When I was trying to decide on which team's goaltending I should write about to help you in your fantasy pools, I looked at all the bottom dwelling teams and found it very difficult to choose one so I put on some Victim Of Changes by Judas Priest and got inspired. Lots of teams made changes to their creases for this year, some even starting at last year's trading deadline.  For those looking for goaltending help, which net minder is going to give you the best bang for your buck? Colorado has started off 1-4-1 with 5 of the games played away from home so you know they will get some good home cooking soon. Plus the Avalanche were expected to do well again this year after last season's surprise run and playoff appearance, so Semyon Varlamov is already counted on and drafted pretty high. We all know that buffalo, Florida, Carolina and unexpectedly Edmonton may be playing for the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, if their early play is any indication.  Winnipeg is supposedly better than they have shown so far so they should begin to string together some wins.  But there is one team that is struggling which is not customary considering its head coach.  Even with the name change, the Coyotes should be playing better in front of their goaltenders, especially with Mike Smith in net. The Arizona Coyotes' season began with a four game home stand and a chance to get off to good start in the tough Western Conference. The Yotes had 2 games against top teams in LA and St. Louis and 2 against Winnipeg and Edmonton and came away with 4 points.  After losing their home opener against the Jets 6-2, they rebounded to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Kings in overtime, 3-2.  5 or 6 points would have been a successful start because every point is crucial playing in this conference.  If Arizona is dreaming of having a shot at a playoff spot, they will have to tighten things up and get better goaltending from their duo. This is Head Coach Dave Tippett's 6th season with the Coyotes and he has missed the playoffs the past two seasons so the leash may be short for a coach who has been known for his defensive style of play, which is good for goalies. Smith's first year in Phoenix, he posted his best numbers going 38-18-10 with a .930 SP and a 2.21 GAA, but unfortunately he hasn't been able to reach those numbers since.  With those types of numbers, you know what he is capable of, he just needs to find his consistency.  Last year's punching bag in net, Devan Dubnyk, signed on to...

Neuvirth will make his season debut tonight after Jhonas Enroth got the first two starts of the season. Neuvirth was 4-8-2 with a 2.78 GAA and .921 SV% last season, but should not be considered this after noon with the Ducks in town.

The Barry Trotz era is about to begin and there are so many questions heading into the 2014-2015 campaign. Trotz is known for being the only Head Coach in Nashville Predator history and is more known for his defensive-style system than his offense which becomes a concern to poolies because of players like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, two major offensive stars in Washington. Then there is the flipside of that in which the major defensemen in Nashville led the way on offense for the Preds. Will that translate in Washington?  Will that transform D Mike Green back to the offensive star that he once was? What should be the most important question is will Braden Holtby be that guy the Caps were hoping he'd be? GOALIES I was never one for the two-headed goaltender system. There needs to be a clear number 1 and a steady backup with the backup clearly knowing his role.  Perhaps with the new coach and the new system, Holtby can be that number 1 goalie the Capitals were counting on last year.  His metrics last season were far from impressive as he took a baby step backward in his development.  With Trotz behind the bench and incoming goalie coach Mitch Korn, Holtby's numbers should improve as he regains his confidence in net.  Korn was the goaltending coach in Nashville for the past 15 years, instructing NHL elite goaltender Pekka Rinne. Now if Holtby can be Rinne........Gone is Michal Neuvirth who was traded to buffalo at the trade deadline last year. Justin Peters signed 1 2-year deal as a free agent to back up Holtby. DEFENSE It will be interesting to see who emerges on defense in the Trotz system. Will it be a return to elite form for Green, or will John Carlson take that next step as a premium fantasy defenseman? Matt Niskanen parlayed his career season (46 pts.) in Pittsburgh into a 7-year deal with the Capitals. At 27, Niskanen is in his prime, but don't expect a return to those numbers unless he benefits this time from an injury to Green or Carlson.  He does have the talent but expect a little drop-off in production in his first year with the Caps.  Karl Alzner, Dmitri Orlov and free agent signing Brooks Orpik are all defense-first D-men so don't expect much in the way of offense. FORWARDS The Capitals offense begins and ends with Ovechkin, aka the Great 8 and Center Backstrom. Some say that it's Backstrom that makes Ovechkin better, but having either on your fantasy is a win-win. The duo were actually tied for the team lead in points ...

