This article is part of our The Goalie Report series.
It's do-or-die time with the regular season ending in a few weeks. It's interesting that three of the four goalies whose play has been trending down lately were some of the better goalies early in the season. Of course, injuries and fatigue are big factors, so it's not really a surprise that the three goalies whose play has been trending up have seen very little work over the course of the entire season.
Health is huge down the stretch. Some teams may even elect to rest their starters in preparation for the playoffs, or even get their rookies and farmhands an audition for next season if the playoffs are out of reach.
Here's this week's goalie report.
Trending Up
Joel Hofer, Blues (3-0-1, .944 Sv%, 1.74 GAA)
As of Friday night, and after four straight starts for Hofer, the Blues have yet to re-assign him to the minors even though AHL Springfield is still in the midst of their playoff race and both Jordan Binnington and Thomas Greiss are healthy. Hofer's performances have been so good that Craig Berube has elected to keep rolling with him, especially since he's slated to back up Binnington next season with Greiss' contract expiring this summer.
Perhaps what's most interesting about Hofer's situation right now is that this is already a brewing goalie controversy heading into the next season. Binnington's antics have become tiresome, and the next time he gets into a fight might result in an even longer suspension now that he's
It's do-or-die time with the regular season ending in a few weeks. It's interesting that three of the four goalies whose play has been trending down lately were some of the better goalies early in the season. Of course, injuries and fatigue are big factors, so it's not really a surprise that the three goalies whose play has been trending up have seen very little work over the course of the entire season.
Health is huge down the stretch. Some teams may even elect to rest their starters in preparation for the playoffs, or even get their rookies and farmhands an audition for next season if the playoffs are out of reach.
Here's this week's goalie report.
Trending Up
Joel Hofer, Blues (3-0-1, .944 Sv%, 1.74 GAA)
As of Friday night, and after four straight starts for Hofer, the Blues have yet to re-assign him to the minors even though AHL Springfield is still in the midst of their playoff race and both Jordan Binnington and Thomas Greiss are healthy. Hofer's performances have been so good that Craig Berube has elected to keep rolling with him, especially since he's slated to back up Binnington next season with Greiss' contract expiring this summer.
Perhaps what's most interesting about Hofer's situation right now is that this is already a brewing goalie controversy heading into the next season. Binnington's antics have become tiresome, and the next time he gets into a fight might result in an even longer suspension now that he's got a history. Fantasy managers should roll with Hofer while he's got the hot hand and remember his name for next season, as it's looking like he may usurp Binnington for the starting job sooner than expected.
Matt Murray, Maple Leafs (Past two games: 2-0-0, .931 Sv%, 2.88 GAA)
Sheldon Keefe's faith in Murray is paying off. Ilya Samsonov did not travel with the Leafs with his wife expecting a baby very soon, which means Murray will get the bulk of his starts and Joseph Woll will back him up. Murray is picking it up at the right time. After three straight games with four goals allowed and a .859 save percentage, he made 48 stops in a win against the Senators and allowed only two goals on 35 shots against the Panthers in his next start for his second straight win.
The Leafs have a back-to-back over the weekend and it's conceivable that Murray draws both of the starts. They will return to Toronto on Wednesday, and depending on Samsonov's situation, may have to depend on Murray for another back-to-back on April 1-2, though the competition will be much easier this time against the Sens and Wings. Fantasy managers looking for starts should stick with Murray since the Leafs don't have many options.
Thatcher Demko, Canucks (Since returning from injury: 7-3-0, .918 Sv%, 2.40 GAA)
Demko has been excellent for the Canucks, who are coming off a 7-2 win against the Sharks, their eighth win in 10 games. Not only have they provided Demko with very good goal support, Filip Hronek also made his Canucks debut on Thursday, lessening the pressure on Quinn Hughes and adding a legitimate top-four defenseman on a blueline that lacks high-end talent. The Canucks have a pretty soft schedule the rest of the way due to the Pacific Division's overall weakness, making Demko a great play down the stretch.
Trending Down
Jake Oettinger, Stars (Since March 1: 7-2-1, .892 Sv%, 3.37 GAA)
The Stars have relied on Oettinger so much this season that even Peter DeBoer is openly wondering how they should manage his minutes. Unfortunately, with backup Scott Wedgewood still day-to-day, they don't have much of a choice, especially if they have the division title within their sights. The key for the Stars will be to avoid the defending champion Avalanche in the first round, and the most obvious way to do that is to win the Central.
The Stars are talented enough to pull off wins even if Oettinger has an off night, but his numbers just haven't been nearly as good as they were early in the season. Oettinger is quickly becoming a double-edged sword, as he's a great source of wins but comes with poor save percentages and goals-against averages. The immediate schedule for the Stars is quite favourable — they get the Blackhawks and Coyotes next week — but tougher down the stretch with the Knights and then the Blues and the red-hot Hofer in a home-and-home series to finish the season. Oettinger is worth the gamble, but if fantasy managers have a good cushion in goaltending categories, maybe erring on the side of caution is more ideal.
Jacob Markstrom, Flames (Since Jan. 1: 7-11-6, .883 Sv%, 3.19 GAA)
According to tankathon.com, the Flames have the easiest schedule in the entire league for the rest of the season. But is that even enough reason to place our faith in Markstrom? The Flames have had some really, really bad luck this season, but Markstrom's play has never been able to overcome it. He's just far too dicey of a play, and with the playoffs likely out of reach — they're six points out of the final wild card spot and still need to leapfrog the Predators — you wonder if the Flames' disastrous season will just keep spiralling. When the public is still talking about a locker room rift this late in the season, it's probably too late to try and fix things.
Tristan Jarry, Penguins (Since Feb. 1: 5-5-1, .872 Sv%, 3.78 GAA)
Injuries have bothered Jarry all season, and he was forced to miss Thursday's game due to a back injury. At the beginning of the season, Jarry looked like he would sneak into the top-10 among goalies by the end of the season, but his play was quickly derailed. The Penguins are 4-5-1 in their past 10 and would be lucky just to even make the playoffs. With Jarry sidelined, look for Casey DeSmith to take over the starting job with Dustin Tokarski backing him up. There is no timetable for Jarry's return, and even if he does, there's no guarantee Mike Sullivan will hand him the starting job considering his recent performances.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres (Since Feb. 1: 3-6-2, .870 Sv%, 4.33 GAA)
The Sabres are also falling apart after teasing their fans with a potential playoff berth. It hasn't mattered if they start Luukkonen or veteran Craig Anderson; they've lost 10 of their past 13 games, including a stretch where they lost by scores of 10-4, 5-2, 7-0 and 7-3. There's some scuttlebutt that the Sabres are starting to think that Luukkonen isn't their goalie of the future, and note they signed top prospect Devon Levi to an entry-level contract a few weeks ago after an outstanding career at Northeastern. It's best to stay away from Luukkonen and Anderson for the rest of the season.
