Crashing the Crease: Kingslayer?

If you've got ESPN Insider, Ben Arledge published an intriguing (if grammatically flawed – sorry, can't help myself) article Wednesday about how rest impacts goalies, and it's worth keeping in mind for your DFS-oriented pursuits. Using stats from the last two seasons and this one so far, he offers some noteworthy stats and analysis. Here are three takeaways:

1. The Red Wings need both Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek – Howard's been awesome this year, but his success has come thanks in no small part to the fact that he's mostly enjoyed plenty of rest; when he's been asked to make consistent starts, he tends to tail off quickly. For his part, Mrazek has been inconsistent and undeserving of a No. 1 role, so this is a timeshare that truly benefits both netminders right now.

2. The Stars could use a real starting goalie. Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen have both struggled, but Niemi has been notably better – great, even – when he's enjoyed three or more days of rest between starts. Lehtonen, though, is just invariably bad. GM Jim Nill isn't placing the blame for all the goals his two Finnish netminders are allowing squarely on their shoulders, but you have to think that if the numbers don't improve, Dallas might make a bold move around the trade deadline.

3. Maybe don't use Jonathan Quick in his first game back off IR, whenever that might be. There's no doubt that Quick's a superstar, but his numbers when he gets three or four-plus days of rest are, in a word, bad. It's been a while since math class, but I'm pretty sure three months is longer than four days. Point is, don't be surprised if he comes back with some rust – and don't expect to see him at all for a while before that, as the Kings noted Wednesday that Quick won't return until March.

This is my final week filling in for your regular Crashing the Crease columnist, Sasha Yodashkin. I hope you've enjoyed my relief efforts as much as I've enjoyed updating you on the latest goalie goings-on around the league, but next week, I'll be back to watching from the bench.

Top Performers

Devan Dubnyk, MIN – Four starts, four wins, six goals and a .949 save mark – yes, it was just another week at the office for Dubnyk, your NHL leader in GAA (1.60!), save percentage (.947!) and shutouts (four). He's only on pace for the best save percentage in league history; no big deal, right? I'm starting to run out of superlatives to describe what Dubnyk is doing, as he's blowing away the already insane stats he posted after being traded to Minnesota two seasons ago. Sometimes, all you can say is "Wow."

Mike Smith, ARI – Even with his four-goal disaster that resulted in a yanking against Pittsburgh on Monday, Smith's stats from the past week are strong – 2-1-1 with a .943 save mark and 2.29 GAA. He's made an insane 132 saves in that four-game span (21 more than Dubnyk, the only other guy over 100) thanks to playing for a Coyotes team that gives up scoring chances like it's going out of style. Smith deserves serious praise for posting a .929 save percentage for the season despite Arizona's near-constant defensive lapses in front of him.

Scott Darling, CHI – Could Corey Crawford possibly have asked for better work by his backup while he recovers from appendix surgery? A hard-luck home loser to the Rangers last Friday, Darling avenged himself by beating the Blueshirts in New York on Tuesday night. He's given up a total of just three goals in his last four starts, contributing to a composite 1.34 GAA and .955 save mark in his six games since Crawford hit IR. However, we're coming up on the two-week mark since Crawford's surgery, which means Chicago's No. 1 netminder could very well return within a matter of days, sending Darling back to the bench.

Three Rising

Antti Raanta, NYR – Although he was a tough-luck loser in turn against Darling on Tuesday after shutting the 'Hawks out last week, Raanta's run of four straight starts in place of Henrik Lundqvist has been nothing short of spectacular. He owns a silly 0.75 GAA and .966 save percentage in that span, and the extra work has made him qualify for the stat leaderboards – stunningly enough, the Finn is second only to Dubnyk in GAA (1.69) and save percentage (.941), albeit in about half the sample. With Lundqvist scuffling of late, the Rangers have a full-blown goalie controversy on their hands all of a sudden – quite a rarity for an organization that's enjoyed great longevity from the Swedish veteran and Mike Richter before him.

Matt Murray, G, PIT – It took Murray about a month of action to seize full control of the Penguins' net away from Marc-Andre Fleury, which seems like too long – it's clear that the 22-year-old is the better netminder at this point, and he's well on his way to developing into a true star of the league. Through 13 outings, Murray's gone 11-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA, .936 save percentage and two shutouts, and he's slated for a fifth consecutive start Wednesday. Fleury's been bad, to say the least, with that 3.42 GAA an albatross in fantasy. Expect Murray to continue running with the No. 1 gig.

Braden Holtby, WAS – A quiet offense limited Holtby's fantasy offerings early on, but the Caps' skaters are waking up in a big way, which has led to a four-game winning streak for the reigning Vezina champ. The 27-year-old may not end up with single-digit regulation losses, like he did last year, but he's actually sitting on career-best marks in GAA (2.08) and save percentage (.925); other goalies may have even shinier ratios, but they don't have Alex Ovechkin and Co. in front of them.

Three Falling

Henrik Lundqvist, NYR – If Raanta's rising, Lundqvist has to fall accordingly, and his fantasy owners have surely been feeling the pain of not having the long-reliable netminder in their lineups over the last week. We're all used to him being one of the best goalies in hockey, perhaps giving the illusion that his time at the top of the mountain would never end, but old age comes for everyone. At 34, Lundqvist certainly isn't the oldest goalie in the league, and others in their mid-to-late 30s are still performing (Roberto Luongo, for instance), so it's not time to cast The King off yet. Don't be surprised if Raanta holds onto a pretty decent chunk of the workload, especially if he keeps playing so well; at this point, Lundqvist owners should be prepared for a 60-40 split even in the best case. He'll have a chance to make his counterargument when he returns to the net Thursday against Dallas.

Cam Ward, CAR – Not to keep quoting myself, but I wrote this last week: "I feel like these words need to be pried out of me with the Jaws of Life, but… Ward… is… good again." So we all know what had to happen after that, right? You got it: grief, agony and humiliation. Over his last four games, Ward has given up 13 goals, and he'd have three losses in that span if not for the Hurricanes surging offensively to get Michael Leighton a relief win Tuesday. Ward's season stats still qualify as an improvement, but this last week has been a painful reminder that as good as he can look for short stretches, he's always a good bet to regress to the mean.

Jaroslav Halak, NYI – If you're wondering why Thomas Greiss isn't getting more work, you're not alone; the German backup has thoroughly outperformed Halak this year, and yet the Czech continues to draw most of the starts, including five of the last six. That time in net has been a decidedly mixed bag for Halak, who's looked stunningly good at times (shutting out the Capitals on Dec. 1 and sparkling against the Rangers five days later), but is also wildly inconsistent and blowup-prone. He made two starts in the past week, getting raked over the coals for 10 goals on 76 shots between losses to Columbus and Washington. (Of course the Caps got their revenge; what were you expecting?) The aforementioned ESPN article makes it quite clear that Halak isn't at his best on short rest, and the Isles have the luxury of Greiss; they shouldn't waste that.