Goalie Announcements (Mar 24)

It turns out that I have a little bit of extra time before I get going this morning, so I am going to quickly run through the Mover & Shaker race, as we head into Saturday's action. Clayton leads the week with 34 points after Friday night's action, 4 points clear on Chris and 6 points clear of Stuart... then, there is a pretty good drop off of 12 points down to the two Dereks.

So, I'll focus on the top three teams, since I only have like a half hour to really get this thing done and published, before my day really gets started.

12 games on the docket tonight, including a couple of afternoon games.  Let's see if there is any impact on the weekly scoring race from the crease.

Cam Ward (Stacey M.) versus Mike Condon (N/A)
The Carolina Hurricanes are the only team that could potentially give Clayton a start on Saturday and it does seem rather unlikely today, although unconfirmed, that it will happen.  The expectation is that Cam Ward will get the nod instead of Scott Darling, giving Stacey M. a start, but her team is 15 points out of the weekly race and would need a whole lot more than a Ward win (and shutout) to climb back into it for tomorrow's (potential) post.

Mike Condon has been confirmed for the Senators, keeping Tony's team off the start sheet in this game.

Mike Smith (Ryan) versus Martin Jones (Chris)
An afternoon game against the Flames could mean that the San Jose Sharks could go with Aaron Dell instead of their number one, Martin Jones, and seeing as though the San Jose starter has not been confirmed yet, for an afternoon game, anything can happen, at this point!  The Sharks don't play tomorrow, but those afternoon games can be tricky.

We're also expecting Mike Smith to go for the Flames, as their mathematical hopes are being shaved down on a daily basis.

Jonathan Quick (Chris) versus Cam Talbot (Wes)
Chris has two potential starts on Saturday and the second one comes in the only late game tonight, as the Kings are in Edmonton to take on the Oilers for the second game of Hockey Night in Canada on the main network.  It seems very likely that Chris will get this start from Jonathan Quick, before they head home for a game on Monday night.

The Oilers are out of the playoff race, but they could still act as spoiler, since the Kings aren't safely in the playoffs yet.  Cam Talbot gets the nod to help do that.

Darcy Kuemper (Neil) versus James Reimer (Troy)
If you didn't see the injury notes from this morning, Stuart will not get a start from the Florida Panthers today, as Roberto Luongo is dealing with an upper-body issue.  That means Troy's team gets the nod here in James Reimer and they'll take on Neil's only goalie of the day, Darcy Kuemper.

Troy's team is 13 points out of the Mover & Shaker race this week, while Neil's team is only 5 points clear of the Basement Dweller nod, heading into today.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Wilton) versus Cory Schneider (Jeremy)
With Keith Kinkaid getting the nod and the win last night against the Penguins, all indications are pointing to a Cory Schneider start tonight, as the Devils take on the Lightning at home.  Stuart got his start and his win last night, so it isn't like he was leaving this week empty-handed from the crease, but you know, there is always a chance that Kinkaid gets the nod in this back-to-back situation, as it has happened already in the last couple of weeks.  The Devils do need those wins.

Wilton, who sees his team only 12 points back of the Mover & Shaker, sees the current leader for the pool's MVP in the expected slot for the Lightning, who are trying to lock down 1st place in the East.