In my home league, Week 24 represents the final week before the fantasy hockey playoffs begin, which means it’s the last chance for those on the playoff bubble to execute some good streaming options. In addition, we finally got some goalies traded at the deadline last Monday. We’ll take a look at both of these events throughout the article.
3 Goalie Grabs for Week 24
Marc-Andre Fleury (MIN): PHI, PIT, @CAR, @WAS
By the end of the trade deadline, teams made 33 deals involving 54 players. As the most coveted goalie on the block, Fleury found a new home just a few hours north in Minnesota, providing the Wild with some playoff experience they otherwise lacked. Chicago received a conditional first-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft.
In his first game with his new team, the 37-year-old saved 23 of 25 shots and earned the win against Columbus. While his March has been less-than-ideal, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that the trade deadline weighed on him (and stole some of his Blackhawk teammates). He continues to allow fewer than three goals per game, and now he is on a team ranked 10th in the fewest shots allowed. (Chicago ranked 23rd in this regard.) With Minnesota’s offense, he is in line to pick up a couple of wins in this four-game week.
Craig Anderson (BUF): @CHI, WPG, NSH, FLA
We’re staring at the four-game week 24 here and assuming he’ll start three of them. Would I be giddy to start the 40-year-old against the Predators and Panthers? No. Is it an acceptable risk at this point? I think so. Anderson’s advanced stats give us a hint of hope. He has won four of his last five games, and only a clunker against Edmonton saw him give up more than three goals. He has ten quality starts against only four really bad starts on the year. But the most notable stat that supports this crazy idea is that he is a stalwart at home. In Buffalo, he is 7-3 with a .919 save percentage and 2.49 GAA. As a fellow 40-something, I can attest to the joys of being home, so I will roll with Anderson this week.
Erik Kallgren (TOR): @BOS, WPG, @PHI
Any time you have the opportunity to stream a rookie goaltender on a make-or-break week, you just have to do it, right? While this is not typically a viable fantasy hockey strategy, Kallgren’s first four starts in the league make him an intriguing option this week. Sure, two of his starts have been RBS, but the other two have been quality. So you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have an ancient reference to a 1980s sitcom and a high-risk, high-reward option for this week.
Week 24 Goalies to Avoid
Elvis Merzlikins (CLS): NYI, @NYI, @BOS, BOS
As long as Merzkilins keeps skating into the crease, I will keep avoiding him except to target him in DFS. He has been slightly better lately, but not enough that I want to throw my season with him during these home/away matchups. Occasionally in fantasy sports, a manager has to be comfortable saying they will accept being wrong about not starting someone more than they will accept being wrong while rostering him. Avoiding Merzlikins is one of those times.
Ilya Samsonov (WAS): CAR, MIN
There is nothing to gain from streaming an average goalie against two high-powered offenses, with those being the only matchups of the week. With a quality start percentage of only .290, it is okay to scroll right by the Capitals netminder on your waiver wire.
Jonathan Quick (LA): SEA, @EDM, @CGY, @WPG
The Kings sit directly between the Flames and Oilers in the Pacific Division, so those games should be fights from start to finish. It is hard to predict how they split those games between Quick and Cal Petersen. Winnipeg has also been hot lately, so the long road trip doesn’t have that “cakewalk” game built-in, making me nervous. Quick is a great goalie right now, and he may be your best option this week. There is no need to run from him, but I wouldn’t run toward him, either.
Next week, we’ll be back as the fantasy hockey playoffs begin for many leagues. Whether you’re on the bubble or in a position trying to stave off that bubble team, I wish you all the luck in Week 24. For more on fantasy hockey, check out our Fantasy Hockey Life podcast. I’m also on Twitter to hear about your playoff joy or agony @thewonkypenguin.