Monday Morning Ramblings featuring Buffalo, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Nashville, and Edmonton.

The NHL season is winding down, most teams have a mere 12-13 games left. Yahoo head to head playoffs start Monday. 

With the top two Eastern Conference teams, Buffalo and Carolina, both settling into an exact 50-50 alternating start timeshare, we can confidently project (barring injury) that B.Bussi will get 2 games against Montreal next week, and U.Luukkonen will get 2 home games against Boston and Seattle next week.

F.Andersen and A.Lyon will have to settle for one start each in week 22.

The other situation where we can predict which goalie will get which start is in the Penguins crease.

Skinner and Silovs have been alternating starts since the Olympic break. Silovs gets 2 games against tough opponents Colorado and Dallas next week, followed by another 2 games in the ensuing 5 game week for the Penguins. Skinner will get one away game against the Senators next week, but then projects to get 3 starts (Islanders, Lightning, Panthers) in week 23. 

On Monday February 16, Bussi signed a 3 year, $5.7 million contract ($1.9 million AAV). At the time he was 23-3-1, 2.16 GAA, and 0.908% in 27 games. Since then he is 3-3, 3.87 GAA, and 0.844% in 6 games. 

His stranglehold on the starters role has loosened to the point where he and F.Andersen are alternating starts. What about Andersen's numbers since Bussi's extension? Andersen is 6-1, 2.68 GAA, and 0.882% in 7 games. Andersen won his 5th straight start Sunday night, stopping 18 of 19 shots (0.947).

Looking at goalie statistics from this calendar year, Detroit veteran John Gibson has turned into a workhorse, playing in 24 games (only Hellebuyck has played more: 25). Not only is Gibson eating up minutes, but he also has an elite save percentage (0.921%) in 2026, the only goalie better is Alex Lyon at 0.930%.

Lyon's battery mate Luukkonen is sitting at 0.915% in 2026. Both Sabres goalies are a great own down the stretch; Lyon is 10-2, and UPL is 10-3-2. Buffalo's 32-6-2 record is the best 40 game stretch in the NHL since the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings.

With Saros banged up last week, Annunen played a bit more. He has actually been decent in 2026 putting up a 0.917 save percentage. He started off the season 1-5-1, but has since gone 7-4-1. Saros returned on Sunday night stopping 26 of 28 (0.929) in an overtime win against the Blackhawks.

Goaltenders struggling in 2026 include T.Jarry (0.846), S.Ersson (0.858), and A.Hill (0.862). Ingram has taken over the starters net, playing in 14 of the last 17 Oilers games. In 2026, Ingram is stopping pucks slightly below average (0.892) but the Oilers will have to settle for that as Jarry's putrid play leaves them no choice. Ingram is 9-6-3 this calendar year. 

Sorokin was pulled on Saturday night against the Habs after Cole Caufield scored his 42nd goal of the season. Sorokin let in 6 goals on 32 shots (0.813), but was back in the starters' crease on Sunday against the Blue Jackets and performed admirably stopping all 16 shots and notching his league leading 7th shutout this season.

Sorokin is 14-7-3 in 2026 with an excellent 2.56 GAA and a 0.915%. The Islanders are on pace for 98 points but might still miss the playoffs! They are currently hovering around the 50% chance of making the playoffs.

Suzuki (20 pts), Caufield (17 pts), and Slafkovsky (16 points) are all in the top 10 in scoring since the Olympic Break. Caufield picked up 5 of those points against the Islanders on Saturday. He leads the league (41) in non empty net goals. Mackinnon is one behind at 40.

The Canadiens have 8 games over the next 2 weeks. The most likely split will be 4 each for Fowler and Dobes, with an outside chance that Dobes gets 5 starts. The play of the goaltenders will dictate how Marty St.Louis manages the split.

Good luck to all GMs over these final few weeks of the season!