:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47380800/usa-today-8850524.0.jpg)
Goalies are a make or break position in fantasy hockey. The right guy can make your night great, where at the same time, the wrong guy can really hurt your chances of victory. With only 30 teams, the starters go quick, and in large leagues you really need to dig deep to find the right guy to drive your team to a championship. The following is the rankings of the top 25 goalies in the NHL.
1) Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
He really is the king! He's posted 30 win seasons 9 times while maintaining a 2.26 GAA.
2) Carey Price (MTL)
Now at 28 years old, Price is coming into his own as an elite goaltender in the NHL. I'm from Boston so you have to believe it.
3) Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT)
Fleury plays a lot, starting 64 games last year. He's going to get wins with guys like Crosby and Malkin in front of him, and will be looking to follow up his 2.32 GAA from last year.
4) Braden Holtby (WAS)
Holtby is only 26 years old, now in his 3rd full year as the Capitals number one goalie. Last year he posted .923 save percentage in 73 starts.
5) Pekka Rinne (NSH) Rinne had 41 wins in 64 starts helping to lead Nashville to a 104 point season. He had a 2.18 GAA and .923 save percentage as well.
6) Jonathan Quick (LA)
Even with the Kings missing the playoffs last year, Quick still posted a 2.24 GAA and a .918 save percentage. This is a guy, who as long as he's healthy, he'll play.
7) Corey Crawford (CHI)
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Blackhawks let goalie Antti Niemi walk away to stay under the cap. Enter Crawford, who now has won 2 Stanely Cups and maintains a career 2.34 GAA.
8) Ben Bishop (TB) Bishop has been turning heads since he's moved to Tampa Bay, leading them to their first cup final since '04 last year. He started 62 games last year and won 40 of them.
9) Jaroslav Halak (NYI)
Halak started 59 games last year for the Islanders, winning 38 of them. He maintained a .914 save percentage while leading New York to a 101 point season.
10) Cory Schneider (NJ)
The Devils had a tough season last year, still in 69 starts, Schneider kept a 2.26 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
11) Tuukka Rask (BOS) Rask has had to be a work horse the last couple of years without a solid backup. Last year he started 70 games for the Bruins and had a 2.30 GAA. This year he should be more rested with backup Jonas Gustavson on the roster.
12) Roberto Luongo (FLA) Luongo is getting up there in age but still has it. He started 61 games last year for Florida and brought them close to making the playoffs. A young team that continues to grow, look for them to be a solid underdog with Luongo leading the charge.
13) Devan Dubnyk (MIN)
If someone told me Dubnyk would help Minnesota make the playoffs I would call them crazy. Yet last year he started 39 games for the Wild and won 27 of them with a 1.78 GAA.
14) Semyon Varlamov (COL)
Colorado as a whole had a difficult season last year. Still Varlamov stayed at 2.55 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Look for both the team and Varlamov to have a better season than last year.
15) Ryan Miller (VAN) Miller had a good first year in Vancouver bringing them back into the playoffs. At 35 Miller will be getting desperate to win a cup, look for him to stand on his head to make that happen.
16) Jake Allen (STL) St. Louis has had the best one-two punch in net for a couple years now. Allen broke on to the scene a couple years ago and splits time with Elliot, but will get the wins when he does start.
17) Brian Elliot (STL) The other half of that tandem, Elliot has really come into his own since joining the Blues. Once again, he splits time with Allen, but he will get wins when he's between the pipes.
18) Frederik Andersen (ANA)
In his first full year as the number one goaltender, Andersen led the Ducks to the playoffs while posting a 2.38 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
19) Antti Niemi (DAL) Making the move to Dallas, Niemi should continue his regular season success with the Stars. On top of that Lehtonen is known for missing significant time throughout the season, so Niemi should see a lot of play time.
20) Cam Talbot (EDM)
Talbot shined last year when Lundqvist was injured last year, posting a 2.21 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Now in Edmonton, he looks to end the Oilers playoff drought with help of their army of number one draft picks.
21) Martin Jones (SJ)
Jones has a chance to be a number one after playing behind Quick for a couple years. San Jose has always been a great regular season team, so Jones should pick up some wins.
22) Jonas Hiller (CGY)
Hiller will be splitting time with Ramo in Calgary, though last year he got the majority of the starts with 52. He posted a 2.36 GAA and a .918 save percentage, helping Calgary return to the playoffs.
23) Ondrej Pavelec (WPG) Pavelec, at 28, looks like he's coming into his own as a starter in the NHL. He posted a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage last year and brought Winipeg back into the playoffs.
24) Jimmy Howard (DET)
Howard had a tough year last season posting a 2.44 GAA. Now with a backup behind him threatening his job as a starter, look for him to have a huge year.
25) Andrew Hammond (OTT)
Hammond was probably the biggest story from last year, winning 20 of his 24 starts.Once he's back from injury, he'll be looking to follow up his 1.79 GAA and .941 save percentage from last year, and prove he belongs in net for the Senators.
A goalie can be the difference between a win and a loss in fantasy hockey. On a good day they can score you points that equal a lot of your positional players. On the other hand if you don't get the right one, they could be your downfall. Follow the list and acquire the right guys, and you could be boasting when you beat your friends.