Weekend Outlook: Hellebuyck a must start

Happy Friday everyone! This is a pretty fun weekend slate ahead of us with a busier than usual Sunday’s worth of games that are definitely going to decide some matchups out there. There are some good options in net to cover, so let’s dive in!

Karel Vejmelka, Arizona Coyotes (Rostered in 5% of ESPN leagues, 44% Fantrax, 25% Yahoo) 9 starts, 5 wins, 1 OTL, 3.06 GA/G, .915SV%, 1 SO

Going back to last season, there’s always a night or two when the Yotes are coming into a game on the road and Vejmelka shuts the door on anything getting passed him. Last night on Long Island we saw that take place which leads to Vejmelka as a curious addition for the weekend.

Vejmelka stopped all 24 shots the Isles put his way, but most impressively the 11 saves he made in the third period alone, seemingly getting peppered in his own zone through the last six minutes of the closing period. Even going back before last night, his last three outings have been good, three starts, three wins, with a .968sv%. The Coyotes will play back-to-back games this weekend between New Jersey and the Rangers, and my guess is that Vejmelka takes the start versus New Jersey and that’s a good thing for two reasons. First, when you’re hot you’re hot, so it might be a good call going back to him following Thursday’s game but second has to do with the Devils side of things. The Devils lead the entire NHL in shots on goal, so if you’re looking to roster Vejmelka here as a fantasy asset he will likely see plenty of volume, and in DFS he’ll likely be fairly cheap and remember, volume is king.

I think if you go towards a lower rostered Vejmelka it may only be for a spot start and that could be about it. Arizona plays only once next week and that will be on the road versus the league’s best record, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (Rostered in 99% of ESPN leagues, 98% Fantrax, 97% Yahoo) 10 starts, 7 wins, 1 OTL, 1.98 GA/G, .938SV%, 2 SO

This is more a DFS play than anything or it’s a case of if you have Hellebuyck on your roster and are between him and another goaltender, start Hellebuyck. He’s kind of always in play for me when the Jets are on the slate, and tomorrow he’ll likely be in net versus the Flames, who have been playing a sort of trade chances type of game lately, which I think favors the Jets.

In the past two weeks Hellebuyck has looked fantastic with four starts, a .963 sv%, and only allowing four goals. The team in front of him has also helped his cause, as in that same timespan the Jets haven’t really given up many rush attempts against and also been good in not allowing high danger chances.

Erik Kallgren, Toronto Maple Leafs (Rostered in 5% of ESPN leagues, 32% Fantrax, 34% Yahoo) 5 starts, 1 win, 3 OTL, 3.22 GA/G, .890SV%, 0 SO

Right off the bat, any club starting a third string goalie is questionable, but for this Leafs team it does present an option to where you can add him here today or throw him in your lineup, and there’s a good chance he gets the win out of it with the offense and power play that he has in front of him.

Tonight he’ll face off against Pittsburgh, who just eye test, have looked slow on the rush and sloppy in the neutral zone. They’ll likely go back to the top line that was effective for them last season with Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust, so it’ll be up to what’s in front of Kallgren to slow that trio down. I do think this could be a potential “kitchen sink” game for Pittsburgh, as they’ll try to get right here going 3-6-1 in their past 10. Kallgren makes for a good play for a spot start with the chance for a win and if he plays well, looking ahead he will likely see the Pens again next Tuesday on the road.

For continued fantasy news and notes throughout the season, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz