The Weekend Goalie Stream: Week 7
Goalies to pick up for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's Games
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for a break from work and some weekend hockey, whether on the tube or in the arena (if you live next to an NHL team, but minors and juniors are great, too).
In this post, I will look at three goalies to target this weekend. These goalies will likely be between the pipes over the next three days and could be available on the waiver wire in many fantasy leagues.
Tristan Jarry, PIT, 12% rostered
Jarry returned to the Penguins on November 13th after being sent down on October 18th for an AHL conditioning stint.
The 29-year-old goalie struggled in his first start back with the Penguins against the Blue Jackets on November 15th. He gave up five goals on 38 shots while producing a GAA of 5.12 and an SV% of 0.868 in the loss. His GSAA was -1.28, around his GSAA/60 mark for the season (-1.37) via Dobber.
His second start on November 19th against the Lightning was much better. It was an overtime loss for Jarry and the Penguins, but he produced a quality start, his first of the season. Against Tampa, he sported a GAA of 2.81, had a 0.914 SV%, and carried a GSAA of 0.43, the first time it’s been in the positive this season.
Jarry is the confirmed starter for Friday night’s game against Winnipeg. The Jets are one of the best teams in the NHL, so it may be easy for fantasy managers to balk at the notion. However, the Jets produce 30.5 SF/G, the 9th-highest in the NHL, while the Penguins produce 30.8 SF/G, the 7th-highest. Thus, there will be a lot of shots on goal in this one, which allows Jarry to accumulate a lot of saves.
He may not get the win because the Jets (32 points) are a much stronger team than the Penguins (though Pittsburgh will be at home). However, there’s a chance for Jarry to put together two quality starts in a row and pile up a decent number of saves, a benefit to fantasy managers looking to boost their goalie stats over the weekend.
Karel Vejmelka, UTA, 10% rostered
Connor Ingram is technically the Goalie One in Utah, but Vejmelka has been producing a better season thus far.
The 28-year-old Czech goaltender has made four quality starts this year and produced a 2.37 GAA and .923 SV% in eight games. His Quality Start percentage is 50%, and his GSAA is 4.56, which shows he’s better than his 1-5 record.
Last night against Boston, he held the Bruins to one goal on 31 shots, finishing with a GAA of 1.03, an SV% of 0.968, and a GSAA of 2.04. It wasn’t his best start of the year, as that came on November 13th against Carolina. In that contest, he allowed one goal on 50 shots (that’s right, 50!). He also produced a GAA of 1.00, a .980 SV%, and a GSAA of 3.90 against the Hurricanes.
Utah plays back-to-back road games against Pittsburgh and Toronto on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Thus, Vejmelka will get at least one start, and Goalie Post is projecting that he will get the start on Saturday against the Penguins (18 points), a more favorable matchup than the Maple Leafs (26 points).
Semyon Varlamov, NYI, 38% rostered
The Islanders have an embarrassment of riches between the pipes.
In 12 games, Ilya Sorokin is 4-5-3 but has 9 QS, a GAA of 2.64, and 0.914 SV%. Varlamov is the Goalie Two in Elmont, NY, but his numbers are just as comparable despite the 58% rostered difference.
The Russian goalie is 3-3-2 in eight games with 5 QS, a 2.60 GAA, and a .902 SV%. The GSAA is 0.07, which shows that Varlamov is producing at goalie what he’s supposed to, metrically. Conversely, he also has a QS% of 63%, which shows that he’ll keep the Islanders competitive in his starts.
According to Goalie Post, New York plays on Saturday against St. Louis at home at UBS Arena, and Varlamov is projected to get the start. The Blues needed overtime to beat a 17-point Sharks team in St. Louis, and they have only averaged 1.67 G/GP in their last three games via Dobber. They have averaged 28.3 SOG/GP, so they are getting shots, just not doing enough with them.
Thus, Varlamov could benefit from shutting down a cold Blues team and making a healthy number of saves in the process, a profile fantasy managers would love to see from a weekend waiver wire goalie pickup.
Photo Credit: (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)