Whether you’re interested for fantasy hockey reasons or just want to know which goalie your team is playing in a given day, we thought it might be helpful to share our best guesses (based on various previews from newspapers and Web sites plus our own instincts) on who might start each day.
7:00 PM ET games
NY Rangers @ Toronto
Likely NY Rangers starter: Martin Biron - He’s not a game-breaker, but Biron played as a starter for a while and is possibly the best backup Henrik Lundqvist has had in New York ... although I guess that’s not saying much. (Source for both: ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.)
Likely Toronto starter: Jonas Gustavsson - Looks like “The Monster” will get the nod in net. (Also from LeBrun.)
Anaheim @ Philadelphia
Likely Anaheim starter: Jonas Hiller - Just a guess, on this one. (No confirmation here, but look at all the great comics from Earl Sleek here.)
Likely Philadelphia starter: Sergei Bobrovsky - Still seems like a pretty steady rotation in Philadelphia. (Source: official Philadelphia Flyers Twitter Feed.)
Washington @ Boston
Likely Washington starter: Semyon Varlamov - After dealing with injury problems, Varlamov finally gets a start after Michal Neuvirth lost his second game of the season. (Source: Katie Carrera of the Washington Post.)
Likely Boston starter: Tim Thomas: Sounds like it might be Thomas after all. (Update via James Murphy) Tuukka Rask - Stanley Cup of Chowder says Tim Thomas; Mike Giardi thinks it will be Rask. I flipped a coin and will therefore guess Rask. (Source: coin flip/Giardi.)
7:30 PM ET games
Calgary @ Detroit
Likely Calgary starter: Miikka Kiprusoff - It’s another toss-up, so when in doubt, go with Kipper.
Likely Detroit starter: Jimmy Howard - Not a big surprise, but it looks like Howard will get the start for the Red Wings. (Source: Winging it in Motown.)
NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay
Likely Islanders starter: Rick DiPietro - Dwayne Roloson has been pretty good so far, but they’ll start the guy who’s getting big money for a long time instead. (Source: Islanders Twitter feed.)
Likely Tampa Bay starter: Dan Ellis - Ellis was really awful against the Florida Panthers, but Mike Smith isn’t setting the world on fire either, so for now the team will keep the rotation going. (Source: Lightning Twitter feed.)
New Jersey @ Montreal
Likely New Jersey starter: Martin Brodeur - Ho hum. (Source: Fire & Ice.)
Likely Montreal starter: Carey Price - He’s been really impressive so far and Alex Auld knows his place in the universe as a solid (but clear) backup, so why not let Price get comfy as the dominant No. 1? (Source: Habs Inside/Out.)
Dallas @ Florida
Likely Dallas starter: Kari Lehtonen - The Stars lost, but Lehtonen keeps them in games (and helped them win four out five) so far. As long as Dallas think he’s healthy enough to start a lot of games, he will. They should be careful, though. (Source: Defending Big D.)
Likely Florida starter: Tomas Vokoun - Chances are, if you put together two straight shutouts, you’ll get to start again.
8:00 PM ET game
Pittsburgh @ Nashville
Likely Pittsburgh starter: Marc-Andre Fleury - They’ve been on a hot streak with Brent Johnson, but I guess the team might want to give Fleury a chance to get his groove back, Stella-style. (Source: Inside Pittsburgh Sports.)
Likely Nashville starter: Pekka Rinne - He’ll get his second start back against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. (Source: Joshua Cooper.)
9:00 PM ET game
San Jose @ Colorado
Likely San Jose starter: Antero Niittymaki - The other free Finnish free agent signing gets the start today, as things haven’t gone too well so far for Antti Niemi so far. (Source: David Pollak from Working the Corners.)
Likely Colorado Avalanche: Craig Anderson - He certainly gave the Sharks fits in the playoffs. (Source: Mike Haynes.)
9:30 PM ET game
Minnesota @ Edmonton
Likely Minnesota starter: Niklas Backstrom - No big surprise here, the $6 million man gets the nod over Jose Theodore. (Source: Michael Russo.)
Likely Edmonton starter: Nikolai Khabibulin - Well, it looks like someone with a foreign derivation of “Nick” will win tonight ... (Source: Also Michael Russo.)
10:00 PM ET game
Los Angeles @ Phoenix
Likely Los Angeles starter: Jonathan Quick - Considering the fact that they’re playing back-to-backs, I’m going out on a limb in saying that Quick will probably get the start.
Likely Phoenix starter: Ilya Bryzgalov - Chances are, “Breezy” will be in net again, but that’s another one I’ll go out on a limb for.