Jets.....Confirmed.....Michael Hutchinson
Ondrej Pavelec got the win in Thursday’s season opener, but with the Jets opening the season up with a back-to-back, they will turn to Hutchinson tonight in New Jersey. The 25-year-old netminder was 21-10-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .914 SV% last season and he opens the season with a great matchup. He will face the inept offence of the New Jersey Devils—he stopped 21 of 22 in 3-1 win in his only other start s. the Devils last November.
Devils.....Confirmed.....Cory Schneider.
Schneider started a career high 69 games last season and will probably start close to that this season. Despite being one of the very few goalies who will start 65-plus games, the Devils are really bad, which will limit the number of wins. However, paired with a goalie who will win a lot, Schneider is a great No. 2 option because he posts elite splits. He will start the season off at home, where he was 14-13-6 with a 1.87 GAA and .934 SV% last season.
Rangers.....Confirmed.....Henrik Lundqvist
Lundqvist stopped 32 of 34 shots that he faced in Wednesday’s season opening win in Chicago. This is the type of performance we’ve become accustom to seeing from King Henrik over the years. Tonight he will take on a Blue Jackets team that he was 2-0-0 with a 1.94 GAA and .941 SV% against in 2014-15.
Blue Jackets.....Confirmed.....Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky was limited to 51 starts last season, but he was still a 30-game winner while posting a 2.68 GAA and .918 SV%. Bobrovsky has posted strong numbers in his tim with Columbus, but he has yet to stay healthy enough to start 60-plus games. If he can do that in 2015-16, he could turn into a top-5 fantasy netminder. Tonight he starts his season vs. the Rangers—he was 1-1-1 with a 2.62 GAA and .915 SV% in three games vs. New York last year.
Maple Leafs.....Confirmed.....Jonathan Bernier.
Bernier had a rough start to 2015-16, allowing the first shot that he faced to trickle across the goal line. After that he settled in, stopping a total of 27 shots on the night in a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens. The Maple Leafs didn’t actually look too bad, but they will be in tough again on Friday as they face a young, talented Red Wings squad.
Red Wings.....Confirmed.....Jimmy Howard.
Howard was a fantasy gem for a number of seasons, but has turned into more of a steady No. 2 option over the last few years. Howard won 23 games with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV% last season but then fell behind Petr Mrazek in the playoffs. This preseason he posted a 2.00 GAA and .942 SV%, effectively earning his starting gig back…at least for one game. Mrazek is slated to start on Saturday. This looks like it could be a 50/50 splits this year, but the Red Wings should be good, which will result in a lot of wins.
Blackhawks.....Confirmed.....Corey Crawford
Crawford gave up three goals on 27 shots in the Blackhawks 3-2 loss to the Rangers in their home opener on Wednesday. It wasn’t the best start to the season for Crawford, but he will get another shot tonight vs. the Islanders. Crawford was better on the road than he was at home last season, let’s see if that trend will carry into 2015-16.
Islanders.....Confirmed.....Thomas Greiss
After going 9-6-3 with a 2.59 GAA and .908 SV% with the Penguins last season Greiss signed with the Islanders this summer and will start the season opener because Jaroslav Halak is out with an upper-body injury. Greiss has 70 career starts under his belt but his first outing with the Islanders will be a difficult one with the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in town.
Coyotes.....Confirmed.....Mike Smith
2014-15 was a season to forget for Mike Smith. He won just 14 of his 62 games and posted a career-worst 3.16 GAA with a .904 SV%. The good news? He can’t possibly be that bad again and you probably got him on the cheap. His bounce-back season will start tonight against the Kings—who he was 0-2-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .927 SV% against a season ago.
Kings....Likely not Confirmed.....Johnny Quick
Quick struggled on opening night, giving up five goals on 32 shots in the Kings’ 5-1 loss to the Sharks. The Kings were dominated all evening and didn’t provide Quick with much assistance. He should be in store for a better evening tonight as he gets set to take on the Coyotes. Quick was 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA and .939 SV% in three starts vs. Arizona last season.
