The 16th week of the 2023-24 NHL season is beginning and there are strong goalie options to add. Whether you need netminders for your fantasy hockey team just this week or maybe for a bit longer, we’ll cover the best netminders to pick up. When looking for goalie streams in fantasy hockey, it’s best to look at back-to-backs and if there are injuries to starters. That’s what we have for you here today, a look at the three best options in net to stream in Week 16 of the fantasy hockey season.
Fantasy Hockey Week 16 Goalie Streams
Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
Sam Montembeault was just lit up for eight goals and the Montreal Canadiens for nine by the Boston Bruins. This should be seen as a one-off and I expect the Canadiens’ starter to come back strong this week. The team is still rolling with three goalies, but if Montembeault has a strong start next game, I see him starting two this week.
Before being pulled from their previous game after 49 minutes, he had gone five consecutive starts with a save percentage of .909 or better. He has been the best goaltender for the Canadiens this season and to get a goalie to quickly forget about a bad game, you start him in the next one. They play the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins this week. None are doing that great this season and all sit outside of the playoffs right now. He may be a risk, but playing these teams and his track record this season helps.
David Rittich, Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings have been sputtering and have just two wins in their past 12 games. Those two wins have come in their past four games though, so things are starting to turn around it seems. This is a strong team and winning is what should be expected. He has appeared in four of the team’s past five games, starting three of them and allowing just five goals. He has both of the Kings’ most recent wins and his numbers on the season since taking over the role of backup are impressive.
Rittich is 4-1-1 with a .937 SV% and 1.58 goals against average. He is already confirmed to start Monday against the San Jose Sharks and Kings play three more times after that this week. They also face the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues. If Rittich starts the first game of the week, regardless of the outcome, I am betting he starts at least one more. If the results are good, maybe you’ll get lucky and get three starts out of him this week. The Kings are desperate to win and get back in the top three in their division.
Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres have sent Devon Levi down to the AHL to get some time and brought him back up again multiple times now. The most recent came Sunday after he got a start in the AHL immediately before getting the call back up. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recording back-to-back shutouts, it seemed like he was going to run with things. But then he let in two goals on 15 shots and lost. I think the Sabres are just trying to get Levi the most playing time possible in his rookie season, whether that comes in the NHL or AHL. The Sabres are at the point where they need to have the best chance at winning every game to catch up in the standings.
The Sabres have a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, so at the very least, Levi is going to get the start in one of those games. Since Luukkonen has been playing better and has started five of the past six games, I would expect him to get the more difficult matchup in Los Angeles. That means if you add Levi for one game, it should be against the Ducks and more than likely it will result in a win.
Make sure to take advantage of these goalies for this week. The longer you wait, the more of a chance someone you may want is picked up before you get to them. There are early games that you will want to take advantage of as well. While a couple of these goaltenders should get at least one start this week, be sure to keep an eye on any other options throughout the week that may become solid options as well.