Goalie Start 'Em, Sit 'Em ft. Swayman, Bussi, Hofer and More

Good day fellow fantasy hockey fans and welcome to another Goalie Start ’Em, Sit ‘Em. We’ve got 12 games on the slate tonight, so we are working with (at least) 24 twine tenders on what should shape up to be a thrilling Thursday evening in October. So let’s crunch the numbers, ride the streaks, check our guts and let’s dive right in to Goalie Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em!

(Please note that at the time of writing this article, most of 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. Stats from FrozenTools.)

Start ‘Em

Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: The Bruins netminder has looked impressive to start the season, turning aside 206 pucks (2nd in the NHL behind Jesper Wallstedt’s 216) for a stingy .928 SV% and 1.98 GAA through 8 games played. On Thursday, the Bruins host the Nashville Predators who are 22nd in the NHL with 2.88 Goals Forced per Game and 26th in Shots Forced per Game with 24.4. With the Bruins sitting just above them with 24.9 SF/G (24th in NHL) this game has the looks of a hard-nosed, old school contest that ends up with more hits than shots and, as a result, something akin to a 3-2 victory for the home team. Add in that Boston is 3-1 at home to start the season and was tied for the NHL lead for wins on home ice last season (with an inspiring 29-11-1 record at TD Garden) and there is really no reason not to start Swayman on Thursday night. If you have one or two goalies with a better outlook tonight, than props to you, but as for the rest of us - Start ‘Em!

John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings: Outside of a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers 20 days ago, John Gibson has been about as bad as a consistently drafted goalie could be in fantasy this season, but maybe, just maybe, the Red Wings (and Gibson) can build off of their recent success. Then again, the bar for “success” is pretty low in Mo Town these days, but it should be mentioned that the Red Wings are actually on a five-game point streak. So while Detroit enters this game on a “hot” streak, their opponents on Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks, are mired in an eight-game losing streak. Believe it or not (and I’m sure you do believe it), the Canucks scored more goals in their first three games of the season (17) than they have in their last eight games combined (16). So if you are still holding the 33-year-old John Gibson, go ahead and crack a smile and plug him into your starting goalie slot with confidence. Start ‘Em!

Sit ‘Em

Brandon Bussi, Carolina Hurricanes: The 27-year-old has been respectable in net for the Canes thus far, going 2-2-1 while posting a 2.98 GAA and a .882 SV% across five starts. But those numbers are a little underwhelming compared to his comrade of the crease, Pyotr Kochetkov, who has a squeaky clean 6-0 record alongside a 1.98 GAA and .899 SV% in six games. And while the defending Cup champs are probable for the win nearly every time they take to the ice, Thursday’s match with the Edmonton Oilers would have Brandon Bussi squaring off against the top offense in the NHL, led by the NHL’s current scoring leader Connor McDavid (26 points). The Oilers have been humming along, racking up goals to the tune of 4.56 GF/G (1st in NHL). On a Thursday night with 23 other goalies in action, Bussi simply may not be worth the risk. Sit ‘Em!

Joel Hofer, St. Louis Blues: This season, Hofer has established himself as the true No.1 netminder for the Blues and has backed it up with 3 wins in 6 appearances while providing healthy metrics of 2.19 GAA and .919 SV%. But Thursday night the Blues will host the Pacific Division leading Vegas Golden Knights, who are one of only three teams that are averaging four or more goals scored per game (4.00 GF/G, 3rd in NHL). Over the last 10 head-to-head matchups, the Golden Knights have won 7 meetings and have torched the Blues for 37 goals over that span, good for 3.7 GF/G. Does this mean that Vegas is going to go out and drop four more goals on Thursday night? Well, Joel Hofer owners may not want to find that out the hard way. Hofer was dialed in for his win over Winnipeg on Tuesday, so if you don’t need his start, there’s no reason to risk tanking his categories for the week versus Vegas on Thursday. Better safe than sorry, Sit ‘Em!

Desperation Mode Play

Cooper Black, Florida Panthers: Between age and karma, Florida just can’t seem to catch a break on the injury front. The Panthers’ prime pipe patroller Jacob Markstrom was the latest to be added to their injured reserve list and is now expected to be sidelined for the next 10-14 days. With Florida playing in back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday, it’s likely that recent AHL call-up Cooper Black gets a look in the net in what would be his first ever NHL appearance. For what it’s worth, Black has a 2-1 record for the Charlotte Checkers and metrics of 2.47 GAA and .907 SV% through 3 games, but the more important number to pay attention to is 21. That’s how many goals the Penguins have given up over their last four games, all loses, and in each one of those contests the Pens surrendered at least 5 goals. The Pittsburgh penalty kill that has operated at 55.6% over that same span, as well, and will be up against a Florida team that leads the league in power play opportunities. The 6-8 Cooper Black is available in pretty much every league out there (6% rostered on Fantrax, 1% on Yahoo), so he really epitomizes “desperation mode play.” Akira Schmid, by the way, is widely available too (only 40% rostered on Fantrax, 29% on Yahoo) and if he ends starting both of the Panthers’ back-to-backs then you need not look any further for your desperation mode play. This is simply a highly favorable matchup against the Pens, no matter who takes the crease. Desperation Mode 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. You can also find me providing injury news and updates every Wednesday on Dobber Hockey. I’ll be back here next Thursday to try to breakdown the night’s goaltending slate, so until then - Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!