Ondrej Pavelec got the win in Thursday’s season opener, but with the Jets opening the season up with a back-to-back, they will turn to Hutchinson tonight in New Jersey. The 25-year-old netminder was 21-10-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .914 SV% last season and he opens the season with a great matchup. He will face the inept offence of the New Jersey Devils—he stopped 21 of 22 in 3-1 win in his only other start s. the Devils last November.
Devils.....Confirmed.....Cory Schneider.
Schneider started a career high 69 games last season and will probably start close to that this season. Despite being one of the very few goalies who will start 65-plus games, the Devils are really bad, which will limit the number of wins. However, paired with a goalie who will win a lot, Schneider is a great No. 2 option because he posts elite splits. He will start the season off at home, where he was 14-13-6 with a 1.87 GAA and .934 SV% last season.
Rangers.....Confirmed.....Henrik Lundqvist
Lundqvist stopped 32 of 34 shots that he faced in Wednesday’s season opening win in Chicago. This is the type of performance we’ve become accustom to seeing from King Henrik over the years. Tonight he will take on a Blue Jackets team that he was 2-0-0 with a 1.94 GAA and .941 SV% against in 2014-15.
Blue Jackets.....Confirmed.....Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky was limited to 51 starts last season, but he was still a 30-game winner while posting a 2.68 GAA and .918 SV%. Bobrovsky has posted strong numbers in his tim with Columbus, but he has yet to stay healthy enough to start 60-plus games. If he can do that in 2015-16, he could turn into a top-5 fantasy netminder. Tonight he starts his season vs. the Rangers—he was 1-1-1 with a 2.62 GAA and .915 SV% in three games vs. New York last year.
Maple Leafs.....Confirmed.....Jonathan Bernier.
Bernier had a rough start to 2015-16, allowing the first shot that he faced to trickle across the goal line. After that he settled in, stopping a total of 27 shots on the night in a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens. The Maple Leafs didn’t actually look too bad, but they will be in tough again on Friday as they face a young, talented Red Wings squad.
Red Wings.....Confirmed.....Jimmy Howard.
Howard was a fantasy gem for a number of seasons, but has turned into more of a steady No. 2 option over the last few years. Howard won 23 games with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV% last season but then fell behind Petr Mrazek in the playoffs. This preseason he posted a 2.00 GAA and .942 SV%, effectively earning his starting gig back…at least for one game. Mrazek is slated to start on Saturday. This looks like it could be a 50/50 splits this year, but the Red Wings should be good, which will result in a lot of wins.
Blackhawks.....Confirmed.....Corey Crawford
Crawford gave up three goals on 27 shots in the Blackhawks 3-2 loss to the Rangers in their home opener on Wednesday. It wasn’t the best start to the season for Crawford, but he will get another shot tonight vs. the Islanders. Crawford was better on the road than he was at home last season, let’s see if that trend will carry into 2015-16.
Islanders.....Confirmed.....Thomas Greiss
After going 9-6-3 with a 2.59 GAA and .908 SV% with the Penguins last season Greiss signed with the Islanders this summer and will start the season opener because Jaroslav Halak is out with an upper-body injury. Greiss has 70 career starts under his belt but his first outing with the Islanders will be a difficult one with the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in town.
Coyotes.....Confirmed.....Mike Smith
2014-15 was a season to forget for Mike Smith. He won just 14 of his 62 games and posted a career-worst 3.16 GAA with a .904 SV%. The good news? He can’t possibly be that bad again and you probably got him on the cheap. His bounce-back season will start tonight against the Kings—who he was 0-2-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .927 SV% against a season ago.
Kings....Likely not Confirmed.....Johnny Quick
Quick struggled on opening night, giving up five goals on 32 shots in the Kings’ 5-1 loss to the Sharks. The Kings were dominated all evening and didn’t provide Quick with much assistance. He should be in store for a better evening tonight as he gets set to take on the Coyotes. Quick was 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA and .939 SV% in three starts vs. Arizona last season.
