New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist sure has done some good playing in net recently.
Among 27 NHL goalies who have played 10 or more games since Jan. 19, Lundqvist ranks 1st in GAA (1.91) & is T-1st in wins (10) & SV% (.939).
By getting the win in the Rangers 2-1 shootout win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 23, Lundqvist passed Chris Osgood for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL's all-time wins list. In addition, Lundqvist is now one win away from tying Grant Fuhr for 10th place on the NHL's all-time wins list, and he is also one win away from tying Martin Brodeur for the most wins by a goaltender in his first 12 seasons in NHL history.
In his last 14 appearances, Lundqvist has posted a 10-2-1 record, along with a 1.91 GAA, a .939 SV%, and 1 SO, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of those 14 appearances. Lundqvist has made at least 30 saves in six of his last nine appearances and in 15 contests this season. In those 15 contests, Lundqvist has posted a 14-1-0 record, along with a 1.78 GAA, a .950 SV%, and 1 SO.
In the game against Toronto, Lundqvist made 32 saves in regulation/overtime and stopped two of three shooters he faced in the shootout to earn his 28th win of the season.
via NHL.com.
All season long, NHL.com will rank the top 25 goalies for standard Yahoo leagues (wins, goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts). Players with long-term injuries have been removed from this list.
These rankings are based on expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by projected starts, peripheral category coverage, time-share situations, team defenses, past performance and overall upside in standard leagues. It is important to note that our rankings reflect sheer fantasy value, not necessarily the most talented goalies in order.
The NHL Trade Deadline is less than a week away (March 1, 3 p.m., ET) and it's a safe bet that several goalies will be playing for new teams. Which goalies are traded and to which teams is obviously not known, but knowing the most likely goalies to be dealt can help you significantly in fantasy if you pick up or trade for them in anticipation.
Ryan Miller of the Vancouver Canucks is owned in 61 percent of Yahoo Leagues. He allowed three goals on 28 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday but stopped 35 of 36 shots in a 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames the night before. In three of his four starts prior, he allowed at least four goals; in the other he had a shutout.
Miller hasn't been consistent, but his numbers (2.61 goals-against average, .917 save percentage, three shutouts) prove he still has something left even at 36. Miller has been the subject of trade rumors and likely would be a starter if traded, not a backup. With the Canucks six points behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, they may choose to keep him. However, Miller is worth adding now in the hopes that he's traded and ends up in a better situation (the Canucks are 28th in goals per game with 2.30) and can provide value down the fantasy stretch run.
It's also worth noting if Miller were traded, Jacob Markstrom (11 percent owned) likely would become the everyday starter for Vancouver. He's 10-11-3 with a 2.63 GAA and .910 save percentage in 23 starts and hasn't been fantasy relevant this season.
There are other goalies likely to be traded, but none is perhaps more intriguing than Miller, since he's the one who is owned the fewest in leagues and likely can be claimed off the waiver wire, rather than having to trade for him if you need goalie help.
Here are other goalies to keep an eye on who could move before the deadline:
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning (93 percent owned)
Bishop is in the final year of his contract, and although the Lightning have played better recently, they are in danger of missing the playoffs after advancing to at least the conference final in each of the past two seasons. Bishop, who struggled and also was injured, has been on fire lately; he's won his past five starts, allowing a total of six goals and appears to be back playing like his old self when he was a Vezina Trophy finalist in two of the past three seasons. If the Lightning do trade him, he'll still be fantasy relevant but it's unsure to what extent, depending on which team lands him. Bishop seems locked in right now and is worth trading for if you can get him at a low cost.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (69 percent owned)
The Penguins goalie for the past decade could see his tenure in Pittsburgh end as soon as next week. If that's the case, he likely would start more, but that doesn't necessarily translate to results. Fleury has made 27 starts and is 15-7-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .906 SV%. Those are among the worst of his 13-year NHL career. With the emergence of Matt Murray during the 2016 playoffs and the continued success he's had this season, Fleury has been made expendable. However, if he's not putting up good numbers with a good defense and excellent offense in front of him with the Penguins, how much better could he really be with another team? Fleury is more of a wait-and-see approach.
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders (21 percent owned)
You may be surprised to see Halak here because he's currently playing in the American Hockey League. Halak was the odd man out in the Islanders' three-man goalie rotation after going 6-8-5 with a 3.23 GAA and .904 save percentage in the first two months of the season. Since being assigned to Bridgeport, Halak is 13-1-1 with a 1.96 GAA, .931 save percentage and two shutouts in 16 games. He's played exceptionally well and has playoff experience, and could be traded to a team in the hunt that needs goalie help. Depending on the team, Halak could see increased value. If you have the room, it might be worth stashing him for a week and if he doesn't get traded, you can always dump him.
Others who could be traded: Keith Kinkaid (New Jersey Devils, 2 percent owned), Jonathan Bernier (Anaheim Ducks, 7 percent owned), Scott Darling (Chicago Blackhawks, 27 percent owned)
WORTH NOTING
- Prior to allowing four goals on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, Florida Panthers backup James Reimer (37 percent owned) had allowed two goals in his past two starts and seven goals in his past five. Reimer has started 26 games this season, which isn't good news for Roberto Loungo owners.
- Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators has struggled recently, allowing at least three goals (including four three times) in his past four starts. As a result, backup Juuse Saros (7 percent owned) could see his role expand.
- Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason (41 percent owned) is healthy, but hasn't played since a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Feb. 9. Michael Neuvirth (34 percent owned) has started each of the past five games.
TOP 25 FANTASY GOALIES
These rankings were last updated Feb. 23
1. Braden Holtby, WSH (SAME)
2. Devan Dubnyk, MIN (SAME)
3. Matt Murray, PIT (SAME)
4. Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ (SAME)
5. Carey Price, MTL (SAME)
6. Martin Jones, SJS (SAME)
7. Tuukka Rask, BOS (SAME)
8. Cam Talbot, EDM (+1)
9. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (+2)
10. Corey Crawford, CHI (SAME)
11. Pekka Rinne, NSH (-3)
12. Ben Bishop, TBL (+1)
13. John Gibson, ANA (DTD)
14. Craig Anderson, OTT (+2)
15. Jake Allen, STL (SAME)
16. Frederik Andersen, TOR (-2)
17. Peter Budaj, LAK (SAME)
18. Thomas Greiss, NYI (+1)
19. Cory Schneider, NJD (-1)
20. Robin Lehner, BUF (+2)
21. Roberto Luongo, FLA (-1)
22. James Reimer, FLA (NEW)
23. Jimmy Howard, DET (NR - INJ.)
24. Michal Neuvirth, PHI (-1)
25. Juuse Saros, NSH (NEW)
*NR - INJ. - Not ranked last week because of injury
Dropped out: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), Cam Ward (CAR)
Center:
Patrice Bergeron - Boston Bruins: Bergeron has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) and 38 shots on goal in his past 10 games. Bergeron has been better at home (19 points in 28 games) but has two goals and five assists in his past six road games. The last time Bergeron faced the San Jose Sharks, he had a season-high four points (one goal, three assists) with two SOG
Wingers:
Viktor Arvidsson - Nashville Predators: Arvidsson entered Saturday leading the Nashville Predators in goals (18) and was second in points (39). He had six goals, three assists and 26 SOG in his past six games.
Jonathan Drouin - Tampa Bay Lightning: Drouin entered Saturday with two goals, two assists and 11 SOG in his past four games.
Defensemen:
Roman Josi - Nashville Predators: Josi entered Saturday with four goals, two assists and 12 SOG in his past four games. He has also scored a power-play goal in each of his past three games.
Alexander Edler - Vancouver Canucks: Edler has points in five of his last six games with a goal, four assists, nine blocks and 13 SOG in that span.
Goaltender:
Keith Kinkaid - New Jersey Devils: Kinkaid leads the NHL with a 1.95 goals-against average and .946 save percentage among goalies to play at least nine road games. He is 6-2-1 in those games.
Center:
John Tavares - New York Islanders: Tavares has 16 points and 59 shots on goal in 14 games. He had two assists against the New York Rangers on Thursday and is a point-per-game player when on one day of rest (28 in 28 games).
Wingers:
Tyler Seguin - Dallas Stars: Sequin was ninth in the NHL in scoring (56 points in 59 games) and second in power-play points (24) and SOG (216) entering yesterday.
Viktor Arvidsson - Nashville Predators: Arvidsson is second in scoring (39 points) and first in goals (18) on the Nashville Predators, and among the top 20 League-wide in SOG (175, T-18th). He has 11 points and 36 SOG in his past 10 games.
Defensemen:
Brent Seabrook - Chicago Blackhawks: In his past 10 games, Seabrook has recorded 27 blocks and 20 SOG. He has four points, 18 blocks and 10 SOG in six games since the All-Star break.
Alexander Edler - Vancouver Canucks: Edler has a point in five of his past six games and two PPP, nine blocks and 13 SOG in the span. He has two assists, 14 blocks and four SOG in three games against the Flames.
Goaltender:
Mike Smith - Arizona Coyotes: Smith has gone 7-2-1 with a .928 save percentage and two shutouts in his past 10 games. He is 2-0-1 with a .953 SV% in three games against the Sharks this season.
Center:
Kevin Hayes - New York Rangers: Hayes recorded an empty-net goal and led all skaters with 14 faceoffs wins (14-for-25; 56.0%) in 19:01 of ice time against Nashville on Feb. 11. Hayes has tallied a point in all three games he has played since returning from an injury (one goal, four assists). He has good pricing and should be a good pick when he faces the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
Wingers:
Michael Grabner - New York Rangers: Grabner has tallied a point in five of six career games he has played against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, tallying nine points (five goals, four assists) in those games.
Johnny Gaudreau - Calgary Flames: Gaudreau has a goal and five assists in the Flames' last five games, which they have won four of. Despite missing time because of an injury earlier in the season, he has 11 goals and 35 points in 46 games. He should do well against a struggling Arizona Coyotes team.
Defensemen:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Arizona Coyotes: Ekman-Larsson is having a disappointing season (10 goals, 30 points in 53 games) after scoring at least 21 goals in each of the past two seasons. However, he had two assists against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, and has seven points in the past 10 games.
Mark Giordano - Calgary Flames: Giordano has 22 points in 56 games this season. However, at home, he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points, and has 123 blocks.
Goaltender:
Mike Smith - Arizona Coyotes: Smith is coming off a 28-save performance in a 4-3 overtime win against the Penguins. Smith is 6-3-1 in his past 10 games. Against the Flames in his career, who he faces tonight, Smith is 7-9-3 with 1 SO, a 2.66 GAA and a .899 SV%.
