Goalie Announcements (Jan 18)

Well, we'll start at the bottom of the weekly scoring standings today, because that's where the story really is this week.  If you've looked at the standings this morning, you'd notice that 3rd and 4th place in the overall standings, Grant and Wes, are currently holding on to a tie for the Basement Dweller, each with 7 points.  Both teams have lost ground on the top two teams and now teams below them are gaining ground, which has to be a concern for them, but it's fun to watch, is it not?

Tony has started to run away with the Mover & Shaker, now 4 points clear of Eric's team for the weekly congratulations, 23-19, while Stuart, Steve and Brian are all up at 18 points, not so far away either.

Garret Sparks (Grant) versus Roberto Luongo (John P.)
Only one confirmed starter in the game between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers, as Roberto Luongo has been tapped to go for the home side.  John's team is only at 11 points this week, 4 points clear of the bottom, so he could certainly use a win tonight.  If Grant gets the start from Garret Sparks, he's one of the few teams that could use the 2 points more than John's team, as it was noted above.

Carey Price (Stacey M.) versus Joonas Korpisalo (Clayton)
Stacey M.'s team has lost a little bit of ground on 1st place in the standings this week, but Carey Price is coming to her rescue tonight in Columbus, as he was tapped for tonight's start after practice on Thursday.  Stacey's team now sits 8 points out of top spot, too much for Price to overcome himself, but thankfully, it's a team effort.  The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are riding the hot hand of Joonas Korpisalo, according to their projected lineup tonight, giving Clayton another start from the Columbus backup.  Clayton's team sits at 14 points this week, tied for 13th in weekly scoring.

Thomas Greiss (Stuart) versus Braden Holtby (Stacey C.)
Good news on the goalie front for the Capitals, as the eye injury has cleared up enough for Braden Holtby to take to the net again and he will indeed do so tonight against the Islanders.  Good news for Stacey C., since his team is on the wrong side of the equator in the weekly standings, he gets the first of two starts tonight here.  The Islanders were playing last night, a 4-1 win against the Devils, so although it hasn't been confirmed at the time of the post, it seems safe to think Thomas Greiss will go tonight, since he sat last night.

Anders Nilsson (N/A) versus Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.)
With the injury to Curtis McElhinney, Stacey C. will have the comfort of knowing that his goalie, Petr Mrazek will get the bulk of the work until the injury is healed and that starts tonight, giving him his second start of the evening, when Carolina hosts Ottawa.  Stacey's goalies are now tied for 5th in the goalie scoring ranks in the second segment of the season, already posting 31 points and the chance for more is certainly appealing.

Jimmy Howard (Tony) versus Mike Smith (Brian)
A solid match-up at the top of the weekly scoring ranks, with Tony and Brian seeing their goalies go head-to-head in Calgary, when the Red Wings visit the Flames.  Tony's team is looking to put more distance between themselves and the pack that's chasing them, which includes Brian's team, only 5 points back.  The Flames are surely the favourites in this game tonight, but with the luck that Tony has been having this week, don't count the Red Wings out just yet.

Matt Murray (N/A) versus Darcy Kuemper (N/A)
It looks like this game could be a wash from the crease tonight, as Darcy Kuemper has indeed been confirmed as the starter for the Coyotes, while Matt Murray is a solid bet to get the start, as the faith in his game has been restored by the coaching staff.  The Penguins do play again on Saturday, in Vegas, so who really knows for sure?

Linus Ullmark (Steve) versus Thatcher Demko (N/A)
The Buffalo Sabres are also riding a hot hand with Linus Ullmark going back to the crease tonight, offering Steve another start to help try and track down Tony's team for the Mover & Shaker this week.  The Sabres are in Vancouver to take on the Canucks and they'll be debuting one of their top prospects this season, Thatcher Demko getting the call tonight, looking for support for a selection in the second player swap of the year.