19 games since October 25), so we should expect more of this recent trend to continue. The Penguins are inching their way back into McKenna contention and before Christmas, may prove right the many pundits that picked their roster to be amongst the league’s cellar dwellers this season. This is a gut check on the Penguins season. Sit ‘Em.

UPDATE Now it's Jarry that draws the Lightning tonight. And while his numbers look great across the board (8-2, 2.57 GAA, .911 SV%), Tampa looks like the team to beat in this one. I am still staying clear of any Penguins goalie in this one. Their reckoning has come.

DESPERATION MODE START

Joel Hofer, St. Louis Blues - It’s been hard to recommend anyone backstopping St. Louis’s crease this year, as the Blues have been one of the most porous defensive teams so far this season (95 goals allowed this year, 3rd most in the league), but Hofer has played well in his last two games, allowing only 1 goal on 38 shots faced. He, also, has never lost to the Bruins in his career — that’s right, he has a sparkling 1-0 record after his one and only game against Boston back in March of 2024. And with only 20 teams in play on Thursday night, there aren’t too many waiver options to choose from, so at just 12% rostered on Fantrax, 6% on Yahoo, and 1% on ESPN, Hofer could be the desperation start that gets your goalie cats back on track. If you are desperate, might as well Start ‘Em!

UPDATE - Binnington gets the nod for the Blues. Look to Jonas Johannson on the waiver if you need goalie help. Jo-Jo (pronounced Yo-Yo) has a 5-2 record on the year and Lightning should be bringing the thunder at home against Pittsburgh after the Islanders spoiled their winstreak. Look for the Bolts to get back on track and for Jo-Jo to pick up the Win.

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!