Goalie Announcements (Nov 23)

And we're back!  Those Americans are all tripped out after their massive turkey dinners last night and the NHL is going to shove a full slate of games down their throats, starting first thing this morning.

Why am I at the office today?

So, since it's an early start today, it's an early goalie post and we'll have to hope for the best, making our best guess for starting goalies in most of these games.  Out of the 15 games on the schedule, seven of them are early afternoon games, so there won't be much for morning skates in many instances.

Let's flip a coin and get this done!

Henrik Lundqvist (Scott) versus Calvin Pickard (N/A)
The New York Rangers are in Philadelphia for a very early start today, faceoff at 11am MT, taking on the Flyers and we know that Henrik Lundqvist will go for the visitors today.  For the pool, it doesn't really matter who the Flyers start, neither of the active goalies were taken, but we'll assume that Calvin Pickard gets the nod yet again.  Scott's team is in danger of losing out on 1st pick in the Waiver Draft, as his team has made gains on 24th place and only sits 1 point back at the start of play today and with the Lundqvist start in tow.

Mikko Koskinen (N/A) versus John Gibson (Kristy & Don)
No confirmation for either team today, but I'm wagering that we'll see Koskinen against Gibson in this one, giving the duo a likely start for the home side, their first of two possible starts today.  The duo start the day in 4th place, losing the tie-breaker for 3rd place by 8 goals.  A win here this afternoon should help with that situation a bit.

Laurent Brossoit (N/A) versus Alex Stalock (N/A)
The Wild confirmed, just before the publish button was hit, that Devan Dubnyk was under the weather and that they had made a recall for a backup to Alex Stalock, who should be getting the nod for the Wild today.  The Jets play tomorrow night, so I am leaning towards the Jets going to Laurent Brossoit, if they wanted to save Hellebuyck for tomorrow night.

Antti Niemi (N/A) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
It's an afternoon game for the Canadiens and so they'll save their number one goalie from the odd start and send Antti Niemi to the crease, showcasing the backup for the Waiver Draft today.  I hope everyone is taking notes.  It's another guess for the Sabres, but I would have to think that they would go with Carter Hutton today against the Canadiens, although they play tomorrow night too, traveling to Detroit.  All of this uncertainty is killing the nature of this post.

Thomas Greiss (Stuart) versus Keith Kinkaid (Neil)
An afternoon in the swamp, no confirmed goalies at this time, the Islanders playing tomorrow too, so that has the ability to change things today.  It could be Greiss and Kinkaid, both have been getting the run from their respective teams, both teams needing wins to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, so your guess is as good as mine!

Jimmy Howard (Tony) versus Braden Holtby (Stacey C.)
The last of the 2pm MT starts also has no confirmed goalies in this one and both teams are playing the first of back-to-back games for today and tomorrow, which can certainly lead a team to move to their backup today, but assuming (which is silly, I know) that it is the number ones today, this is how it would look.

David Rittich (Ryan) versus Marc-Andre Fleury (Troy)
It's a 4pm MT start in Vegas today for the Flames and the Golden Knights and there was no early indication for goalies on either side.  Vegas plays tomorrow, but with how hot the Flames have been lately, especially what they saw a very short time ago, they would probably prefer to rock Marc-Andre Fleury today, but again, that hasn't been confirmed.  Also, it looks very likely that we can call David Rittich the number one in Calgary now... much to the delight of Ryan, I'm sure.

Frederik Andersen (Derek B.) versus Sergei Bobrovsky (Kristy & Don)
Sergei Bobrovsky has been tapped early on Friday to get the nod tonight against the Maple Leafs, likely giving the duo two starts on this Black Friday.  It's a screaming deal!  Toronto will be working back-to-back nights tonight and tomorrow, but since this is a regular scheduled time for them and the Blue Jackets a more formidable opponent than tomorrow, it seems very fair to say Frederik Andersen is likely to get the start tonight.

Tristan Jarry (Neil) versus Jaroslav Halak (Stacey M.)
The Penguins are going to throw Neil a bone here tonight, as they will likely be giving recent call-up Tristan Jarry the start tonight against the Bruins, he was the first one off the ice at the morning skate.  Neil has yet to see any action from him and a win could save his skin through the first Waiver Draft.  The Bruins are on back-to-backs tonight and tomorrow as well and just before we went to print, the team confirmed that Stacey M. will be getting at least one start today with Jaroslav Halak getting the call today.  Good news for Stacey, since she needs a qualifying win before the end of the week still.

Corey Crawford (Benson) versus Louis Domingue (N/A)
The Lightning were among the few teams that did have an optional skate early this morning and the suggestion from that was that Louis Domingue gets the nod for the home team again tonight, as hockey pool teams lick their chops at the chance to pick him up next week.  The Blackhawks also skated this morning and Corey Crawford was the first goalie off the ice for the team, which generally means he starts tonight.  Benson's team currently sits 21st overall and only 2 points clear of the Basement Dweller this week, so the win is imperative for his team.

Roberto Luongo (John P.) versus Curtis McElhinney (N/A)
Well, we know that Curtis McElhinney will make the start for the Hurricanes, making a good case for a hockey pool selection next week, but doesn't do us much good today.  The Panthers are also on the list for back-to-back games this weekend and you can coin flip which goalie will get either start, so I will lean towards Roberto Luongo tonight, James Reimer tomorrow and watch as the Panthers go in completely the opposite direction, just to spite me (or so I think).

Philipp Grubauer (Jesse) versus Antti Raanta (Brian)
There was some word this morning that Antti Raanta could be making his return tonight for the Coyotes, as he has been out for quite a while with a lower-body injury.  Raanta has missed the better part of the month with his injury and could give Brian a big lift with his return.  The Avalanche are working the back-to-back circuit tonight and since they are taking on the lowly Coyotes, I'm opting for Philipp Grubauer as my blog post starter tonight, possibly giving Jesse two starts today.  It could also be none, so I hope he doesn't hold this against me.

Pekka Rinne (John P.) versus Jake Allen (Steve)
Jake Allen was confirmed to give Steve's team a start tonight against the Predators, as his team clings to a top 10 spot this week, holding on by a tie-breaker and in need of some real points to stay in the race.  Is there any reason why it wouldn't be Pekka Rinne for the Predators tonight?  They don't play again until Monday, however, Juuse Saros hasn't played in a little while and an extra day or two could go a long ways for Rinne.  Dammit!

Craig Anderson (Mike) versus Anton Khudobin (N/A)
No surprises for the home side tonight, as the Dallas Stars are still without their number one for a few more days, which means Anton Khudobin gets the nod against the Senators, vying for your selection in the Waiver Draft next week.  The Senators should continue to ride Craig Anderson, since Mike McKenna is probably going to be used in emergencies only and tonight is not one of those days on the schedule, so I would say Mike gets a good shot at his qualifying win.

Jacob Markstrom (Chelsea) versus Martin Jones (Brenda & Seward)
Both the Canucks and the Sharks haven't confirmed any goalies this morning for their late game tonight, both teams get on the road after this game and play again tomorrow night, so this game could go either way for both sides.  Brenda & Seward could really use this start, as their team is in the lead for the Basement Dweller, while Chelsea's team isn't too far away.  Both pool teams should get starts one way or the other in the next couple days, but we'll know for sure tomorrow how it will go.