It’s another edition of Thursday’s Best and Worst Goalie Starts. I, Bobby, who has personally found 10 sure fire goalie wins and three unfortunate and unlucky goalie losses, for you the savvy reader, will once again be your host as we navigate the perils of tonight’s fantasy goalie slate. With 12 games, we’ve got 24 options to choose from. Who will make the top three? Maybe Sam Montembault or Nico Daws. The only way to know is if you keep reading. So keep those eyes open and those screens on, cause I’m showing you the path to victory town.

Top Three Goalies

Jeremy Swayman – Boston Bruins

Coming in hot at the top spot, is far too owned (93% on Fantrax, 95% on Yahoo), Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins. Tonight, Mr. Swayman is the best upside of all goalie scoring categories. He’s got saves, limited goals, and the often searched for, but seldom found, win bonus to top it off. Let me explain. Jeremy Swayman will see shots tonight. Seattle has a higher CF% at 51.71, a higher Corsi/60 at 60.98, basically the stats show that the Kraken will get their shots. Doesn’t that mean Seattle will get some scoring chances you ask? Settle down savvy reader, we’re getting to that. The beauty of Boston is that yes, teams do get shots and the occasional chance, but they aren’t quality shots or high danger chances. At 2.53 xGA/60, Boston plays some of the better defense in the league. Still nervous? I’ll go even further! Of the 24 goalies taking the ice tonight, Jeremy Swayman comes in third with 14.25 goals saved above average. Swayman would be tops in goals saved above expectation too, but sadly he splits starts with Linus Ullmark. All this is to say, Seattle’s goals will be few and far between. Do you see it now? Of course you do but let me cover one last base. The Bruins are the fourth biggest favorite on tonight’s 12 game slate at -190. So there’s the win bonus.

If you have Jeremy Swayman and you like scoring fantasy points, smile, and put that man in your starting lineup.

Jonathan Quick – New York Rangers

Coming in slightly less hot at a spot that doesn’t rhyme with anything, is Jonathan Quick (Fantrax 50%, Yahoo 49%) of the New York Rangers. Now our good friend Mr. Quick has had quite the season. Defying his age and turning back the clock to put up some great numbers this year. With 13.47 GSAx, Quickie is doing a better job in net than the likes of Juuse Saros 4.2 GSAx, Sergei Bobrovsky 11.55 GSAx, Jake Oettinger 1.88 GSAx, and many more. That alone is enough to earn him the number two spot, but wait there is more! As a -250 favorite that means Las Vegas odds makers expect the blue shirts to win 71.4% of the time against the Canadiens from Montreal. Something in my gut tells me those Vegas guys are pretty smart. Win bonus ✅. Moving down the goalie scoring line we’ve got shots against. This category, I’ll admit, doesn’t look as strong. The Rangers should easily carry play. They have better Corsi and Fenwick numbers across the board. So don’t expect many shots from Montreal unless the Rangers take a few penalties. Saves ❌. Now… dramatic pause… the million dollar question. How many goals will Quickie give up? At 2.64 xGA/60 the Rangers are the definition of mid at defense. Seriously, they’re ranked 16th. Don’t fret savvy reader, I’d never lead you astray. For the Rangers to give up a chance, the Habs would have to create one. At 2.46 xGF/60 it’s safe to say creating high danger chances isn’t exactly their forte. Add in Quick's oustanding play, and you've got limited goals ✅.

If you are in need of a goalie tonight, I've got four words for you. Waiver wire Jonathan Quick.

Anthony Stolarz – Florida Panthers

At a temperature well above lukewarm we find our third spot filled with Anthony Stolarz (16% Fantrax, 13% Yahoo) of the Florida Panthers. Now some among the savvy reader population might be concerned about Florida playing a back to back. That’s just silly talk. Florida isn’t just better than the Buffalo Sabres, they’re in a different universe. The Cats top Buffalo in every category. From xGF%, Corsi %, xGF/60, xGA/60, pick a stat, the Cats do it better. Despite those damning statistics, all hope isn’t lost for save points. Buffalo has a knack for peppering goalies with shots from time to time. Just recently they put up 34 against the St. Louis Blues and a whopping 48 against the Dallas Stars. So don’t discount the potential save points. As for goalie skill, fear not. Stolarz is giving fantasy owners and the Panthers a quality start .714% of the time. Factor in that he’s only had two RBS in his 14 games started, and you’ve got yourself a fantasy winner. Saves ✅, limited goals ✅, win ✅.

If you don’t have any good goalies tonight, you know what to do. Stolarz for the win.

Goalies to Avoid

Justus Annunen – Colorado Avalanche

This is more of an indictment on the Colorado Avalanche’s recent play than it is of Justus Annunen (Fantrax 18%, Yahoo, 1% Yahoo). Between a one and three record and giving up 17 goals in their last four, I don’t know where to start. Their play over that span, just as bad as their record. A 44.7% CF%, 41.92 XGF% is pretty damning, but the 3.56 xGA/60 is downright shocking. For those that want to bring up their competition in their past four, I can’t argue. The New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Washington Capitals… The first three, a murderer’s row of goal scoring. The Capitals, not so much. Yet against the Capitals, the Avs didn’t fare any better. They allowed a whopping 3.33 xGA while only creating 2.39 xGF of their own. I don’t know what’s going on in Denver, but the Coors doesn’t taste right.

If you were thinking about picking up Justus, don’t.

Jordan Binnington – St. Louis Blues

You might as well just pencil in any Edmonton opponent in this spot. Between Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and their powerplay… Yikes. It’s bad enough when your fantasy opponent has McDavid, but when your goalie must go up against him, you’re looking at a potential negative point situation. With a CF% of 45.19 and a defense that allows 2.95 xGA/60, the St. Louis Blues and Jordan Binnington (Fantrax 83%, Yahoo 79%) are going to get lit up like the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Don’t get me wrong, Binnington will put up a good fight. He may even have a highlight reel save or two mixed in, but eventually the team in front of him will fail, and the dam will break.

Hard pass.

As always, if you have any fantasy questions, feel free to reach out on X @Bobbybets1122.