Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em ft. Kochetkov, Markstrom, and More

Hey, Hockey Fans! Welcome to November hockey, where trends and patterns begin to emerge from the chaos of 32 teams, 572 skaters, and 64 goalies all battling head to head over possession of a 3 inch puck that glides over ice at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour. The lucky bounces, the untimely injuries, the slow starts, and the unsustainable statistics all start to market correct over the next 3 weeks, so we better start paying attention to what’s going on and who’s doing what, because after American Thanksgiving, due diligence and well rounded teams are what will take over in both real life and fantasy hockey leagues.

For this week, we’ve got a pretty balanced slate with only 9 games and 18 goalies in action this Thursday night. Still, Thursday is the all crucial pivot night for fantasy hockey, so we’ve got to make sure we make our goalie starts count. Let’s play the matchups, ride the hot hands, and take a few leaps of faith as we sift through the schedule and share some thoughts on who to start and who to sit - welcome to Goalie Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em! Let’s dive in—

(Please note that the goalies listed are considered “probable” to start. Keep refreshing your Goalie Post app to see which goalies are “confirmed” starting. Don’t have the app? Get it for Apple or Android.)

START ‘EM

Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes - The Carolina Hurricanes are 3-1 at home to start the season and are hosting a Minnesota Wild team, that outside of the power play, has had a difficult time finding the back of the net this year (21 even strength goals, tied for 2nd worst, versus 17 power play goals, 1st in league). Carolina plays a structured and disciplined game under head coach Rod Brind’Amour and you can bet the coach knows that Carolina just needs to stay out of the penalty box to pick up an easy home win. Carolina has scored 19 goals in their 4 home games, so offensive support shouldn’t be an issue for the Russian net minder, and oh, by the way, Kochetkov is coming into this game riding a shut out streak of 60 minutes after not letting a single goal by him in his first and only start of the season. Expect the goals to keep bouncing off his pads and sticking in his glove this Thursday against the Wild - Start ‘Em!

START ‘EM

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators - Ullmark has been unreliable this year with career lows across the board (3.41 GAA, .862 SV%), but Thursday’s road matchup against the suddenly surging, but very familiar Boston Bruins could be what the Swedish keeper needs to recapture his goalie mojo. Let’s not forget that Ullmark has played comfortably and admirably at TD Garden, guarding the crease for 3 years in yellow and black, winning both a Vezina Trophy (awarded to the leagues top goalie) and a William M. Jennings Trophy (awarded to the goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals) during his tenure there. Coming off of 4 days of rest, look for Ottawa to come out bruising on Thursday night and for Ullmark to find his groove in net and rediscover his winning ways - Start ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Akira Schmid, Vegas Golden Knights - Schmid has filled in respectably while Adin Hill recovers from a lower body injury going 6-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .908 SV%. Vegas, also, is off to a great start at home this season, going 4-1-1 through 6 games, including a 1-0 shut out at home Tuesday night. So why is Schmid to be left sitting on the bench when the Tampa Bay Lightning come limping into town on Thursday night? — Well, call it last season’s bias. Hell, call it the last 10 seasons bias. The numbers this year don’t show it (6th worst in goals scored per game, 5th worst power play), but the eye test shows that Tampa Bay is an offensive volcano lying dormant. Sooner than later the numbers will regress and normalize and when that team gets hot, the goals will erupt, and you don’t want to be starting the goalie that’s getting burned by molten lava. Be happy with Schmid’s stellar performance on Tuesday night and let’s not gamble away his stats on Thursday. Call this one a gut feeling - Sit ‘Em!

SIT ‘EM

Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils - Markstrom and the Devils are on home ice playing host to the red hot Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge, who are coming in having scored 4 or more goals in 5 straight. Markstrom, meanwhile, hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in fantasy managers this year, putting up a lousy 4.17 GAA and .875 SV% through 5 games. While some natural correction will occur over the course of the season, don’t expect those numbers to improve during Thursday’s matchup against the Canadiens, who currently sit tied for 2nd in the league with 3.69 goals forced per game this season. The Devils are no slouches when it comes to goal scoring (3.54 goals per game, 7th in league), so this game could get out of hand. With the potential of this one flying of the rails, we may just be better off letting Markstrom sit for this one, even though he finally did us a solid last Saturday - Sit ‘Em!

DESPERATION MODE PLAY

Charlie Lindgren, Washington Capitals - Surprisingly, we have been getting burned starting goalies against the Pittsburgh Penguins this year, but they come into this game having lost two in a row and showing signs of weakness. Lindgren’s numbers are standing out this year for all the wrong reasons (3.46 GAA and .880 SV% through 4 games played), but sometimes there is no where to go but up! And that’s where Lindgren could come in handy this Thursday if you happen to find yourself chasing goalie stats this week, as he is only 30% rostered in Fantrax, 10% in Yahoo, and 42% in ESPN. This is a classic Metropolitan Division matchup featuring two of the greatest skaters to ever play the game in Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, and since you will want to be watching this one anyway, you may as well have some stake in the game. If you are desperate for goalie stats, throw down that waiver claim and let Lindgren play - Start ‘Em!

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! My name is Garrett Finlay and you can follow me on X @garrett_fi51284 and on Bluesky @garrettfinlay.bsky.social where I am often talking goalies and fantasy hockey. I’ll be back here next Thursday to breakdown another busy night of twine tending action! Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!