Goalie Announcements (Feb 23)

I would really like to get this post out before puck drop this morning and playing catch-up from those few days in Edmonton, plus a cold, plus my back going out... it's a challenge.  But here I am plugging away, let's hope this gets done before 11am... check the time stamp below!

Braden Holtby (Stacey C.) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
Both the Capitals and the Sabres have announced their goalies for this afternoon's matinee and it's the top dogs for each, Holtby versus Hutton, in what could be a decent afternoon affair.  Stacey's team has been good this week, 22 points, while Wes' isn't far behind at 20 points, a swing game in the weekly standings here.

Keith Kinkaid (Neil) versus Alexandar Georgiev (N/A)
The Devils were a bit of back and forth this morning, as everyone was trying to determine which goalie was going to start for them today, but the coaching staff did announce that Keith Kinkaid will go for the Devils, which was an initial flip-flop from what was being published this morning.  Kinkaid is reportedly on the trading block for Monday and they probably want to showcase him to a bunch of teams, trying to make a deal.  Good news for Neil, I suppose!

Tuukka Rask (Jesse) versus Jake Allen (Steve)
Rask hasn't played since Monday, so he might look to shake off some rust this afternoon, while the Blues might be playing the hot hand and since they lost last game, the other guy gets to go in and that's Jake Allen.  Neither are confirmed, just speculating at this point, so there's no sense in elaborating on the statistics, if they might not play.

Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.) versus Anton Khudobin (Grant)
Mrazek won his last outing, 4-3 against Florida on Thursday night, as did Khudobin, 5-2 against St. Louis on the same night.  Both teams are hanging on to some playoff aspirations and that means goaltending will need to stay with the hot guy or that's at least what one would think.  This match-up could go either way though for both teams.

Jack Campbell (N/A) versus Roberto Luongo (John P.)
The Panthers were not confirmed, but there was some reports out there that we should expect to see Luongo back in the cage for them, especially after losing their last game on Thursday night.  Same goes for the Kings, nothing confirmed, but they too, also lost on Thursday and have been giving Jack Campbell a good luck, regardless.

Martin Jones (Brenda & Seward) versus Joonas Korpisalo (N/A)
Sharks open a back-to-back tonight in Columbus, while the Jackets finish one off and this is the unconfirmed goalie match-up that I would derive from this situation.  Jones getting the tougher of the two starts, while Korpisalo playing since he was backup last night.  Easy peasy, I feel 75% about this one.

Philipp Grubauer (Jesse) versus Pekka Rinne (John P.)
The Avalanche are finishing a back-to-back of their own as well, so Grubauer seems to be the likely choice after not playing yesterday, while the Predators look to continue to roll, no games yesterday or tomorrow, so we should see Rinne go for them tonight.  Again, both unconfirmed, but reasonable guesses.

Carey Price (Stacey M.) versus Frederik Andersen (Wilton)
Looks like it's the big dogs for the classic Montreal/Toronto clash tonight on Hockey Night in Canada.  Stacey M.'s Mover & Shaker leading team gets another start tonight out of Carey Price, but will be in tough against Frederik Andersen, already making his 9th appearance on Wilton's team since the Waiver Draft.

Matt Murray (Scott) versus Brian Elliott (Troy)
The Flyers announced their starting goalie intentions on Friday night, well ahead of the outdoor game, giving Brian Elliott the nod, due to an injury to Carter Hart, which was explained in the morning notes.  Elliott will make his first start for Troy's team since the Waiver Draft and there's no bigger stage for it.  The Pens, on the other hand, still haven't posting anything about a starting goalie, but it does seem likely, given the stage, Matt Murray would be the guy.

Thomas Greiss (Stuart) versus Jacob Markstrom (Chelsea)
One of two late games tonight will see the Islanders in Vancouver to take on the Canucks.  No official word on goaltending for either team tonight, but Greiss versus Markstrom seems to be a very likely scenario.  Islanders lost on Thursday night, the Canucks' schedule suggests the number one, so we'll go with this for now.

Kevin Boyle (N/A) versus Mikko Koskinen (Tony)
The other late game for the night is the Ducks and the Oilers, still nothing confirmed for this one.  The Ducks were in Calgary last night, so they'll go with "the other guy," while the Oilers were able to post a shootout win in their last outing, so that would mean that Koskinen will get the net back for this one.  The Oilers could overtake Anaheim in the standings with a win, so they really need to get it, if they are to keep any hope alive.