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Week of February 21-27
Great Options
Jacob Markstrom - Calgary Flames: Markstrom has been riding very positive momentum as of late. He definitely sits on top of the goaltender rankings for the month of February. The 32-year-old has picked up wins in his past six full games. He is also having a particularly great year in the shutout department, as he has eight at the moment. He leads the league by far in this statistic, as New York’s Ilya Sorokin sits in the second place spot and only has four shutouts this season. Markstrom’s record sits at 21-10-5. He has a save percentage of .927 and a GAA of 2.12. The Flames will look to keep their eight-game win streak going this next week when they face off against the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild.
Jake Oettinger - Dallas Stars: Oettinger has cemented himself as one of the most promising young netminders in this league. He is on another positive wave at the moment, as he is currently on a four-game win streak. During those four games he only failed to crack a .900 save percentage once. In his last outing against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 18th, Oettinger earned himself a 34-save shutout. He also had a very impressive game on February 15th against the Colorado Avalanche, in which he made 46 saves on 47 shots to help his team secure a victory. Oettinger’s record currently sits at 15-5-0. Through 22 total appearances, he has accumulated a save percentage of .921 and a GAA of 2.36. This week the Dallas Stars will play the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabres. This lineup gives Oettinger plenty of opportunity to extend his win streak and keep boosting his stats.
Mike Smith - Edmonton Oilers: Coaching changes this season have helped teams completely flip their momentum overnight. It happened with the Vancouver Canucks, and now the Edmonton Oilers have been collecting wins under the guidance of new head coach Jay Woodcroft. Smith in particular has been benefiting from this shift and thus, this is a great time to capitalize on his positive play before Woodcroft’s beginner’s luck wears off. Smith is currently on a three-game win streak. He had a particularly good showing against the New York Islanders on February 11th, during which he made 37 saves on 38 shots to post a save percentage of .974. Smith has a record of 5-4-1. He has played just 11 games this season. During that time he earned a save percentage of .904 and a GAA of 3.31. The Edmonton Oilers have a very difficult schedule this next week. However, the entire team is playing extremely well at the moment so the outcomes of these matchups could go ether way. The Oilers will play the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Good Options
Ilya Samsonov - Washington Capitals: Samsonov has just one loss in his past four appearances. The issue is that loss came against a relatively weak Ottawa Senators team. During that game he allowed four goals on 26 shots to post a save percentage of .846. Samsonov has won his past two outings, but the real challenge will come when he is between the pipes against a more offensively-talented squad. So far this season Samsonov has accumulated a save percentage of .906 and a GAA of 2.84. His record sits at 17-7-3. Washington only has two matchups scheduled for this next week. They will play the Rangers in New York and then take a trip to Philadelphia to face off against the Flyers. Thursday’s game against the Rangers will be a difficult outing for Samsonov, but he should post good numbers against Philadelphia on Saturday.
James Reimer - San Jose Sharks: Individually, Reimer has been tallying some good numbers as of late. However, his performances have not been enough to get his team into the win column. Reimer’s last win came all the way back on January 26th against the Washington Capitals. Since then, he has been bouncing between regulation and OT losses. It is important to note that Reimer has posted a sub-.900 save percentage only once in his past six outings. He has consistently kept the Sharks in the game for matchups against teams with very dynamic offenses such as, the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Edmonton Oilers. San Jose has a very busy week head. The Sharks will play the Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, and Seattle Kraken. The games against Anaheim on Tuesday and Seattle on Sunday should give Reimer an opportunity to finally get some wins in his record. Meanwhile, the matchups against the Islanders and Bruins will be a test to see if he can continue to hold his own against skilled players. Reimer has a record of 13-10-4, along with a save percentage of .913 and a GAA of 2.90.
Marc-Andre Fleury - Chicago Blackhawks: Fleury had a very strong showing in his last game on February 18th against the Dallas Stars. During that game he stopped all of the 29 shots he faced in regulation and overtime before eventually succumbing in the shootout. He made a highlight-reel glove slave late in the second to help his team come out of the game with at least one point. Fleury may be on the move soon and his destination will surely change his predicted level of success, but for now he still remains a good option even with the Blackhawks. He has a record of 16-17-4. Fleury’s save percentage sits at .912 and his GAA is at 2.80. The Blackhawks have just two games this next week. Friday’s contest against the New Jersey Devils should be an easy goalie matchup that favors Chicago. The Blackhawks will then go on to play the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Bad Options
Juuse Saros - Nashville Predators: Seeing Saros fall to a bad option is surprising after he was collecting wins and posting good stats for much of this 2021-2022 season. At the moment, the 26-year-old is riding a four-game losing streak. What is especially concerning is that his individual performances during those games have not been great, so it is not just a team issue. He only posted a save percentage above .900 once in those four games. Saros also gave up four goals three times during this losing spell. Recently his record has taken a hit and now sits at 24-15-3. He has a save percentage of .923 and a GAA of 2.49. This upcoming week Nashville will play the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning. These are three tough contests for Saros, so it is unlikely that his luck will turn around before March.
John Gibson - Anaheim Ducks: Gibson has posted tough numbers in his past three outings. He allowed four goals on 27 shots in a game against the Seattle Kraken back on February 11th. He then had a concerning performance against the Calgary Flames on February 16th, during which he allowed four goals on 20 shots in just over 28 minutes of ice time. In the final stretch of the season, it is unlikely that the Ducks will be able to fight their way into the playoffs and so Gibson is listed as an option to avoid in the crease. He has a record of 15-13-8, along with a save percentage of .915 and a GAA of 2.74. The Ducks will play the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders this next week.
Carter Hart - Philadelphia Flyers: Hart has shown signs of promise throughout his young NHL career, but it seems as though the 23-year-old cannot catch a break in Philadelphia. He struggled in his last three games. Hart picked up back-to-back losses against the Detroit Red Wings on February 9th and February 12th. He failed to post a save percentage above .900 in either of those games. The matchup on the 9th was particularly tough on his individual stats, as he allowed five goals on 33 shots. So far this season Hart’s record sits at 9-16-6. He has a save percentage of .910 and a GAA of 2.96. This week the Flyers have contests against the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals.
