Goalie Announcements (Jan 23)

Well, now that the goalie survivor pool has come to an end, is there really a need for this post?  I suppose I could always have a look at the top 10 teams or the Mover & Shaker race... that's interesting, right?

Since it's only Tuesday, we'll look at the top 10 teams, see who is getting starts and we'll go from there.  I don't promise to do a whole ton of these posts now, but I'll check in from time to time.

Cory Schneider (Jeremy) versus Tuukka Rask (Clayton)
Not long ago, this would have been an all top 10 match-up, but Jeremy's team fell out of the top 10, dropping to 11th this week, so Cory Schneider only gets a mention in passing here, while Tuukka Rask gets another start for Clayton's 7th place team, chasing down both Grant and Kristy & Don's teams, which is only a 4-point gap between them.  The race is getting quite interesting, but the lot of them are having troubles keeping up with the money teams.

Cam Ward (Stacey M.) versus Casey DeSmith (N/A)
Stacey M.'s team rounds out the top 10, sitting 34 points out of the money, and her team gets another start from Cam Ward and the Hurricanes, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins and their new starlet in net, Casey DeSmith.  DeSmith will now play in his fifth game and the coaching staff has liked what they have seen, despite only having a single win in those appearances.  The Penguins are still not holding a playoff spot, so they are looking for a boost from just about anywhere.

Craig Anderson (Tony) versus Carter Hutton (Benson)
The top team in the standings with a start tonight is Benson's 3rd place team, which sees Carter Hutton go again for the St. Louis Blues, as they continue to ride the hot hand.  Benson's team start the night 2 points back of 2nd place and 12 points back of 1st and his goalie gets opposition that played the night before in the Senators and they are likely going with Tony's goalie, Craig Anderson, tonight, since Mike Condon was in net last night.  Tony's team has bumped up to 9th place and sits 34 points back of Benson's team, so a win here could shrink that a little more.

James Reimer (Troy) versus Ben Bishop (Kristy & Don)
Kristy & Don get the first of two starts tonight in Dallas, where Ben Bishop has been tapped to go for the Stars, when they host the Panthers.  The duo failed to register a point on Monday night, which bumped their team down a spot in the standings, which would be good for the Waiver Draft next week, but the Stars have been running hot and could work in their favour tonight.  The Panthers are expected to go with James Reimer again tonight, as Troy's team tries to cozy up to the middle of the pack before the player swap and then make a run in the third segment.

Robin Lehner (Kristy & Don) versus Cam Talbot (Wes)
The second of the duo's starts comes in Edmonton, as the Sabres continue to roll through Alberta, winning in Calgary on Monday night.  Robin Lehner gets the nod for the Oilers tonight, suggesting that they could have been the tougher of the two teams or at least the team they respect more.  Kristy & Don could use a big score tonight, as they still sit 25 points out of the money, at the start of play tonight.  Wes gets a start from his number one guy tonight, Cam Talbot, who has been pretty disappointing this season, ranking 75th overall in pool scoring after such a great year in 2017.

Henrik Lundqvist (Brian) versus John Gibson (Tony)
Tony's 9th place team also gets a pair of starts tonight and his second one comes in one of the late games of the evening, when the Anaheim Ducks host the New York Rangers.  John Gibson will play from the host crease, while Brian gets a start from Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.  Brian's team opens the night 16 points back of Tony's team and may start getting some players back to health here soon and he'll have the third segment to really play catch-up.