At this point in the season, streaming goalies may give you the edge you need to win your league. Goalies are such a weird position in fantasy hockey. If you read the draft pundits, you’ll see their importance and draft strategy ricochets from “nab the top one early” to “fade and don’t worry about it.” I’ve compared them to both catchers and pitchers in baseball. They’re like catchers because a lot of times, you’re drafting someone hoping they won’t hurt you and it’s a nice surprise when they help. They’re like pitchers because streaming goalies is a viable season-long fantasy strategy.
As we head into the final stretch toward the playoffs, you know who you have on your team. And if you have a netminder who makes you nervous, perhaps it’s a good time to look to the waiver wire for match-up friendly options. With that said, here are some suggestions for streaming goalies for Week 19.
3 Streaming Goalie Options for Week 20
Jeremy Swayman (BOS): @LA, @ANH, @VGK, @CLS
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 76%; Yahoo 61%
Swayman is more of a ROS suggestion than a streaming goalie, but if you don’t trust him for that time, you can certainly give him a spin on his upcoming West Coast swing. Over his last five games, the second-year goalie’s chart looks like this:
| Date | Opp | Score | FPts | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SHO | W/L/OL/SHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/21 | COL | W 5-1 | 11 | 1 | 29 | 28 | 0.966 | 0 | W |
| 2/19 | @OTT | W 3-2 | 10.25 | 2 | 31 | 29 | 0.935 | 0 | W |
| 2/15 | @NYR | L 1-2 | 7.25 | 1 | 34 | 33 | 0.971 | 0 | SHL |
| 2/12 | @OTT | W 2-0 | 17.5 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 1 | W |
| 2/8 | PIT | L 2-4 | 2.25 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 0.875 | 0 | L |
That is some serious dominance in multiple facets of the game. Looking at advanced stats, he has faced 72 high-danger scoring chances against and allowed only 12 goals as well as a quality start percentage of .667. (Anything above .60 is considered elite.)
One thing I particularly like about him is that the Bruins give up 29.9 shots per game, which allows for saves without worrying about a total lack of defense. With a sparkling save percentage of .925 and Boston expecting a couple of injured stars to return soon, Swayman’s win equity and counting stats should continue to benefit fantasy managers and DFS players alike. If he’s available, he’s my top streaming goalie option for Week 20 without question.
Jake Oettinger (DAL): LA, @WPG, @MIN
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 74%; Yahoo 69%
Much like Swayman, Oettinger is excelling in his second year and is the undisputed starter in Dallas. On the road against Colorado on February 15, he saved 46 of 47 shots and earned the win in perhaps the toughest environment in the NHL. His overall record is 16-6-1 with a 2.21 GAA (adjGAA 2.39) and .921 save percentage. His goals saved against average (GSAA) is 8.0 in only 23 starts. Only Swayman and Ville Husso (STL) have more in fewer games.
Oettinger’s past five games look like this:
| Date | Opp | Score | FPts | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SHO | W/L/OL/SHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/24 | @NSH | L 1-2 | 3.75 | 1 | 20 | 19 | 0.95 | 0 | SHL |
| 2/23 | WPG | W 3-2 | 8 | 2 | 22 | 20 | 0.909 | 0 | W |
| 2/20 | @ARI | L 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 26 | 24 | 0.923 | 0 | L |
| 2/18 | @CHI | W 1-0 | 18.5 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 1 | 1 | W |
| 2/15 | @COL | W 4-1 | 15.5 | 1 | 47 | 46 | 0.979 | 0 | W |
Given that his one regulation loss was inexplicably to Arizona, I feel like you can trust Oettinger against any opponent, home and away. Going to Minnesota is not ideal, but he’s a streaming goalie I’ll put in my line-up with impunity.
Jonathan Quick (LAK): BOS, @DAL, @CLS, @BUF
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 62%; Yahoo 53%
Quick is in a timeshare with Cal Petersen so he’s not the best streaming goalie option in weekly leagues. However, the Kings play four games this week so he should see at least two starts, if not three, as he has been playing well lately.
In his last matchup against Dallas, he saved 27 of 27 shots for a shutout; he saved 22 of 24 shots for the win against Buffalo. (He hasn’t faced Columbus or Boston yet this season.) More importantly, Quick’s stats are better on the road (.914 save percentage, 2.46 GAA) versus home (.911/2.64). Sure, those are marginal differences, but why pass on a guy with those numbers overall?
3 Goalies to Avoid for Week 19
John Gibson (ANH): BOS, VGK, SJ
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 88%; Yahoo 80%
In terms of feeling like a draft genius, Gibson helped the case for those of who drafted him. He currently sits as the 47th most valuable asset in fantasy hockey and the 13th ranked goalie. He was a set-and-forget for me in every league I had him. But his last five games look like this:
| Date | Opp | Score | FPts | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SHO | W/L/OL/SHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/25 | LAK | L 1-4 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 0.8 | 0 | L |
| 2/19 | @VAN | W 7-4 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 0.8 | 0 | W |
| 2/17 | @EDM | L 3-7 | 1.5 | 7 | 41 | 34 | 0.829 | 0 | L |
| 2/16 | @CGY | L 2-6 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 0.8 | 0 | L |
| 2/11 | SEA | L 3-4 | 2.75 | 4 | 27 | 23 | 0.852 | 0 | L |
Worse than that, he hasn’t looked particularly good in any of those contests. (This makes sense as it is quite difficult to even look competent when giving up four or seven goals per game.) Based on recent performance trends and matchups against a couple of powerhouse offensive teams, I’ll be benching Gibson and streaming someone else this week.
Mike Smith (EDM): @PHI, @CHI, @MON
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 71%; Yahoo 50%
Full disclosure: I am an Edmonton Oilers fan so take this next declaration with a frustrated fan grain of salt and know that I will also present unemotional stats to support my feelings. Ready?
I have dropped/traded all shares of Mike Smith and will not roster him again this season. He is currently ranked 534th overall in terms of fantasy value so unless you are in a massive league, there is someone else available. Whether he has a nagging injury we don’t know about or Father Time is finally winning against the 39-year-old, the results have been messy.
Yes, he has the potential to drop a big game and I know the Philadelphia-Chicago-Montreal trio is tempting, but on the road, Smith is 1-3-1, allowing almost 4 goals per game and a meager save percentage of .881. He also gave up 4 scores at home to the Blackhawks three weeks ago.
I will gladly admit if I am wrong, but for now, I’d stay away.
Alex Nedeljkovic (DET): CAR, @TB, @FLA
Roster Percentage: Fantrax 77%; Yahoo 59%
Let’s just say that the complete list of goalies I would want to start in a week against the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Panthers is about three names long and all are 100% rostered on every platform. As a result, Nedeljkovic is not your guy in Week 20.
That’s all for Week 20. I’ll be back next week with a new batch of Goalie Grabs. If you want to talk hockey (or other sports), feel free to hit me up on Twitter @thewonkypenguin. And, as always, good luck!