Tell me I'm crazy. I'm going to sit Rask

[theslymonkey]

I normally never sit Studs.

Rask and Holtby I am planning on starting every game this year.

BUT......

Holtby is facing the Flames...... START

Halak and the Blues are facing the Preds..... START

Rask is facing Stamkos....... SIT????

I always advise everyone to trust your studs. But sitting Halak just seems like a mistake.

Tell me I'm crazy for sitting Rask.

[Shake]

Start Rask. Trust your stud. That's why you own him. Boston is on home ice, opneing night in Boston. I like him vs Tampa.

[blayze]

Start Rask and Holtby.

I would probably start Rask every game this season. He is that solid.

[hockeymanG23]

I trust Rask and the Bruins more than I trust Halak on any team or against any team.

[The Hockey Hitman]

Always go with your big guns...Rask is one of the very best. Start him accordingly.

[DaymanFighterOfTheNiteman]

You're crazy. Always start your studs. Benching Rask vs Tampa would be like benching Stamkos because he's facing Lundqvist or... Rask and the Bruins!

[Shoeless]

Illogical - you are in a win/sho scores pool and you are betting Tampa is going to beat Boston.

[Shiva Blaster]

Rask and Lundy are the 2 goalies you always start without question......the percentages are always heaviliy in favor of them helping you win the week. When you spent a top draft pick on one of those 2 goalies, you are investing in peace of mind.....you never have to waver about starting them, you roll them out there with confidence every single time.

I've owned Lundy for 3 years and have never once sat him, I don't suggest you do so with Rask.

[horrorfan]

Overthinking - start him. You mess around with matchups too much and you'll likely to get burned. You drafted him for a reason.

[Yardsale]

Cool. I'm gonna sit Ovie because he's playing the King.

[horrorfan]

I'd sit Holtby since the Flames are going to win.

(coming from a fellow Flames fan)

[gfhyde]

Overthinking - start him. You mess around with matchups too much and you'll likely to get burned. You drafted him for a reason.

Overthinking was the word I was going to use too.

I've done stuff way too many times in the past and maybe once or twice it'll work and you'll feel like a champ, but more often than not you'll look back at it the day after and say "What the actual hell was I thinking".

[bondon]

Here I'll give you some added reassurance in case you were ever in doubt.

I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD PLAY HALAK.

There, now the fantasy gods will crap all over the Blues tonight.

[mister_mcgoo]

I think you're getting a lot of poor advice here

As a very general rule, yes you want to start your elite goalies as often as you can...after all that's why you drafted them right? But to suggest that matchups aren't important and should just be ignored just because your 'stud' is starting is just short-sighted.

If this was a choice between Rask and Garon or something like that then it's a no brainer, but Halak is an excellent goalie on a strong defensive team, you can and should consider him. So instead of just blindly starting Rask over him, look at the numbers:

Rask vs. TB : 3-2-0, 2.83GAA, .903S% and 1SO
Halak vs. NSH : 8-3-3, 1.74GAA, .930S% and 4SO!

Halak is also undefeated at home vs. the Preds
Rask is 2-1 at home

Rask is not a bad start, but Halak is probably even better in this scenario. Holtby is more of an unknown since he's new and hasn't played the Flames before. But he plays well at home (13-6 last year) and the Flames aren't very good.

[horrorfan]

I think you're getting a lot of poor advice here

As a very general rule, yes you want to start your elite goalies as often as you can...after all that's why you drafted them right? But to suggest that matchups aren't important and should just be ignored just because your 'stud' is starting is just short-sighted.

If this was a choice between Rask and Garon or something like that then it's a no brainer, but Halak is an excellent goalie on a strong defensive team, you can and should consider him. So instead of just blindly starting Rask over him, look at the numbers:

Rask vs. TB : 3-2-0, 2.83GAA, .903S% and 1SO
Halak vs. NSH : 8-3-3, 1.74GAA, .930S% and 4SO!

Halak is also undefeated at home vs. the Preds
Rask is 2-1 at home

Rask is not a bad start, but Halak is probably even better in this scenario. Holtby is more of an unknown since he's new and hasn't played the Flames before. But he plays well at home (13-6 last year) and the Flames aren't very good.

I can understand that matchups matter sometimes but for me matchup analyses don't always predict future performance, especially when looking at our perceived top players. Sure, sometimes they work but I've been burned too many times trying to look at them that way. Furthermore, I would rather my 'stud' have a poor outing in my starting lineup then a strong one on my bench, just because the matchup said otherwise.

I don't think it's poor advice necessarily, it's just how we each manage our own teams and I'm giving this advice based on how I would do it. Some people have success using matchups and others don't. Others also have success with starting your stud strategy. What if the Flames win and Rask gets a shutout on my bench? (resist laughing about the Flames comment) That would hurt more than Rask having a sub par performance in my lineup. I would accept it knowing that is an outlier.

Now, let's see if he takes my advice on sitting Holtby.

If he sits Rask and Tampa wins then he can say he told me so.