The Barry Trotz era is about to begin and there are so many questions heading into the 2014-2015 campaign. Trotz is known for being the only Head Coach in Nashville Predator history and is more known for his defensive-style system than his offense which becomes a concern to poolies because of players like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, two major offensive stars in Washington. Then there is the flipside of that in which the major defensemen in Nashville led the way on offense for the Preds. Will that translate in Washington?  Will that transform D Mike Green back to the offensive star that he once was? What should be the most important question is will Braden Holtby be that guy the Caps were hoping he'd be? GOALIES I was never one for the two-headed goaltender system. There needs to be a clear number 1 and a steady backup with the backup clearly knowing his role.  Perhaps with the new coach and the new system, Holtby can be hat number 1 goalie the Capitals were counting on last year.  His metrics last season were far from impressive as he took a baby step backward in his development.  With Trotz behind the bench and incoming goalie coach Mitch Korn, Holtby's numbers should improve as he regains his confidence in net.  Korn was the goaltending coach in Nashville for the past 15 years, instructing NHL elite goaltender Pekka Rinne. Now if Holtby can be Rinne........Gone is Michal Neuvirth who was traded to buffalo at the trade deadline last year. Justin Peters signed 1 2-year deal as a free agent to back up Holtby. DEFENSE It will be interesting to see who emerges on defense in the Trotz system. Will it be a return to elite form for Green, or will John Carlson take that next step as a premium fantasy defenseman? Matt Niskanen parlayed his career season (46 pts.) in Pittsburgh into a 7-year deal with the Capitals. At 27, Niskanen is in his prime, but don't expect a return to those numbers unless he benefits again from an injury to Green or Carlson.  He does have the talent but expect a little drop-off in production in his first year with the Caps.  Karl Alzner, Dmitri Orlov and free agent signing Brooks Orpik are all defense-fist D-men so don't expect much in the way of offense. FORWARDS The Capitals offense begins and ends with Ovechkin, aka the Great 8 and Center Backstrom. Some say that it's Backstrom that makes Ovechkin better, but having either on your fantasy is a win-win. The duo were actually tied for the team lead in points with 79....

Neuvirth will not start tonight vs. Calgary, so either Nathan Lieuwen or Matt Hackett will get the call. Neuvirth is set skate alone after practice, consider him day-to-day.

Neuvirth said he is feeling better every day and hopes he will be good to go. With Jhonas Enroth not on the trip, Nathan Lieuwen would likely start if Neuvirth is unfit to play.

This explains why the Sabres recalled Nathan Lieuwen this morning. This would lead us to believe that Jhonas Enroth will start again, but no official announcement has been made. Neuvirth is day-to-day.

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will start things off today with a 12:30 match. The Flyers will (LIKELY) start Steve Mason in goal. Mason has played well this year as he has a 27-16-6 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .915 SP.   He is 3-2 in his last 5 games. Marc-Andre Fleury is (LIKELY) for the Penguins. He is having a great year with 34 wins and a 2.28 GAA.  Go with Fleury in this one. Ben Scrivens has been (CONFIRMED) for the Oilers against Carolina. Scrivens has played pretty well this year with a 2.24 GAA and a .930 SP, but he has lost his last 2 games. Anton Khudobin is (LIKELY) for Carolina after Cam Ward played the last game. Khudobin had a good start to the season, but he has gotten leky with losses in 4 of his last 5 games.  Like Scrivens in this game.  Toronto is at Washington, and James Reimer is (LIKELY) for the Leafs. He did shutout the Kings in his last game, but his numbers are not great with a 3.23 GAA and a .914 SP. Jaroslav Halak is (LIKELY) for the Capitals and he is 2-2 in his last 4 games. The Canucks will visit Florida today, and Eddie Lack has been (CONFIRMED) for Vancouver. Lack has gone 2-3 in his last 5 games, allowing 18 goals during that period. Roberto Luongo (CONFIRMED) has also gone 2-3 in his last 5 games, but only allowing 13 goals. Still we like Lack in this game.   The Sharks will visit the Rangers in a 4:00 meeting. San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi (LIKELY) has been hot lately with 4 straight wins. He should face Henrik Lundqvist (LIKELY) for New York  Lundqvist has won 3 of his last 4 games allowing only 7 goals.  This is a tough one, but go with Niemi.  The Avalanche will face the Senators in Ottawa today.  Semyon Varlamov has been (CONFIRMED) for Colorado. He has had a great year with 33 wins, but he got lit up by Anaheim in his last game allowing 5 goals.  He is 4-2 in his lat 6 games though.  Craig Anderson is (LIKELY) for Ottawa despite his collison last game with Milan Michalek which knocked him out of the game. Anderson's 3.10 GAA is not good so we would go with Varlamov.  With Carey Price injured, Peter Budaj (CONFIRMED) will start today for Montreal against Buffalo. Budaj is only 8-8-2 on the year, and he has lost his last 4 games. Michal Neuvirth will (LIKELY) start for the Sabres, and he is only 4-8-2 on the year with a 2.78 GA. Like Montreal in this one.  Detroit is at Chicago this afternoon and Jimmy Howard is (LIKELY) for the Red Wings. He has a losing 14-15-10 record, and has lost 3 of his last 4 games. Corey ...

Neuvirth stopped 42 of 44 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Panthers in his Sabres debut last week. It is something he will need to get used to, the Sabres rank dead last in the NHL with only 1.89 goals per game this season. He will take on the Hurricanes in Carolina tonight. Neuvirth is 0-4-2 on the road this season.

Neuvirth stopped 42 of 44 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Panthers in his Sabres debut last week. It is something he will need to get used to, the Sabres rank dead last in the NHL with only 1.89 goals per game this season. He will take on the Hurricanes in Carolina tonight. Neuvirth is 0-4-2 on the road this season.