Today, we’re going to look at the three Week 21 streaming goalie options I like and a few other thoughts on the players currently between the pipes.
Another week has gone by and no big, league-shaking trades have gone down yet. With the playoffs in many leagues starting in four weeks, it’s important to continue jockeying for position in your bracket and to ensure you’ve got the best lineup available to you. I’m always available for thoughts, opinions, sports talk, or a discussion of the best sports movies ever. Hit me up on Twitter @thewonkypenguin. If you’re looking for other waiver wire help, Brandon Altomonte has you covered.
With that in mind, here are some goalies to check out for the next seven days.
3 Week 21 Streaming Goalie Options
Matt Murray
Week 21 matchups: @STL, SEA, CHI
Rostered percentage: Fantrax: 43%; Yahoo 22%
Pretty much every advanced stat on Matt Murray favors streaming him or straight up rostering him the rest of the season. The biggest detriment to his resume is wins, but here are the encouraging advanced stats that intrigue me the most:
- His quality start percentage (QS%) is .579. League average is .530 and “good” is .600, but a goalie who gives you a quality start at this clip is one worth rostering.
- His GAA is 2.78 and his adjusted GAA is 2.94 which means his numbers are not a fluke.
- His goals saved above average (GSAA) is 3.5. This advanced stat measures how many extra goals he has saved when compared to the league average against the same number of shots. To put this into better context, last year Murray’s GSAA was -11. He has improved significantly.
On the road against St. Louis looks daunting, but home contests against the Kraken and Blackhawks look incredibly appealing. He’s my top choice for the week.
Ville Husso (STL)
Week 21 matchups: OTT, NYR, @NSH, WPG
Rostered percentage: Fantrax: 73%; Yahoo 70%
Remember how I just explained that a good QS% is greater than .600? Husso here has a QS% of .700. His goals saved above average is 14.2. He also has zero RBS (really bad starts). (An RBS means his save percentage for the game was lower than .850.)
The second-year player is allowing 2.13 goals per game on average and has four starts in Week 21. He is also 9-1 at home and he is set up for a couple of wins with these match-ups as he has already beaten Ottawa and Nashville once this season.
If your trade deadline has not passed and you’re in need of some new energy in the crease, Husso is either available on waivers or should be the target to pursue. He’s the one on this list that can move from streaming goalie to starting goalie very quickly.
Karel Vejmelka (ARI)
Week 21 matchups: @DET, @TOR, @BOS
Rostered percentage: Fantrax: 27%; Yahoo 7%
Hear me out on this. Last night, I watched this 25-year-old stop 42 of 43 shots from the powerhouse Avalanche. The amount of frustration some of his saves caused was a big part of Colorado’s downfall as they could just never find a rhythm. Vejmelka looked downright brilliant.
I have also seen him look like the rookie he is (and taken the hit on DFS as a result). But sometimes streaming goalies is about taking the stance that brilliant might show up. So here’s why I’m suggesting the Arizona netminder as a streaming goalie this week:
- His home/road splits favor these road games, even against tough opponents. He is allowing over a goal less per game while traveling than at home.
- He has had nine RBS on the season. However, he has only had three of these in 2022 which leads me to think he has figured a few things out.
- The last time he faced Toronto, he saved 45 of 46 goals and brought home the win.
- He has not faced Detroit or Boston yet this year. I predict he’ll be really good in one of those and average in the other, but it’s hard to tell which is which. His stats seem to say he rises to the occasion against tough opponents while struggling a bit against average/below average ones. I am okay with rolling him out against both.
I admit that I spend a lot of time looking for value on bad teams, but the analyst in me says Vejmelka is a boost this week.
The “He’s Probably Available So Maybe?” Week 21 Option
Jon Gillies (NJD)
Week 21 matchups: COL, WPG, ANH
Rostered percentage: Fantrax: 7%; Yahoo 1%
Raise your right hand and repeat after me: I will not start Jon Gillies against Colorado.
Okay, thank you. His matchups against Winnipeg and, more so, against Anaheim are where this streaming goalie value might come into play. It’s not ideal, but if you need a spot start and like a lot of saves, we can roll the dice with him.
3 Goalies To Avoid for Week 21
Tristan Jarry (PIT)
Week 21 matchups: FLA, VGK
This is a schedule-based suggestion only so I’m thinking of weekly leagues here. The Penguins only play twice in Week 21 and neither opponent is particularly appealing. Add to that the fact his home/road splits favor road games and I predict he’s not going to be a high points contributor this week. All that being said, he is still an elite goalie so if all you need is a couple of goalie starts, he’s still your guy.
Anthony Stolarz (ANH)
Week 21 matchups: @CHI, @NSH, @NJ, @NYI
Last week I recommended avoiding John Gibson, but this week, I’ll throw in his counterpart who, apparently, hates playing on the road. He has had two RBS this season, both in the last two months and the most recent coming against the Islanders at home. Anaheim gives up so many shots so the save equity is there, but I feel like the risk offsets any gains to be had there.
Truthfully, I’ll probably be looking outside of California for goalie options until someone proves reliable again.
Craig Anderson (BUF)
Week 21 matchups: FLA, VGK, TOR
Sure, the elder netminder had a beauty of a game in Toronto last Wednesday. He saved 29 of 30 shots while the Sabre offense poured in five goals to help give him his seventh win to go along with seven losses. All the same, I’m not trusting that performance as the norm headed into a week where he faces the numbers 3, 15, and 6 offenses. I might roll him as a second goalie in a Yahoo DFS lineup, perhaps, but for season-long, I’d stay away from streaming or rostering him.
That’s all for this week! As a reminder, we have some great features on Fantrax HQ to help you manage your fantasy hockey season. Tune in next week for more streaming goalie options. I expect the trades to pick up and we’ll be here for what that means going forward. And, as always, good luck!