Week 23: Fantasy top 25 goalie rankings for 2016-17

All season long, NHL.com will rank the top 25 goalies for standard Yahoo leagues (wins, goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts). Players with long-term injuries have been removed from this list.
These rankings are based on expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by projected starts, peripheral category coverage, time-share situations, team defenses, past performance and overall upside in standard leagues. It is important to note that our rankings reflect sheer fantasy value, not necessarily the most talented goalies in order.

Jonathan Bernier has been lights out at the perfect time for the Anaheim Ducks and fantasy owners.
With the Ducks battling for first place in the Pacific Division, Bernier has started 12 of the past 13 games and is 8-3-1, including 29 saves in a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The Anaheim backup is widely available, somehow only owned in 47 percent of Yahoo leagues despite his usage, stats and the importance of every start this time of the season for fantasy owners.
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John Gibson (89 percent owned) has a lower-body injury and hasn't played since allowing four goals and making 31 saves in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on March 10. In the five games since, Bernier has allowed eight goals, including one in each of in three straight games, prior to Wednesday. For the season, he is 16-7-3 with a 2.50 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and two shutouts. He hasn't allowed more than three goals in his past 14 starts.
Three of the next four games for the Ducks are against non-playoff teams, meaning Bernier could continue his recent stretch of solid play. Anaheim also plays its final three games at home, where Bernier is 9-1-2 with a 1.93 GAA and .932 SV%. He is likely the best goalie to add out there if you are still in the fantasy playoffs.

TRENDING UP

Cam Talbot hasn't shown many signs of fatigue this season. Although Talbot allowed four goals on 18 shots against Anaheim on Wednesday before being pulled in the second period, he won his five previous games. Talbot has 37 wins (tied for second in the League) and 66 starts (most in the League). He has faced the most shots (1,937) and made the most saves (1,784). He has seven shutouts (tied for second), a 2.36 GAA and .921 SV%.
It's fair to say Talbot has been one of the best and most surprising fantasy goalies this season. Despite the small hiccup Wednesday, Talbot is still an excellent option down the stretch with the Oilers fighting for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth. They can still win the Pacific Division, and four of their final nine games are against the Vancouver Canucks (twice) and Colorado Avalanche (twice), which is good news for Talbot.

TRENDING DOWN

What a difference a few weeks has made for Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning. After going 6-0-1 and allowing one goal in five of those games, he's lost three in a row, all at home, allowing four goals in each game. Vasilevskiy (67 percent owned) was not sharp in a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
The Lightning have 10 games remaining (five at home, five on the road) and are five points out of the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. That means Peter Budaj (39 percent owned), who has made four appearances and two starts with the Lightning, could see some playing time in the final weeks of the season.

WORTH NOTING

-- Henrik Lundqvist, who has been out since March 7 with a hip injury, will return and play two of three games on the New York Rangers' California road trip, which begins at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday before games against the Ducks on Sunday and San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Backup Antti Raanta (59 percent owned) has started the past seven games and made 25 saves in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday. If you own Raanta and advance in the fantasy playoffs, you may want to find a replacement for next week.
-- The Islanders have back-to-back games this weekend against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, and it's likely that Thomas Greiss (70 percent owned) won't start both of them. Greiss has been the workhorse for the Islanders, with backup J-F Berube playing poorly; he has a 3.42 GAA and .889 SV% in 14 games, including seven starts. The Islanders recalled Jaroslav Halak from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Thursday and may start him Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first of back-to-back games. Halak (21 percent owned) hasn't played in the NHL since Dec. 29 but could be a valuable streaming option.

-- Carey Price is dealing with an undisclosed injury and may not start for the Montreal Canadiens against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Be on the lookout prior to the game in case you need to adjust your lineup accordingly.

TOP 25 FANTASY GOALIES

NOTE: These rankings were last updated March 23
1. Sergei Bobrovsky, CBJ (SAME)
2. Braden Holtby, WSH (SAME)
3. Carey Price, MTL (DTD)
4. Devan Dubnyk, MIN (SAME)
5. Matt Murray, PIT (+1)
6. Martin Jones, SJS (-1)
7. Cam Talbot, EDM (+2)
8. Jake Allen, STL (+2)
9. Brian Elliott, CGY (+3)
10. Tuukka Rask, BOS (-3)
11. Jonathan Quick, LAK (-3)
12. Pekka Rinne, NSH (+1)
13. Corey Crawford, CHI (-2)
14. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (NR - INJ.)
15. Frederik Andersen, TOR (+1)
16. Jonathan Bernier, ANA (+3)
17. Craig Anderson, OTT (-2)
18. Thomas Greiss, NYI (SAME)
19. Antti Raanta, NYR (-3)
20. Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (-6)
21. Aaron Dell, SJS (+2)
22. Ben Bishop, LAK (-2)
23. Cory Schneider, NJD (-1)
24. Steve Mason, PHI (-3)
25. Jimmy Howard, DET (NEW)
NR - INJ. - Not ranked last week because of injury
Dropped out: James Reimer (FLA), Mike Condon (OTT)
Key Injuries: John Gibson (ANA), Roberto Luongo (FLA), Semyon Varlamov (COL)
READ: Last week's Top 25 goalie rankings