Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em ft. Hellebuyck, Allen, Grubauer and More

Hey there, Hockey fans, and welcome to Goalie Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em! We’ll be breaking down the streaks, the stats, and the gut checks for Thursday night’s 12 game slate and sharing some thoughts on which keepers need to be set in your starting slot and which can be left on your bench. But first, a quick congratulations to all the goalies recently named to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - may you all bring glory to your countries, as you have to our fantasy teams!

It will be interesting to see how the extended Olympic break effects goalies for our fantasy purposes. For goalies who either didn’t get the call or whose country isn’t invited to participate, we will wonder which keepers will benefit from the rest versus which may go cold? For the goalies that do play, there will be injury concerns, questions of fatigue, and mental health challenges caused by the highs and lows of winning and losing on a global scale. Perhaps there will be some trend to uncover to help us take advantage of the goalie market during the final stretch of the fantasy season. Let’s be prepared for the opportunity as it approaches, but for now, on to Thursday night!

(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

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres - Look out reality, its 2026, cars are driving themselves and the Buffalo Sabres are riding a 10 game winning streak to put themselves back into the playoff picture. Luukkonen, for his part, has won 4 of his last 5 starts while stopping 138 of the 148 pucks that have been fired at his crease (.932 SV%). Thursday night, the Sabres are on a short road trip to the other part of New York to take on the Rangers, which have not exactly been guardians of home ice this year, posting a lousy 5-10-4 record on the season, and dropping 5 of their last 7 at MSG. Look for UPL, who was named to Finland’s men’s Olympic hockey team, to pick up another win as the Rangers continue to struggle in front of their home fans. At least, there will likely be plenty of Sabres fans in attendance, so the crowd may have some cheers, after all. UPL at MSG, Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings - Gibson has been one of the hottest net minders since December, posting a pretty 10-2 record contrasted by a stingy 2.26 GAA, .925 SV%, and 8 quality starts, including 2 shutouts. On Thursday, the Red Wings host the Vancouver Canucks, losers of 4 straight and 6 of their last 7, making this a prime start for the American twine tender to continue his winning ways. Jump on John in your league if someone hasn’t already (68% rostered in Fantrax, 56% Yahoo) and ride the hot glove of Gibson. Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets - Oh what the Helle, the Jets have gone from first to last! Last year’s President trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets have now dropped 10 contests in a row, bringing them all the way down to last place in the entire NHL. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Even the reigning league MVP and goalie of the year, Connor Hellebuyck, has been victim of his team’s struggles, losing his last 9 starts while surrendering 27 goals in that stretch, only good enough for a solid 3.00 GAA. Has the American Olympian Connor Hellebuyck earned enough respect to stand by him while he and his team sort out their game and get back to their winning Winnipeg ways? Yes, yes, of course! But, Thursday night leaves them facing a steam rolling Oilers club that is fifth in the league in goals forced per game and first in the league in power play production, where they are clicking at an unprecedented 35.7%. Facing that kind of fire power while the Jets have been ice cold is a recipe for goalie distress. This won’t be the last we hear of Hellebuyck, but on Thursday night, he may be best left on the bench, Sit ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Jake Allen, New Jersey Devils - Allen and Markstrom have been alternating starts lately, but it has yet to be a successful recipe, as the Devils have won just 2 of their last 8 games, while Allen has dropped 3 of 4. Allen has respectable metrics for the season (2.55 GAA, .913 SV%), but faces a Pittsburgh Penguins club that has scored 25 goals while riding a 5 game win streak. Sid the Kid Crosby has been burning defenses lately, scoring 5 goals and 12 points in his last 7 games, so as long as he is treating goalies like that, then we should get ours out of his way. For Jake Allen on Thursday night, Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE START

Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken - After treading water for most November and December, the Kraken are back in a playoff spot after going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. Their offense has come back to life, too, as the Sea Kraken have scored 4 or more goals in each of their 4 games in January, winning all of those contests. Grubauer, the German Olympian, has returned to form this year (8-3-1, 2.21 GAA, .926 SV%), and has actually won his last 4 starts while surrendering just 4 goals on 141 shots during that stretch, good for a .972 SV% over that span. While Thursday’s opponent, the Minnesota Wild, are one of the top teams in the league thus far, the way the Kraken have been playing why not ride the wave and give Gru a go? At just 24% rostered in Fantrax and 22% in Yahoo, if you are in need then its time to pick up Grubauer and give him a start, 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!