The Goalie Report: Risers & Fallers

The past two weeks have provided more proof that good teams need to have a good, reliable backup goalie.

The Canucks would be panicking if Casey DeSmith hadn't held down the fort the way he has with Thatcher Demko injured. The Panthers would not have kept the top spot in the Atlantic without Anthony Stolarz's 32-save performance in a 4-1 win against the Flyers.

If you didn't have that luxury, you would've been just as speechless as John Tortorella after his team outshot the Panthers 33-15, only to see Felix Sandstrom allow three goals on 14 shots in a crucial game as the Flyers cling to a playoff spot.

As the season draws to a close in roughly three weeks, look for teams out of the playoff race to start rotating their goalies a lot more. There's no reason to push their starters to the limits and risk injury, and in some cases, such as Dustin Wolf for the Flames, it gives the team a chance to give their young prospects a look.

Other teams will continue to have to rely on their backups, either to keep their starters fresh or because their starters are injured. Ilya Samsonov was hurt Saturday night but he's believed to be okay, but the same can't be said for Adin Hill, whose injury puts Logan Thompson back in the driver's seat.

Here's this week's Goalie Report.

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Jake Allen, Devils (3-2-0, .923 Sv%, 2.41 GAA)

Allen went from a three-goalie rotation in Montreal and fantasy obscurity to being the man in the marsh. He's been excellent since joining the Devils – Kaapo Kahkonen, too, with a shutout win Sunday against the Isles – and Allen's fantasy value has never been higher this season. The Devils have the talent to provide goal support, and even if they still perform below expectations to finish the season, Allen retains fantasy value simply due to volume.

He's worth rostering if you have space, and given how much of a mess goaltending was last week with the likes of Ilya Sorokin going 0-3-0 and Connor Hellebuyck posting a 4.02 GAA, it's worth a gamble because the upside is potentially pretty good.

Lukas Dostal, Ducks (Last week: 1-0-1, .946 Sv%, 1.49 GAA)

I normally wouldn't recommend any Ducks goalie in fantasy, but it's worth noting Dostal made a second straight start following his 4-0 shutout win against the Blackhawks. Dostal snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Ducks, and it was enough to warrant a break from their usual rotation. Though Dostal lost Sunday against the Lightning, it was a strong performance that saw him stop 24 of 27 shots in an overtime loss.

Dostal has now started 30 games to John Gibson's 41 this season, and it would not be surprising at all if that gap was narrowed by the end of the season. The Ducks play the struggling Kraken twice in the coming week, providing some good matchups for Dostal.

Logan Thompson, Golden Knights (19-12-5, .905 Sv%, 2.77 GAA)

There has been no official statement on Adin Hill's injury status, but he's not expected to travel with the team on its upcoming four-game road trip that starts Monday. Tomas Hertl was placed on LTIR to make room for Jiri Patera, which means that Thompson will be the starter going forward. After a rough stretch around late February, Thompson has been much better with two straight 3-1 wins. 

Thompson posted better numbers last season, but his fantasy value gets a boost simply due to volume. The Knights are one of two teams that play four games this coming week, and assuming Hill does not rejoin the team on its road trip, expect Thompson to start at least three games.

Dustin Wolf, Flames (3-5-1, .900 Sv%, 3.14 GAA)

With Dan Vladar undergoing season-ending surgery, Wolf will take over as the backup behind Jacob Markstrom. Mathematically speaking, the Flames are still in the playoff race, but it's a long shot; they'll need to essentially run the table and hope that the wheels for the Kings or Knights completely fall off. This time next week, we'll know for sure if the Flames still have a chance.

Whenever the Flames throw in the white towel, the logical thing for them to do would be split the starts between Markstrom and Wolf. There's little doubt Wolf is their goalie of the future, and there's still a chance Markstrom gets dealt in the offseason after a trade with the Devils fell through at the trade deadline. If the Flames intend to hit the reset button, then it makes the most sense to give more reps to Wolf as they groom him to be their starter down the road.

James Reimer, Red Wings (Past two weeks: 3-0-0, .919 Sv%, 2.68 GAA)

Alex Lyon has lost eight straight games (!) and while the Wings wouldn't be here without him – remember he helped the Panthers clinch the playoffs last season – it's time to give the reins to Reimer, who's been excellent. It could be fatigue, but Lyon has been unreliable during the most crucial part of the Wings' season. He allowed just one goal against the Preds in a 1-0 loss, but Reimer's the one getting the results.

With no back-to-backs until the end of the season on April 15-16 when they play a home-and-home series against the Habs, the Wings have the option to commit to one goalie. I think they'll give Reimer a chance to run away with the job, which certainly boosts his fantasy value.

Cayden Primeau, Canadiens (Past two weeks: 2-1-0, .943 Sv%, 2.00 GAA)

The Habs have gone with a 2:1 ratio between Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau, but it might draw closer to a 1:1 at this rate. Primeau's been excellent over the past two weeks, outplaying Montembeault (0-1-2, .889 Sv%, 2.94 GAA), and with nothing to play for, it may not be a bad idea for the team to give Primeau some more starts.

The danger is the Habs' upcoming schedule; they play the Avs, Flyers, Canes, Panthers, Lightning, Leafs and Rangers over the next two weeks. However, if you're looking for some volume starts, keep an eye on Primeau.

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Stuart Skinner, Oilers (Last week: 1-1-0, .846 Sv%, 4.84 GAA)

Skinner was uncharacteristically bad, but it again shows the Oilers' greatest weakness. Connor McDavid can continue to score, but without the stops at his own end of the ice, they're just not going to win many games. It's actually been a poor two-week stretch for Skinner, who seems to be getting worse, and this would be a bad time for fatigue to start taking its toll with the playoffs less than a month away.

Skinner is worth starting because the Oilers' elite goal support means Skinner will always have a chance to earn a win, but the poor peripheral numbers are always a risk. The Oilers play the Central's top three teams, the Kings and the rising Blues over the next two weeks, and those starts warrant some caution if fantasy managers want to preserve their save percentage.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild (Last week: 0-1-1, .767 Sv%, 6.74 GAA)

The Wild dropped two crucial games against the Kings and division rival Blues last week, with Fleury allowing 10 goals. Perhaps it's fatigue and massive voids left by the injured Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, but if this continues, the Wild will have no choice but to go back to Filip Gustavsson. 

The Wild never really settled on a rotation during the season, often opting to go with the hot hand, and at this rate, Gustavsson has the inside track to be the 1A starter once again. The Wild do not have a back-to-back until April 6-7 and April 12-13.  

Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord, Kraken (Past eight games: 0-6-2, .881 Sv%, 3.36 GAA)

Remember what I said about good teams having good backups? The Kraken don't have a good starter nor a good backup. Frankly speaking, I'm not even sure the Kraken have ever had a legitimate starting goalie since the franchise's inception. 

Three weeks ago, the Kraken looked like they had a shot at the playoffs.

Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, Penguins (Since March 1: 3-8-2, .861 Sv%, 4.35 GAA)

You know that Simpsons meme where the Krusty Burglar (almost) gets beaten to death by Krusty the Clown, and one of the kids cries out, "Stop, stop! He's already dead!"

That's the Penguins, who hit depths lower than anyone could've imagined this season after they blew a 4-0 lead (!) and lost in overtime to the Avs, who won their ninth straight game.