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 fantasy playoffs are either in the semifinal or final round, depending on your league settings. That means it's officially crunch time.
If you're still alive, it's good to know which readily available goalies have the schedule on their side over the final 11 days of the season. Teams that have clinched berths in the Stanley Cup Playoffs may rest their starters on occasion, meaning backups could see spot starts. Similarly, teams who are out of the playoff race could give a backup or a rookie a look in goal.
With every goalie start and category being crucial, here are five goalies worth picking up who can help you get to or win the championship:
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders
Halak (25 percent owned) made his first start for the since Dec. 29 on Friday and allowed three goals on 40 shots in a 4-3 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's readily available and likely will see at least two starts with the Islanders needing every point to get into the playoffs and Thomas Greiss (69 percent owned) having shouldered a heavy workload in recent months. The Islanders play the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils on Friday and the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. The Devils and Sabres have been eliminated from playoff contention and the Flyers are six points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference, so there's a chance for Halak to put up some good numbers. The Islanders also have a back-to-back set in the final week of the regular season.
Curtis McElhinney, Toronto Maple Leafs
With the Maple Leafs fighting for a playoff berth, the status of starting goalie Frederik Andersen looms large. Andersen sustained an upper-body injury Saturday and didn't play Tuesday, when McElhinney (7 percent owned) made 25 saves in a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers. Andersen (30-15-14, 2.66 GAA, .918 SV%, four shutouts) is expected to start against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, but McElhinney has proved to be a viable streaming option, going 2-1-0 with seven goals allowed in the past week. The Maple Leafs have seven games left, including their final four at home. McElhinney could be a dark horse fantasy option if he gets another start or two down the stretch.
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
The Predators are on the brink of clinching a playoff berth, and that's no surprise given how well Pekka Rinne has played in order to get them to this point. Rinne likely will start every postseason game barring injury, but Saros (7 percent owned) could see two or three starts in the final six games of the regular season. He's 9-7-3 in 17 starts and has stellar peripherals (2.22 GAA, .928 SV%). Saros has allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of 19 appearances.
Chad Johnson, Calgary Flames
Earlier in the season, Johnson had a great run in Calgary, taking over during Brian Elliott's struggles. Elliott has found his game (14-1-1, .937 SV%, two shutouts in his past 16 starts) and has taken over as the No. 1 that he was brought in to be before this season. Johnson (26 percent owned) has 18 wins this season and a SV% of .900 or better in 20 or 35 appearances. He should see a few starts down the stretch with the Flames likely to rest Elliott for the playoffs. Johnson is 9-6-1 with a 2.18 GAA and .926 SV% on the road, where Calgary plays its final three games of the regular season.
Laurent Brossoit, Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2006. Cam Talbot has started the most games in the League (68) at a time when not many goalies reach 70 starts in a season. He has 38 wins, a 2.37 GAA, .920 SV% and seven shutouts. Although the Oilers are fighting for the Pacific Division title with the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, it's time for Talbot to get some rest. Enter Brossoit, who has played seven games (three starts) and is 3-1-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .934 SV% and has won two straight. Brossoit should start at least once in the Oilers' season-ending back-to-back set April 8-9 against the Vancouver Canucks.
Others worth considering: Joonas Korpisalo (CBJ, 3 percent owned); Michael Hutchinson (WPG, 6 percent owned); Aaron Dell (SJS, 12 percent owned)
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Worth Noting
-- John Gibson (86 percent owned) of the Anaheim Ducks returned to back up Jonathan Bernier (55 percent owned) in a 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Gibson has made one start since Feb. 20 (allowed four goals on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues) because of a lower-body injury, but should see some action in the final six regular season games to prepare for the postseason.
-- Florida Panthers goalie James Reimer (39 percent owned) left the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday after a collision. He's listed as day to day, and Reto Berra (1 percent owned) is expected to start against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Roberto Luongo (66 percent owned), who hasn't played since March 2 because of a lower-body injury, could also return before the end of the season.
-- Hutchinson is 3-1-0 in his past four games for the Winnipeg Jets and has allowed five goals on 102 shots (.951 SV%). He's 7-12-3 on the season but has lowered his GAA to 2.96 and raised his SV% to .903 after having a plus-3.00 GAA and sub-.900 SV% for most of the season.
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Top 25 Goalie Rankings
These rankings were last updated March 30
1. Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ (SAME)
2. Braden Holtby, WSH (SAME)
3. Carey Price, MTL (SAME)
4. Devan Dubnyk, MIN (SAME)
5. Cam Talbot, EDM (+2)
6. Jake Allen, STL (+2)
7. Matt Murray, PIT (-2)
8. Brian Elliott, CGY (+1)
9. Martin Jones, SJS (-3)
10. Tuukka Rask, BOS (SAME)
11. Pekka Rinne, NSH (+1)
12. Corey Crawford, CHI (+1)
13. Jonathan Quick, LAK (-2)
14. Craig Anderson, OTT (+3)
15. John Gibson, ANA (NR - INJ.)
16. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (-2)
17. Jonathan Bernier, ANA (-1)
18. Frederik Andersen, TOR (DTD)
19. Thomas Greiss, NYI (-1)
20. Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (SAME)
21. Antti Raanta, NYR (-2)
22. Jaroslav Halak, NYI (NEW)
23. Steve Mason, PHI (+1)
24. Cory Schneider, NJD (-1)
25. Juuse Saros, NSH (NEW)
Dropped out: Ben Bishop (LAK), Aaron Dell (SJS), Jimmy Howard (DET)
Key injuries: Roberto Luongo (FLA), James Reimer (FLA), Semyon Varlamov (COL)
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