Goalie Announcements (Jan 13)

It's an early start kind of day and so we'll be doing a lot of guessing ahead of these goalie starts, I'm thinking.

Nine games on the schedule and at the time of writing this post, there were only eight of 18 goalies confirmed or believed, with a couple more likely to come before the posting deadline.  So, you'll have to believe that there will be some names that might not be in the crease, when the puck drops in the later games.

Teams are so sneaky that way.

Let's focus on the top 10 teams, it may limit the mistakes!

Jaroslav Halak (Benson) versus Henrik Lundqvist (Brian)
Benson's 2nd place team gets a key start, confirmed, from Jaroslav Halak in the battle of New York and it is expected, that we'll see Henrik Lundqvist go for the 13th place team, belonging to Brian.  Earlier in the season, this would have been a great money battle, but Brian's team fell off the map, due to injury, while Benson's kept rolling along.  It's a shame, this game could have been quite something in the pool standings.

Jimmy Howard (Dale C.) versus Tristan Jarry (Derek B.)
With Matt Murray away, this is Derek B.'s game to knock a win out of, as his 8th place team has eyes on climbing the standings a little bit further today.  Tristan Jarry gets the start for his side, as they try and knock out a portion of the 27-point gap to 3rd place.  Dale C.'s team is likely to have Jimmy Howard in today, after a brief stint on the injured list, as Dale's team tries to find its way back to the top 10, where it sits 11th, 2 points out and the team it's chasing, Stacey M.'s, sees its goalie out of this game for personal reasons.

Brian Elliott (Stacey C.) versus Cory Schneider (Jeremy)
Jeremy's team is only 10 points clear of 10th place and falling fast and he needs a life line from Cory Schneider and the Devils here today, trying to keep his team afloat for the next Waiver Draft, where he might be able to work a little bit more of that magic he has in the player swaps.  Schneider's opposition today is Brian Elliott and the Philadelphia Flyers, offering a start to Stacey C.'s team today, which is one of 15 teams still in single digits for weekly scoring this week.

Jonathan Bernier (Scott) versus Ben Bishop (Kristy & Don)
Kristy & Don are still having a pretty strong week, remaining in 4th place in the standings and making some gains on 3rd place, as their team has closed the gap down to 6 points at the start of play today.  They get a key start from Ben Bishop and the Stars, taking on the red hot Colorado Avalanche, who have won their last five games in a row.  Jonathan Bernier has been a big part of that surge, also helping Scott to the brink of staying out of last place, which his team fell back into this week, but another big game for the road side could help his cause a lot there.

John Gibson (Tony) versus Jonathan Quick (Chris)
Chris' team has shoved its way back into the top 10 this week, with already 16 points in Week Fifteen, jumping from 13th to 9th in the process.  He gets the first of two projected starts tonight, neither were confirmed, with the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathan Quick, taking on the Anaheim Ducks and John Gibson in a divisional clash.  Chris' team continues to make moves, while Tony's team floats around in the middle of the pack, having only 8 points this week and just spinning their wheels a bit.

Scott Wedgewood (N/A) versus Martin Jones (Chris)
The second of Chris' starts comes in San Jose, with another divisional clash between the Coyotes and the Sharks.  The Coyotes are coming off a game on Friday night, so they might be ripe for the picking for the Sharks, who just finished their bye week and are probably pretty hungry for action.  Martin Jones goes for Chris, while Scott Wedgewood plays for your approval and possibly a spot on your hockey pool team at the second Waiver Draft.