This article is part of our The Goalie Report series.
If you need any more proof that goalies are just a minefield in fantasy hockey and that there's no legitimate top-ranked goalie this season, consider this:
1. The league leader in wins, Alexandar Georgiev with 21, has a sub-.900 save percentage.
2. The league leader in save percentage, Adin Hill with .933, hasn't played a full game since Nov. 27.
3. The active league leader in save percentage, Charlie Lindgren with .928, began the season as a backup.
4. The league leader in shots against and saves, Ilya Sorokin with 937 and 852, respectively, plays on a team that has the third-lowest goals against per game and the 15th-lowest shots allowed per game over the past three seasons.
5. The active league leader in GAA, Martin Jones with 2.08, began the season as the No. 3 option on the Leafs' depth chart and a month ago was still in the AHL.
Goalies are voodoo, but the Goalie Report is here to help make sense of it.
Trending Up
Martin Jones, Maple Leafs (7-3-0, 2.08 GAA, .932 Sv%)
With Ilya Samsonov's tenure with the Leafs basically over, Jones has the net until Joseph Woll returns. To his credit, Jones has been excellent, including two shutouts, and with the Leafs' offensive firepower, Jones doesn't even have to be particularly sharp to pile up the wins. As long as Jones plays like this — which he's capable for short stretches, but not season-to-season — he's got immense fantasy value and should be rostered right away as
If you need any more proof that goalies are just a minefield in fantasy hockey and that there's no legitimate top-ranked goalie this season, consider this:
1. The league leader in wins, Alexandar Georgiev with 21, has a sub-.900 save percentage.
2. The league leader in save percentage, Adin Hill with .933, hasn't played a full game since Nov. 27.
3. The active league leader in save percentage, Charlie Lindgren with .928, began the season as a backup.
4. The league leader in shots against and saves, Ilya Sorokin with 937 and 852, respectively, plays on a team that has the third-lowest goals against per game and the 15th-lowest shots allowed per game over the past three seasons.
5. The active league leader in GAA, Martin Jones with 2.08, began the season as the No. 3 option on the Leafs' depth chart and a month ago was still in the AHL.
Goalies are voodoo, but the Goalie Report is here to help make sense of it.
Trending Up
Martin Jones, Maple Leafs (7-3-0, 2.08 GAA, .932 Sv%)
With Ilya Samsonov's tenure with the Leafs basically over, Jones has the net until Joseph Woll returns. To his credit, Jones has been excellent, including two shutouts, and with the Leafs' offensive firepower, Jones doesn't even have to be particularly sharp to pile up the wins. As long as Jones plays like this — which he's capable for short stretches, but not season-to-season — he's got immense fantasy value and should be rostered right away as the No. 1 on one of the best teams in the league.
Joey Daccord, Kraken (10-5-8, 2.29 GAA, .922 Sv%)
If we were to rank goalies for the rest of the season, Daccord makes a case to be a top-10 goalie. His workload is among the highest in the league because the Kraken don't seem to trust Chris Driedger, and no goalie has a higher save percentage (min. 10 GP) or lower GAA than Daccord's .948 save percentage and 1.57 GAA since Dec. 1. The problem remains the team in front of him. The Kraken don't score often enough to provide consistent goal support, hence Daccord's relatively disappointing record compared to his stats. Daccord is still severely under-rostered in all leagues.
Sam Montembeault, Canadiens (9-5-3, 2.93 GAA, .906 Sv%)
Montembeault has won two straight games, including a 45-save effort in a 4-3 shootout win against the Rangers. If it hasn't been made abundantly clear, Montembeault will be the Habs' top goalie for the foreseeable future. He's the only one with a winning record, and between Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau, the Habs will likely trade Allen and keep Primeau because Primeau is younger.
The Habs are not a great team to mine for fantasy options, but their 17-17-5 record is pretty good for a team that's still in a re-building stage. If you need saves and want some potential for upset wins, Montembeault can be a great streaming option. Hopefully, he gets Thursday's home date against the Sharks.
Alex Lyon, Red Wings (7-4-0, 2.56 GAA, .919 Sv%)
Lyon has won three of his past four starts and started four straight games for the Wings, erasing any doubt that he should be the starter over James Reimer. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ville Husso returns from injury, but there's a case to be made that Lyon should remain their starter until he proves otherwise.
The Wings' big weakness is defense, which obviously puts Lyon in a bad spot, but their offense is so good that they can provide a lot of support and bail him out. Lyon isn't an ideal fantasy option, but as I noted in the introduction, there's no perfect solution. If you're looking for wins and a digestible save percentage, Lyon is a good option and should be rostered in all leagues.
Daniil Tarasov, Blue Jackets (2-2-2, 3.60 GAA, .894 Sv%)
Despite going 1-0-2, note that Tarasov has started three of the past four games for the Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins hasn't started since Dec. 27. The Jackets' rotation is hard to figure out because there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, but it does seem like they're focused on developing Tarasov. Spencer Martin is a short-term option and a backup at best, and both the Jackets and Merzlikins seem to tacitly agree that a change of scenery is best for both sides.
That puts Tarasov in a good position to claim the starting job going forward. There isn't a lot of fantasy value here, but it's noteworthy in case you're already scouting for next season or participating in a keeper league. The 24-year-old third-round pick from 2017 only has 59 games of pro experience in North America, and if the Jackets see him as their goalie of the future, they'll need to start giving him playing time so he can develop.
David Rittich, Kings (2-0-1, 1.62 GAA, .926 Sv%)
For now, his "Big Save Dave" nickname can remain. With Pheonix Copley out for the season due to knee surgery, Rittich is now the Kings' backup to Cam Talbot. He's been very impressive with the Kings so far, with thanks to a team that plays very good defense. In the right matchup, Rittich is a fine streaming option.
Trending Down
Scott Wedgewood, Stars (Past five games: 2-2-1, 3.59 GAA, .858 Sv%)
Jake Oettinger can't return soon enough. While Wedgewood has held down the fort admirably, the veteran backup seems to be succumbing to the workload, allowing nine goals in his past two starts. He hasn't been sharp over the past little while, even when the Stars limit their opponents' shots to under 25 attempts. Start Wedgewood with some trepidation since he seems to be more prone to bad starts lately. With four games coming up in the next seven days, the workload is going to be heavier than usual and I'd be wary of starting Wedgewood.
Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo, Senators (Past week: 0-3-0, 4.09 GAA, .879 Sv%)
The new-coach bump hasn't materialized in Ottawa. Despite Jacques Martin's reputation for emphasizing defensive structure, the Senators continue to be a mess. They don't defend well in their own zone (albeit with some slight improvements) but they're also not very good with their entries and exits. They sit 21st in Corsi For % and 30th in expected goals %, according to naturalstattrick.com, and you could make the argument that they're even worse than before. Based on talent alone, they should be far, far better than their record indicates.
A big problem, however, has been their goaltending. While Forsberg turned in strong performances against the Sabres and Oilers, they've been far and few between. The same goes for Korpisalo, who has not won a game since Dec. 27. It's best to stay away from the Sens' goalies for the rest of the season. The Sens sit last in the Eastern Conference and show no signs of turning it around.
