Goalie Start 'Em, Sit 'Em ft. Swayman, Knight, Tarasov and More

Hello fantasy hockey enthusiasts and thanks for joining us here for another round of Goalie Start Em, Sit Em! We have just about a month left of regular season NHL games, which means many of us are currently fighting our way through the first round of the fantasy playoffs. With 11 games on the slate, let’s check our guts, crunch the numbers, and identify the streaks, as we all try to extend our seasons as long as we can - Let’s dive in!

(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

Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins - Boston has been a force on home ice this season, winning 13 of their last 14 there, and piling up an impressive, league leading, 25 wins on the year. Swayman (26 Wins, 2.77 GAA, .906 SV%) has had a steady year in the blue paint for the Bruins and has posted a save percentage above .900 in all but 1 of his starts since the beginning of March. On Thursday, the Black and Yellow host the far-traveling Winnipeg Jets, who have lost 3 of their last 5 games and let in 4 or more goals in all 3 losses. The Jets’ 2.85 Goals Forced per Game has put them towards the bottom of the league in scoring (8th worst) and their Power Play conversion percentage of 17.9% (10th worst) shouldn’t have fantasy managers too worried about the penalties that Boston will inevitably take in front of Swayman. Let’s go the Sway Way and let Swayman fill the net. Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings - Kuemper’s individual performance has fluctuated up and down this season, but lately he has been trending upwards again. The 35 year old has won his last two starts and has patrolled the pipes with a save percentage above .900 in 4 of his past 5 (3 wins). The Flyers will be the team in L.A. trying to beat Kuemper on Thursday, but they have only managed 14 goals in their last 6 outings (2.33 GF/G) and will be on the second half of a back to back, having played in Anaheim on Wednesday. As the Kings battle for a spot in the playoffs, look for the Kings to tighten up defensively and help Kuemper improve upon his save percentage this season (.898) and bring it closer up to his career average of .913 SV%. In good faith, Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Spencer Knight, Chicago Blackhawks - There has been a lot to like about the 24 year old’s first season as a full-time starter (17 wins, 2.67 GAA, .907 SV%, 1,175 saves), but in 3 tries this season, he has yet to take down the Minnesota Wild. The two teams just met in Chicago this Tuesday (a 4-3 OT victory for the Wild), so Thursday’s game in Minnesota will be the second round of a home and home series. A lot of these home and home set’s get edgy in the second meeting, so we should be leery of Minnesota’s lethal power play (25.2%, 5th best in NHL). Knight has already let in 11 goals over the first 3 meetings and we can expect more of the same in this one. Unless you need the start, we may be better off letting Knight sit on the bench while the Wild go for the season sweep here. Sit ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks - Desperate times call for desperate measures, but unless volume saves are all you need, then you need to look elsewhere for help in net this Thursday night. We can respect that Lankinen has put together a string of solid starts (save percentages of .913, .957, .917 last 3 games) and even give a nod to the Canucks for winning 2 out of their last 3 games, which is as close to a streak as the Vancouver faithful may see the rest of the year, but let’s not put our fantasy season in the hands of the worst defensive team in the league (3.70 GA/G, last in NHL). Lankinen’s opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, have been in a bit of a skid (3 wins in last 10 games), but still boast the leagues #2 offense, averaging 3.59 GF/G, after scoring 6 goals (1 empty net) in Seattle on Tuesday. The Canucks, also, own the leagues worst home record at 8-21-5, and well, we could probably go on here but let’s just say that in case you were considering it, stop now and Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE START

Daniil Tarasov, Florida Panthers - While the Panthers have already begun to look towards the offseason, we may expect the team to be fired up to play the part of spoilers in Edmonton on Thursday night in a repeat of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals. The 26 year old Russian twine tender has had a mediocre campaign thus far, posting 9 wins in 23 games played with metrics of 2.96 GAA and .896 SV%, but the team in front of him is capable of frustrating McDavid and the Oilers, limiting their opportunities and giving Tarasov the chance to shine, as witnessed in the past 2 Cup Finals. With fantasy playoffs on the line, at 20% rostered in Fantrax and 4% in Yahoo, hit the wire and give Tarasov the desperation start you need to survive. 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!