If your goalie room is thin, add Dylan Garand if he is on your wire.
Goalie to stream
Dylan Garand (NYR) has 3 starts in 4 games this season, 3 wins and a .951 save percentage. He is rostered in 48.6% of ESPN leagues. The New York Rangers play 2 games from Thu, Oct 15 to Sun, Oct 18, none on consecutive nights: Thu at NJD, Sat at CBJ. Nobody knows who starts in goal on a given night until the team confirms it.
Other options with no back-to-back from Thu, Oct 15 to Sun, Oct 18:
| Goalie | Team | Rest of the week | This season | ESPN rostered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Leevi Merilainen |
VAN | 2 games: Thu at FLA, Sat at TBL | 5 GP, 3 starts, 1 W, .926 SV% | 2.4% |
 Philipp Grubauer |
SEA | 2 games: Thu at TBL, Sat at FLA | 4 GP, 3 starts, 2 W, .918 SV% | 4.6% |
 Stuart Skinner |
WPG | 2 games: Thu at CHI, Sat vs CAR | 4 GP, 4 starts, 3 W, .917 SV% | 45.8% |
For a spare goalie slot, add Dylan Garand as a stream if he is on your wire. Confirm the starter before lineup lock.
The back-to-back map
4 teams play a back-to-back from Thu, Oct 15 to Sun, Oct 18. On a back-to-back, the backup could start one of the two games: nobody knows who starts in goal on a given night until the team confirms it.
| Team | Night 1 | Night 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Fri, Oct 16 at Anaheim Ducks | Sat, Oct 17 at Los Angeles Kings |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Fri, Oct 16 at Colorado Avalanche | Sat, Oct 17 at Vegas Golden Knights |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Sat, Oct 17 at Winnipeg Jets | Sun, Oct 18 at Calgary Flames |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Sat, Oct 17 vs New York Rangers | Sun, Oct 18 at Minnesota Wild |
If you use a Boston Bruins goalie, keep the slot flexible until the goalie news is out.
Tandems to watch
Goalies on the teams with a back-to-back from Thu, Oct 15 to Sun, Oct 18. 2025-26 is last season; GP is games played and W wins.
| Team | Back-to-back | Goalie | 2025-26 | This season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Fri-Sat |  Jeremy Swayman |
55 GP, 31 W, .907 SV% | 6 GP, 6 starts, 5 W, .930 SV% |
| Boston Bruins | Fri-Sat |  Michael DiPietro |
Not reported | 1 GP, 1 starts, 0 W, .897 SV% |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Sat-Sun |  Brandon Bussi |
39 GP, 31 W, .894 SV% | 4 GP, 4 starts, 2 W, .871 SV% |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Sat-Sun |  Pyotr Kochetkov |
Not reported | 4 GP, 4 starts, 4 W, .911 SV% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Sat-Sun |  Cam Talbot |
34 GP, 12 W, .882 SV% | 2 GP, 2 starts, 1 W, .822 SV% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Sat-Sun | Jet Greaves | 55 GP, 26 W, .908 SV% | 4 GP, 3 starts, 1 W, .874 SV% |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Fri-Sat |  Arturs Silovs |
39 GP, 19 W, .888 SV% | 4 GP, 4 starts, 3 W, .885 SV% |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Fri-Sat |  Sergei Murashov |
Not reported | 3 GP, 3 starts, 0 W, .911 SV% |
If you rely on Jeremy Swayman, check his workload and the starter announcement before setting your lineup.
Goalies on the injury report
12 goalies are on the injury report. Return dates are the estimates the report gives; a date before Thu, Oct 15 is marked as passed.
| Team | Goalie | Status | Injury | Estimated return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres |  Alex Lyon |
IR | Upper body | Sat, Oct 24 |
| Buffalo Sabres |  Topias Leinonen |
IR | Lower body | Sat, Oct 24 |
| Edmonton Oilers |  Frederik Andersen |
IR | Knee | Wed, Dec 30 |
| Minnesota Wild |  Filip Gustavsson |
IR | Hip, surgery | Sun, Nov 1 |
| Montréal Canadiens | Sam Montembeault | IR | Lower body | Tue, Oct 20 |
| New York Rangers |  Igor Shesterkin |
IR | Right knee, surgery | Wed, Sep 15, 2027 |
| New York Rangers |  Joonas Korpisalo |
IR | Lower body | Mon, Nov 9 |
| San Jose Sharks | Kyle Keyser | IR | Upper body | Tue, Dec 1 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning |  Dennis Hildeby |
DTD | Undisclosed | Tue, Oct 13 (date passed) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs |  Elvis Merzlikins |
IR | Shoulder, surgery | Tue, Mar 30 |
| Vancouver Canucks | Thatcher Demko | IR | Hip, surgery | Mon, Dec 21 |
| Winnipeg Jets | Connor Hellebuyck | IR | Suspension | Sat, Oct 17 |
If Connor Hellebuyck is in your plans, check his status again before lineup lock.
Next week
9 teams play a back-to-back in Oct 19–25. On a back-to-back, the backup could start one of the two games: nobody knows who starts in goal on a given night until the team confirms it.
| Team | Night 1 | Night 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Mon, Oct 19 at New York Rangers | Tue, Oct 20 at New York Islanders |
| Colorado Avalanche | Mon, Oct 19 at Philadelphia Flyers | Tue, Oct 20 at New Jersey Devils |
| San Jose Sharks | Mon, Oct 19 at Toronto Maple Leafs | Tue, Oct 20 at Montréal Canadiens |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Mon, Oct 19 vs San Jose Sharks | Tue, Oct 20 at Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Florida Panthers | Wed, Oct 21 at Ottawa Senators | Thu, Oct 22 at Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Ottawa Senators | Wed, Oct 21 vs Florida Panthers | Thu, Oct 22 vs San Jose Sharks |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Fri, Oct 23 at Colorado Avalanche | Sat, Oct 24 at Utah Mammoth |
| Minnesota Wild | Sat, Oct 24 at Seattle Kraken | Sun, Oct 25 at Vancouver Canucks |
| Nashville Predators | Sat, Oct 24 at Pittsburgh Penguins | Sun, Oct 25 vs Colorado Avalanche |
Leave a flexible goalie slot for Minnesota Wild next week and watch the goalie news before setting it.