NHL Starting Goalies: Tuesday, December 5

Elvis Merzlikins was in the starter's crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

Merzlikins will likely return to the starter's crease on Tuesday after serving as the backup goalie in the Blue Jackets 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday. After a horrid seven-game stretch (2-2-2) that saw him allow 22 goals and post a .879 SV%, Merzlikins has flipped a switch, with an exceptional .921 SV% in his last nine games (3-5-1). That said, the Blue Jackets have continually struggled to provide Merzlikins with ample goal support, and, as a result, they are sizeable +192 home underdogs against a Los Angeles Kings team that leads the league offensively (3.86 GF / GP).

Source: Coby Maeir

Anton Forsberg was in the starter's crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

Forsberg saved 39 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday and will likely be rewarded with the starter's crease on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Forsberg has a few elite performances this season but has lacked consistency, following up each of his last two quality starts with sub-.810 SV% losing efforts. The Senators are +115 home underdogs against a New York Rangers team that has won three straight and scored four or more goals in three of their last five games (4-1-0).

Source: TSN 1200

Ilya Sorokin will start his second consecutive game Tuesday vs. San Jose.

Sorokin is coming off an impressive 42-save performance (.933 SV%) in the Islanders' 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday and will start again on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. Despite a career-low GAA (3.09) and save percentage (.914) through 15 games, Sorokin has been better lately, allowing only 10 total goals in his last four games (2-1-1), posting a solid .935 SV%. The Islanders are -272 home favourites against the Sharks who, despite being the lowest-scoring team in the NHL (1.88 GF / GP), have scored nine goals over their last two games (1-1-0).

Source: Stefen Rosner

Eric Comrie will start Tuesday vs. Detroit.

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recovering from an illness, the Sabres have called Devon Levi, who is expected to serve as the backup to Eric Comrie on Tuesday. Comrie has been inconsistent through six games this season (1-4-0), posting an ugly 3.99 GAA and .864 SV%. and has failed to record a quality start since his season debut on October 21st. The Sabres have struggled to score, losing three straight contests, and, as such, are +119 home underdogs against a rolling Detroit Red Wings team that has won five of their last six outings (5-1-0).

Source: Heather Engel

Arvid Soderblom will start Tuesday vs. Nashville.

Soderblom has only one victory in his last nine appearances but will likely start on Tuesday for a struggling Blackhawks team that has been outscored 12-3 over their last three games (0-3-0). Soderblom has an undesirable 3.71 GAA and .883 SV% in 11 games (2-8-0) this season as the Blackhawks are sizeable +167 home underdogs against a Nashville Predators team that ranks mid-pack in the league offensively (3.17 GF / GP).

Source: Mark Lazerus

Alexander Georgiev is in the starter's crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

Georgiev is the likely starter for the Avalanche in a favourable matchup against the Anaheim Ducks and their fifth-worst offence in the league (2.75 GF / GP). The Avalanche have lost three straight contests (0-1-2), including a 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks last week with Ivan Prosvetov between the pipes, but are still sizeable -286 home favourites against the Ducks, whose only victory in their last nine games was against the Avalanche (1-8-0). Meanwhile, Georgiev has played admirably lately, allowing only 12 total goals in his five games (3-3-1), boasting a .924 SV%.

Source: Jesse Montano

Daniel Vladar will start Tuesday vs. Minnesota.

With Jacob Markstrom out week-to-week with a fractured finger, Vladar will assume the role of starting goaltender on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The Flames have also recalled Dustin Wolf from the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL and will presumably have the two netminders battle it out for starts while Markstrom is unable to play. Vladar has been inconsistent this season but is coming off his strongest performance to date, a 27-save (.964 SV%) 2-1 overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Flames are slight +102 home underdogs against a Wild team that won three straight since their coaching change, outscoring their opposition 13-3.

Source: Pat Steinberg

Thatcher Demko is expected to start Tuesday vs. New Jersey.

Demko will likely start for the fourth consecutive time and eighth time in the last nine games for the Canucks on Tuesday. Despite a somewhat shaky November, Demko remains among the league leaders with a stellar 2.26 GAA and .924 SV% in 18 games (12-6-0). More recently, Demko has won three of his last four starts (3-1-0), allowing only nine goals and posting a .926 SV%. The Canucks are slight -109 home favourites against a New Jersey Devils team that has scored 19 goals in their last four games (3-1-0).

Source: Brenden Batchelor