Goalie Start 'Em, Sit 'Em ft. Ullmark, Dostal, Askarov and More

Brothers and Sisters in arms, I hope you are all out there fighting for that trophy, and I am happy you are still here with me, as we finally make our way down the end of the NHL season and look towards the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And what a trip this season has been! For goalies, we learned that the elite tier is still elite, the middle tier is a complete mess, and the lower tier, well, there are just so many gems to be found in the dregs of drafts that further support the “Zero G” strategy that the middle tier can likely be forgotten altogether. Indeed, this season it seems that there may be as many Hofer owners in the championship round as there are Vasilevskiy owners, and certainly more shares of Wedgewood and Bussi than Bobrovsky or Gustavsson. Well for those of us whose dance is already over - there will always be “next year.” And as this Thursday evening marks a 1 week countdown to the end of the regular season, “next year” will be starting real soon. So let’s crunch the numbers, identify the streaks, check our guts, and dive right in to Goalie Strat ‘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

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators - The Sens have been riding a hot streak, taking down the beasts of the east as they have climbed their way into a wild card position by going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, capped off by an impressive 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. On Thursday night, though, they will be playing host to Florida, where the wear and tear from 3 straight trips to the Finals has the Panthers looking like tired old cats lately. The club recently has lost 3 in a row and 9 of their past 13 overall, capped off by a 9-4 schwacking by the Penguins that eliminated them from this year’s playoff race. Ullmark, meanwhile, has backstopped his team to 2 straight wins and, going back to March 15, has only let by 4 or more goals twice (5-3-1) bringing his season-long metrics up to 26-12-8, 2.82 GAA, and .887 SV%. The 32 year old Swede took a month long leave of absence to work on his mental health and it seems like that was the right decision, as the Sens net minder has kept his crease clean enough for a 12-4-3 record since his return to NHL action on January 31. With these two teams heading in different directions down the stretch, let’s be sure to take advantage of the hot hand and ride Ullmark to another victory. Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings - It’s the end of the year and all eyes are on the playoff races, so it can be easy to overlook just how bad the bad teams are. But on Thursday night, Kuemper and the Kings will get a first hand look at the leagues worst team, the Vancouver Canucks. Let’s take a quick minute to revisit the Canucks’ season, and gain some perspective of just how bad they have been. They have scored 202 goals, which is tied for last in the NHL and nearly 100 less than the league leading 290 goals scored by the Colorado Avalanche. They have allowed 297 goals, also last in the NHL, and more than 20 more than the next closest (Anaheim). Their league low -95 goal differential is almost 50+/- away from the next closest team at -54 (Chicago). They are at the bottom of the league standings with 52 points in 77 games played, nearly 20 points back from the closest team, which is, also, Chicago at 70 points. And, just to boot, they have the league’s worst Penalty Kill, which currently operates at dicey 71.6%. Basically, the Canucks have just been lousy all year and they haven’t gotten any better lately, picking up just 1 win in their last 12 games (ironically against the league leading Avalanche). Kuemper’s stats (19-14-14, 2.76, .892 SV%) are pretty irrelevant when he’s facing a team like the Canucks. Don’t overthink this one, just Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks and Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks - The Ducks host the Sharks late Thursday night and it is just an ugly looking game for any goalie to be in, as both of these teams currently sit tied for third worst in the entire NHL at 3.54 Goals Against per Game. The 25 year old Dostal enters this contest on a 4 game skid with the save percentage from his last 3 contests hovering right around an uninspired .800 SV%. The 23 year old Sharks’ goalie Yaroslav Askarov sits in the other corner of the ring, having won 2 of 3, but having allowed 12 goals over those 3 contests and letting in 4 or more goals 5 times in his last 7 games that he has started-and-finished (0 goals against on 11 shots on the March 26 contest against the Blues in which he was forced to leave after a collision). These two divisional rivals have met 3 times already, and while a divisional bout with playoff implications often indicates a tight checking, low scoring affair, I think we should throw that idea out the window here, as the two teams have combined for 27 goals over their first 3 matchups already, good for 9 goals per game. I do imagine somebody actually wins this game, so if your league rewards big for wins then maybe this is a start for you, but for most of us, a 5-4 victory doesn’t amount to a great goalie play, so you would be wise to look elsewhere in net. Stay clear of this Pacific affair and if you have any goalie in this game, just go ahead and Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE START

Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers are a playoff team. Let’s let that sink in. At the start of the year most fantasy enthusiasts were scoffing at the proposed tandem of Vladar and Ersson, but here we are in April and the Flyers are in third place of the Metropolitan Division. While Dan Vladar has been the goalie primarily responsible for keeping it clean between the pipes, Samuel Ersson has come on strong lately by winning 5 of his last 6 starts and providing save percentages above .915 in 4 of those victories. The Flyers will be on the road in Detroit Thursday night after the two teams battled it out last Thursday night in Philly, resulting in a 4-2 loss for the 26 year old Swedish netminder (which was, also, his last start). Since that game, however, the Flyers have won 3 in a row while holding their opponents to 1 goal in each game. Look for Ersson and the Flyers to keep their mojo rolling in Mo-Town against a Red Wings team that is limping towards the finish line, having lost 3 straight and 5 of their past 6. At 22% rostered in Fantrax and 6% in Yahoo, Ersson is widely available for this spot start that should see him get back in the win column. Note that crease mate Vladar is still rostered in just 56% of Fantrax leagues and 53% in Yahoo, so be sure to check Goalie Post for who gets the start and be sure to nab either keeper off the wire! 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. I’ll be back here next Thursday to breakdown another busy night of twine tending action! Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!