Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em ft. Dobes, Daccord, Greaves, and More

Hello, Salut! It’s Thursday, the crux of our fantasy hockey week, and we have 10 goalie duels happening tonight, featuring (at least) 20 different goalies, so let’s make the most of our roster starts!

Now we’ve been talking a lot about trades recently, tis the season after all, but how about that waiver wire? In one of my leagues, I have decided to wave “farvel” to the Great Dane, Frederik Andersen, and welcome in the Finnish born Ukko Pekka-Luukonnen with a warm “tervetuloa” in his stead! A lateral move at this time, but I’ve been following the news and am trying to read the writing ahead. In Carolina, Bussi has been lights out for the Canes going 11-1 alongside a pristine 2.05 GAA and .911 SV%, and while young goalies having a hot start only to taper off as the season wears on is nothing new for fantasy hockey, at age 36, Freddie may have finally met his match in father time. Since November, Frederik Andersen has a mere 1 victory against 7 losses, contrasted by Pyotr Kochetkov’s steady 5-1 record or Brandon Bussi’s perfect 8-0 record during that time. A three-headed timeshare is bad enough, but combine that with his series of poor performances (.857 SV% since November), and well, it is time to move on from the Danish netminder, Andersen. Likely Bussi is gone in your league (but definitely check!), so you may have to look elsewhere for replacement. And with the firing of Sabres GM Kevyn Adams and subsequent promotion of Jarmo Kekalainen in his place, why not look to Buffalo to see if they can pull an Oilers and flip the script on their season the rest of the way. Kekalainen still believes that Buffalo is a playoff team, so look for him to pull some strings to ensure they actually play like it, which may include some more trades and a clearing up of their own three-headed goalie rotation. That’s what I am banking on, replacing Andersen with Luukonnen, at any rate.

Another hot waiver commodity could be Anton Forsberg of the LA Kings. Starter Darcy Kuemper exited the game Monday night with a head injury after a collision with the NHL’s latest bad boy, Mikko Rantenen, who has been no stranger to taking out the opposition lately, and certainly no stranger to the Department of Player Safety. Forsberg has put together a steady career (78-84-17 record, with career marks of 3.03 GAA and .904 SV%) so look for the Swede to hold down the crease for a Kings team that has allowed the second fewest goals against this year (86) for as long as Kuemper remains sidelined, which could be a week or few given Kuemper’s extensive injury history. Now without further ado, let’s dive into it - 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

Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens - Another cloudy, crowded crease in Montreal. After taking the reigns in October (6-0), Dobes faltered through November (2-3-2), and has since leveled his play again in December (3-2), after watching “the other Jakub,” and heir apparent to Montreal’s crease, Jacob Fowler get called up following an injury to fellow Canadiens twine tender Sam Montembault. Well the lion’s share of starts is still up for grab here and Dobes will have a great shot at it if he can follow up his recent victory against Edmonton (27 saves for a 4-1 win) with another quality performance Thursday night versus the traveling, Bedard-less, Chicago Blackhawks, losers of 3 straight. The Blackhawks have scored just 4 goals over their last 3 games and without their emerging star, Connor Bedard, their offense is starting to dry up. Look for Dobes and the Canadiens to take advantage and for Dobes to churn out a solid start at home for fans and fantasy managers. Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Joey Daccord, Seattle Kraken - The Kraken have been pretty much the worst team in the league for the last few weeks, picking up only 1 win in their last 10 games, scoring only 20 goals during that span, good for last in the league during that timeframe and, now, on the year. Daccord was a contributor to the Kraken’s woes for a stretch, but has since turned in quality performances with his last two starts, letting by just 4 goals on 48 shots faced. Seattles offensive struggles are nothing new for the American born Daccord, who has spent the majority of his career without goal support and has committed himself to keeping the Kraken in games they have little business winning. But against a Calgary Flames team that offers little more than the Kraken in offensive prowess (Flames 2.56 goals forced per game versus Kraken 2.48), Daccord should showcase a quality performance and may even scrape out a win Thursday night, without the goal support. Despite the Kraken’s terrible offense, Start ‘Em.

SIT ‘EM

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues - It’s hard not to pick on the Blues this Thursday. They are playing the second half of a back to back (Wednesday vs Winnipeg), they are last in the league in goals against per game (3.62), last in the league in goal differential (-37), and they are hosting a Rangers team that loves to play on the road (league leading 12 road wins). Essentially, they are doomed Thursday night, regardless of who guards the crease for them. On the year, Binnington has turned in an untrustworthy performance, going 7-8-5 alongside a 3.49 GAA and .869 SV%. At some point, Binnington will become a buy low candidate, as he and the Blues always seems to surge down the stretch, but that time is not Thursday. Until signs of life return, Sit ‘Em.

SIT ‘EM

Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets - Greaves has looked steady in the crease this season, posting respectable metrics of 2.76 GAA and .905 SV% on his way to taking over the starter’s role with an 8-8-5 record for a Columbus team currently on the outside of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. But Thursday leaves Greaves facing a green and red hot Wild team that just added superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to a power play unit that has already scored 27 goals this year, good for fourth best in the league. The Wild have won 5 in a row, scoring 23 goals during that stretch, and currently have the third best point total in the league (45), behind fellow Central Division juggernauts the Dallas Stars (49) and Colorado Avalanche (55). The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have dropped 7 of their last 10. Greaves is a talented keeper to keep an eye on this year and for years ahead, but Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild looks too tough for the Jackets to overcome. Sit ‘Em.

DESPERATION MODE START

Devin Cooley, Calgary Flames - What can I say about this matchup that hasn’t already been said talking about Joey Daccord? Well, Devin Cooley (3-4-2, 2.35 GAA, .913 SV%) enters what looks to be an incredibly boring, low scoring affair Thursday night against the Kraken featuring two of the worst offenses in the league. So you might as well roll the dice with Cooley, as the Kraken look doubtful to ever sniff at 4 goals these days, making Cooley a high floor, low ceiling start for Thursday night. At just 14% rostered in Fantrax, 4% in Yahoo, and 1% in ESPN leagues, Cooley should be readily available for a spot start against an offensively disadvantaged Kraken club. If you’re desperate, Start ‘Em, but maybe find a different game to watch.

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!