The Goalie Report: Risers & Fallers

Only a week after Joey Daccord, Joonas Korpisalo, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Joseph Woll started to carve out a bigger piece of the timeshare in net, they've once again started to struggle.

Welcome to goaltending in the modern NHL, where no one's at the top for long. The difficulty in predicting goalie performances has led to what's called a zero-G strategy in recent years, with fantasy managers eschewing goalies in the early and middle rounds, and instead taking their shots at mid-tier, 1B's or even backups later in the draft because, well, who knows?

We're only one month into the season but it's been intense. So much has happened already, from Connor Bedard's debut to the Knights' impressive unbeaten streak to the Sharks basically laying dead. We've seen more goalie switches than I can count, teams already at crossroads for the season and numerous calls for the coach of (insert team here) to be fired.

At least The Goalie Report's here to provide you with the latest.

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Cam Talbot, Kings (6-2-1, .923 Sv%, 2.14 GAA)

It's been seriously impressive stuff for the 36-year-old journeyman. With Pheonix Copley really struggling, Talbot is the undisputed starter for a very strong Kings squad. Will Talbot's numbers dip? It's very likely, but the bigger question is how long this will last. Talbot hasn't made more than 48 starts in over five seasons, and he's only going to get older. Roster Talbot and keep starting him until he runs out of gas.

Connor Ingram, Coyotes (3-1-0, .919 Sv%, 2.39 GAA)

The Coyotes basically split the starts because both Ingram and Karel Vejmelka had been playing so well, but Vejmelka has really struggled with 14 goals allowed in his past three starts. This has opened the door for Ingram to receive more starts, and perhaps even take over the starting job. Keep an eye on this situation, though if last week was any indication, maybe this will be short-lived, too.

Lukas Dostal, Ducks (5-1-0, .920 Sv%, 2.80 GAA)

Call the Ducks the giant killers. First the Bruins and now the Knights after Anaheim scored four goals on six shots in the third period Sunday. John Gibson returned from injury and started against the Knights, but he's going to have to keep that up if he doesn't want to cede playing time to Dostal. The 23-year-old Czech netminder is their goalie of the future, and with the way he's been playing, he's going to force some sort of timeshare. The Ducks don't really need to start Gibson 50-plus games a season if Dostal keeps this up, and it actually gives the Ducks a trade chip to bolster their roster in the future.

Ivan Prosvetov, Avalanche (1-0-0, .970 Sv%, 0.88 GAA)

If not for Prosvetov, the Avs might have suffered four straight shutout losses. Claimed off waivers at the beginning of the season, Prosvetov's first start of the season — a 27-save, 4-1 win against the Blues — might make Jared Bednar think twice before going with Alexandar Georgiev. Prosvetov's victory came sandwiched between a pair of 4-0 losses and a 7-0 drubbing against the rival Knights, and no goalie has started more games than Georgiev, who also ranks third in shots against (258) and playing time (534:52).

There's an argument to be made that Georgiev is playing too much in just the first month of the season, and at this rate, he'll burn out before March. Keep an eye on Prosvetov to see if he gets any more starts this coming week with three games at home for the Avs; he should be a viable streaming option.

Jonathan Quick, Rangers (2-0-1, .948 Sv%, 1.42 GAA)

Not sure how long Igor Shesterkin (lower body) will remain sidelined, but in the immediate term, Quick has picked up a lot of fantasy value. His play so far this season has been surprisingly good, considering he looked like he was on his last legs with the Knights last season. There's a chance if Shesterkin comes back and starts Tuesday that Quick will face the Wild on Thursday. It'll be the second time Quick faces the Wild after stopping 36 of 40 shots against them on Saturday.

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Connor Hellebuyck, Jets (5-3-1, .890 Sv%, 3.08 GAA)

The Jets really don't have any other option, but at this rate, fantasy managers will have to start thinking about benching Hellebuyck. This is not ideal for a fantasy goalie who has provided both quality and quantity, and it's a tough schedule coming up against three divisional foes, including difficult home dates against the Predators and Stars. If save percentage and goals against are a consideration, it may be worthwhile to sit Hellebuyck if you have other options. Otherwise, it's more of the same: crossing your fingers and hoping he turns it around sooner than later.

Filip Gustavsson, Wild (2-3-1, .871 Sv%, 4.89 GAA)

What a huge drop-off from last season. Gustavsson is barely playable at the moment and is already losing playing time to Marc-Andre Fleury, who has started three of the past four games. The Wild are trying all sorts of things to get going, and Jared Spurgeon is close to returning. It would be awful for Gustavsson's fantasy value if Spurgeon returns just as Fleury gets hot and takes over the net, because then the Wild will just roll with Fleury if they start winning games. While it's tempting to drop Gustavsson, it'd be wise to be a little more patient just to see what happens over the next little while. Fleury doesn't have the capacity to be a starter anymore, so Gustavsson's going to get his chance at some point.

Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs (Past two starts: 0-2-0, .866 Sv%, 4.52 GAA)

After allowing just two goals in two starts, Woll followed it up with a 4-1 loss to the Kings and a 6-4 loss to the Sabres. Meanwhile, Ilya Samsonov is back on track and seems to have the inside edge on the No. 1 job again. This puts Woll on a timeshare yet again, and the Leafs likely prefer Samsonov on any given night because he has more experience. The Leafs are great at providing goal support but their defense isn't very deep or particularly good, making it difficult for goalies to put up good numbers. Hold Woll for now to see what happens, but another poor week from Woll and some solid performances from Samsonov will make Woll droppable.

Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner, Oilers (Combined: 2-7-1, .867 Sv%, 4.01 GAA)

Here's a sobering stat: Campbell and Skinner both have a worse save percentage than either Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen of the Sharks, who just allowed 10 goals in consecutive games. At the beginning of the season, the thought was that at least one of them would be a serviceable starter, but instead they've been the league's worst tandem. Never mind the high goals-against average, which was never going to be good anyway on a team that tends to outscore its problems, but their save percentages have been horrendous. Part of the reason is their porous defense and lack of effort, but it's advisable to bench both goalies — if you haven't already — until further notice. It's gotten so bad that even though the Oilers are expected to be heavily favored against the Sharks on Thursday, starting Skinner or Campbell in that matchup can still turn your stomach into knots.