Kronwall was often given one game of a back-to-back off last year, so it is not surprising to see him returning from injury in just one of the Red Wings’ games in California. He will likely replace one of the three rookies that played on Thursday.
Ericsson missed the Red Wings season opener on Thursday and will miss both of their games during their Californian road-trip—Sunday in Los Angeles and Monday in Anaheim. With Ericsson and Mike Green still out, the Red Wings will continue to run with a few rookies on their blueline.
Sparks spent all of last season with the Toronto Marlies (AHL), going 31-9-1 with a 1.79 GAA and .936 SV%. It was a great year for the former seventh-round pick, who beat Curtis McElhinney out for the Maple Leafs’ backup job this fall. His first go-around in the NHL didn’t go so well (3.02 GAA / .893 SV%) but he seems to have upped his game since then.
Andersen stopped 34 of 36 shots in the Maple Leafs overtime win over the Canadiens on Wednesday. It was a great way to start the season for Andersen, who struggled during October last year. He was 2-2-0 with a 3.80 GAA and .862 SV% vs. the Senators last year, but they are not the same team this season.
Hamonic suffered the fracture in a fight with Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson on Wednesday. Hamonic finished the game but missed yesterday's practice and will now miss at least a couple of weeks. Dalton Prout is expected to replace him on Saturday, but Rasmus Andersson is a potential candidate to draw-in in the future.
Johnson has been battling an upper-body injury and remains questionable for tomorrow’s season opener despite practicing on both Thursday and Friday. If Johnson is unable to play, Mathieu Joseph is expected to take his spot on the Lightning’s third line.
Thorburn went down to San Antonio to open the year but was quickly recalled, taking Niko Mikkola’s spot on the roster. Thorburn won’t be a regular in a deep Blues’ lineup and doesn’t carry any fantasy value when he does play. Thorburn has averaged just five goals, eight assists (13 points) and 99 PIMS per 82 games over 800 games during his NHL career.
Mikkola, 22, was a fifth-round pick (No.127 overall) in 2015 and came to North America this fall after four years in Finland. The 6-foot-5, 198 lbs. blueliner made the opening night roster but sat as a healthy scratch vs. the Jets on Thursday. Chris Thorburn has been recalled to take Mikkola’s spot on the roster.
Stafford was in training camp on a PTO and signed Friday morning after it was announced that Jesper Bratt would miss 2-3 weeks with a fractured jaw. Stafford is not expected to suit up in the Devils season opener on Saturday.
Bratt suffered a fractured jaw after he was hit in the face by a puck that deflected off of the crossbar during Thursday’s practice. With Bratt out, the team signed veteran winger Drew Stafford to a one-year deal after playing on a PTO during training camp. Stefan Noesen is expected to move up into the top-6 in the Devils’ season opener with Bratt sidelined.
In 2018, Lundqvist failed to win 30-plus games for the first time in his career. The veteran was 26-26-7 with a 2.98 GAA, .915 SV% and two shutouts in 61 starts. The 36-year-old’s game is starting to deteriorate as he gets older and the Rangers will likely be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, limiting his upside. He draws a terrible matchup on opening night with the Predators in town.
During his age-35 season, Rinne started 59 games games and won 42 games while posting a 2.31 GAA, .927 SV% and leading the NHL in shutouts (8) and goals saved above average (27.5). Rinne enters the final year of his contract, so they could turn to Juuse Saros if Rinne struggles early-on. He should be able to get off to a good start as he faces a below average Rangers team.
After being limited by injury in both 2016 and 2017, Howard started 57 games for the first time since 2012. Howard was 22-27-9 with a 2.85 GAA and .910 SV% and is a risky fantasy option this season behind a young Red Wings team. He was 0-0-2 while allowing six goals on 73 shots (.918 SV%) against the Blue Jackets a year ago.
Wagner was a minus-1 and failed to record a shot in 13:10 TOI during his Bruins debut on Wednesday. The Bruins lost 7-0 so they will make some changes tonight, mainly Anders Bjork replacing Wagner on the fourth line.
Bjork sat out as a healthy scratch during the Bruins 7-0 loss to the Capitals last night, but will draw in for Chris Wagner tonight in Buffalo. Bjork had 12 points (4G / 8A) in 30 games with the Bruins last season.
2018 was the first time Dubnyk has not started 60-plus games during his three years in Minnesota. However, he still won 35 games and carries a 2.36 GAA and .920 SV% over that three-year stretch. Dubnyk is not the flashiest name on the fantasy radar, but he is one of the most consistent and his team is one of the best at limiting scoring chances against. Pencil him in for another solid year.
It is still hard to believe what the Vegas Golden Knights were able to accomplish in their first season. Marc-Andre Fleury was on-fire when healthy, posting a 2.24 GAA and .927 SV% in 46 appearances. Entering the 2018-19 season, Vegas likely won’t repeat last year’s efforts but Fleury should remain in the No.1 fantasy netminder conversation as long as he is healthy.
Raanta was arguably the best goalie in the NHL during the second half of last season and comes into 2019 looking to drag the young Coyotes back to the playoffs. The team in front of him is not very good, but if Raanta was able to win 46 percent of his starts with a 2.24 GAA and .930 SV% last year, he’ll be a great fantasy option this season.
