Goalie Announcements (Jan 13)

It's an early start this morning, so it could be a bit of a rushed post today, but let's see how it goes, shall we?

Wes is vying for back-to-back Mover & Shaker nods and he carries a 2-point lead and plenty of potential for more points today, leading both Stuart and Dale C., their teams both at 30 points this week.  Three more teams have an outside shot at 27 points: Steve, Jesse and Eric have all had good weeks.

Scott's team continues to struggle and better be doing his homework for the shootout goals or possibly get ready to load up on whatever rookies are left, as his team just can't seem to get anywhere this week and is now falling further and further behind.  His team is 3 points back of Benson's team for 24th in weekly scoring and will need some real help to stay out of the Basement Dweller this week.

Juuse Saros (Eric) versus Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.)
We know that Stacey C. will get a start out of Petr Mrazek and the Hurricanes today, which is the super-early start here on Sunday.  Stacey's team is well clear of any infamy in Week Fifteen, sitting at 20 points and 8 points clear of the basement, but is also 12 points back of the weekly leader, so there isn't much hope there either.  The Predators haven't confirmed their starter, but today would be a good day to go with the backup.

Chad Johnson (N/A) versus Connor Hellebuyck (Jeremy)
Jeremy's team is also sitting at 20 points this week and gets one more start out of Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets on Sunday and his team is also 1 point better than Stacey C.'s team in the overall standings, so this early afternoon game could either help defend his slight advantage or maybe even help pull his team away by a couple of points.  Is it time to give John Gibson a rest yet?  Ducks haven't confirmed yet, but they really should, right?

Henrik Lundqvist (Scott) versus Sergei Bobrovsky (Kristy & Don)
Neither the Rangers or the Blue Jackets have confirmed their goalies for today, but both teams are coming off games last night and the goalies that didn't play last night are listed above.  So, it looks like Scott may get his one shot at catching Benson from the crease, while the duo, sitting at 19 points this week, will see if the drama in Columbus will have any lasting effect on their pool hopes.

James Reimer (Dale C.) versus Thatcher Demko (N/A)
Again, nothing confirmed here, but we'll throw a couple of darts at the board and see where it lands.  Reimer didn't get the call in Calgary on Friday night, so the overtime loss leads me to believe that he will start in Vancouver tonight, over a possible emotional return.  Tonight could be the night that the Canucks debut Thatcher Demko this season, who is now the new number two guy in Vancouver, poised to be the eventual number one down the road.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Dale C.) versus Thomas Greiss (Stuart)
Nothing absolutely confirmed, but with Tampa Bay playing last night, we'll assume the one who didn't play gets the nod, which will be Vasilevskiy.  Greiss was the first goalie off from the morning skate today, so that's a bit closer to a confirmation, but only just.  The goalie situation in Long Island has occasionally strayed away from those conventional signs.

Adin Hill (N/A) versus Mike Smith (Brian)
The Arizona Coyotes finish off a back-to-back in Alberta with the stop in Calgary tonight, so although unconfirmed, it seems fair to think that Adin Hill will be back in net tonight.  Last night, the Flames did confirm that they will give Mike Smith the go tonight, giving Brian's team a much-needed start.  His side isn't in the running for either weekly mention, at 22 points this week, but you would have to believe he still wants to be within striking distance for the next player swap.