Goalie Announcements (Nov 17)

Here we go again!  The weekend has arrived and thanks to a few early games, we're going to be playing the guessing game on a number of these games, but for some, they have been confirmed, so I will be quick to mention that.

11 games in total, three teams still in need of a goalie survivor win, 24 points holds top spot in the Mover & Shaker and 7 points is the current Basement Dweller total and now 20 points separates 1st place to 12th place... okay, 19 points, but you get the gist.

Let's have a peek at those goalies, see what kind of interest we can spark up out of the schedule, shall we?

Jonathan Bernier (Brenda & Seward) versus Keith Kinkaid (Neil)
Matinee game in the swamp today, as the Red Wings are in to take on the Devils.  Confirmed starts for both Bernier and Kinkaid this morning, as they are not far from dropping the puck here.  Not a lot happening in the weekly news in this game, as the duo are just trying to work their way back into overall standing relevance, while Neil's team desperately tries to get back into the money, starting 7 points back of 3rd place.

Louis Domingue (N/A) versus Calvin Pickard (N/A)
Injuries in the crease to both the Lightning and the Flyers this week has rendered this game absolutely moot in the goaltending sense.  There's no active goaltender in the pool in this game, both number ones and a chosen number two are all out with injury and now we're all left with this.  A scouting game for the Waiver Draft.  Oh yeah, there are active skaters in this game, sure... but we want goalies!

Linus Ullmark (Steve) versus Devan Dubnyk (Wes)
Dubnyk has been confirmed, but the Sabres, having played last night, still haven't confirmed their goalie early on and they have a 4pm MT start today too.  That certainly leads me to believe that Steve will get a start out of Ullmark, especially after going to the shootout last night.  This looks to be the only start for both pool teams, Steve and Wes, both teams rocking the middle of the weekly scoring standings, too far from the Mover & Shaker, well clear of the Basement Dweller.

Carey Price (Stacey M.) versus Jacob Markstrom (Chelsea)
Price has been confirmed to go for the Canadiens tonight, while Markstrom is a pretty good educated guess, after sitting the last game of their road trip on Thursday.  Stacey already has her win in the survivor game this week, while Chelsea is still searching for her's, but this is Chelsea's only assumed chance at a win tonight and it isn't a bad chance, I'd say.

Matt Murray (Wilton) versus Craig Anderson (Mike)
Mike has a confirmed start in the game between the Penguins and the Senators in Ottawa tonight, as Anderson was tapped early on for this one.  The hockey pool stats are pulling for Wilton to pick up the start this one, but it is somewhat of a toss-up, especially given where the Penguins are in the standings these days.  The numbers just have not been great this week, only averaging 94 minutes of goalie play each NHL game, heading into tonight.

Just as I was to hit the publish button... Murray was indeed confirmed!

Roberto Luongo (John P.) versus Henrik Lundqvist (Scott)
John's team is only 5 points back of the Mover & Shaker nod, while Scott's team is only 2 points clear of the Basement Dweller and it's that kind of footing that has everyone reading this believing that the Panthers have to be the favoured team in this game, right?  Because of the hockey pool standings, right?  Luongo versus Lundqvist, a couple of top end goalies in their hey day, they'll go under the bright lights of Broadway tonight.

Sergei Bobrovsky (Kristy & Don) versus Scott Darling (Ryan)
We know for sure that the Hurricanes will be going with Ryan's goalie, Scott Darling, tonight against the Blue Jackets, but we don't know who exactly is going for the visitors.  The flu kept Sergei Bobrovsky out of the team's last game, but they did win that game, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if they went the other way for this game.  Ryan's team has been moving up the standings in recent weeks, he could sure use a win over a team with a bit of uncertainty these days.

Jaroslav Halak (Stacey M.) versus Darcy Kuemper (Stuart)
It has been confirmed that Kuemper will get another start for the Coyotes and it does seem like a safe bet, with the Bruins playing (and losing) last night, that Halak will get the nod, since he wasn't in the cage for the loss.  This means that Stacey will get her second start of the night, trying to cling on to a money spot, while Stuart is doing much of the same, except his spot is 1st place.

Peter Budaj (N/A) versus Pekka Rinne (John P.)
Neither goalie has been confirmed for the Kings and the Predators, at the time of this post, so it is an educated guess for both sides.  Peter Budaj was getting over the flu yesterday and could suit up on the second half of back-to-back nights, while Pekka Rinne could very well get the nod for the Predators again, just because he is quite the workhorse.  What more do we need to know here?

Mikko Koskinen (N/A) versus David Rittich (Ryan)
At the time of starting this post, this late game was the only one that was actually fully confirmed.  An 8pm MT game on Saturday was actually confirmed the night before.  Trouble in Alberta, perhaps?  Ryan gets his second start of the night from the Calgary Flames, as they will give the hotter hand the net in this big rivalry game, while the Edmonton keeper is playing for your approval, if you're looking for a goalie in the Week Nine Waiver Draft.

Chad Johnson (N/A) versus Martin Jones (Brenda & Seward)
Finally, the Blues are on back-to-back nights and have indeed that they will go with their non-pool goalie in San Jose tonight, while we are left to assume that Martin Jones will get the net again for the Sharks, trying to give the pool's second duo a little bit more hope of getting back into the races.  Brenda & Seward should get their second start of Saturday and their next step up in the standings is to 23rd, where they start the night 9 points back.