Milestone Achievement and Fantasy Hockey Goalie Gab: Jakub Dobes, Anthony Stolarz and More

Hey folks! In today's edition of Goalie Gab, we are going to break down four tendys who are having success this year against all odds. They are all being thrust into more workload than they are comfortable with, and taking the ball and running with it.

No, that doesn't work. Taking the puck and skating with it? Yep, that's the one.

We also check in on the great eight who passed nine. Hundred. Goals. 

Make sure to check out our new Fantasy Hockey Projections. Outlooks at your fingertips that always give you an in-depth snapshot and an accurate outlook of what you expect from every player -  all season long. Powered by AI; refined by our experts.

Alex Ovechkin Hits Milestone

It took 13 games, but Ovi finally got his third goal to hit the 900-goal mark, becoming the first player in history to pass the threshold.

On a spin-o-rama backhand, Ovi put it passed St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who then tried to steal the puck in his pants before getting quickly found out by the officials and having to turn it over. Come on Binner, not cool!

The benches cleared, the horn blared, and everyone in the nation's capital was on their feet, celebrating with their franchise captain.

Ovi has had a very slow start to the season, sadly. The 40-year-old winger spends a lot of time in his office on the ice, though still does manage to produce. With the finish line crossed last year, the motivation might not be the same to drag the Russian machine forward anymore. While still owned in virtually every league, he does have value and may yet go on a goal-scoring frenzy. For now, and until then, we will celebrate the achievement that only Ovi can say he accomplished.

Ovechkin has three goals, five assists, and two powerplay points in 13 games played as a forward. He also has 30 shots on goal, 22 hits, and zero blocked shots.

Goalie Gab

Jakub Dobes - Montreal Canadiens

Sam Montembeault is still getting absolutely outplayed by Dobes, who is still undefeated this season. Dobes is putting up insane numbers, and is now in the 1A position in this tandem starting duo.

Monteambeault started the season expected to get 60-65 starts and owners thought they would cruise the season with a workhorse stacking starts, however the mostly undrafted Dobes came from behind and has stood on his head and has turned the blue paint into a tandem; however, if he continues to play well, he may steal the starting position outright.

He cannot possibly continue undefeated forever, but decent sustaining numbers should do the truck here. Obviously fantasy owners have caught onto this magic, which has put Dobes at a 70% ownership rate. If he is still available in your league; run, don't walk, and grab him off the waiver wire immediately.

Dobes has six wins in six games started as a goaltender. He also has a .939 save percentage, 1.97 goals against average, and zero shutouts.

Anthony Stolarz - Toronto Maple Leafs

Joseph Woll was supposed to start the season to tendem with Stolarz, who is now seeing more starts and ice time than he ever has in his career. Woll is skating with the team, but is still listed on IR. He has been out the entire season for personal reasons, while Stolarz stacks starts and looks a bit shaky.

Stolarz is not used to this heavy of a workload, and given that both him and Woll are injury prone, every game he starts is a risk. Both tendys work well together, and in tandem roles which protect them from too many starts, and with the backup currently being Cayden Primeau, who looks far from ready for the big league, it's best for everyone that Woll returns soon and healthy.

Until then, expect Stolarz to carry the load, put up subpar numbers, and put away wins with a stacked forward core in front of him scoring at will.

Stolarz has six wins in 11 games started as a goaltender. He also has a .895 save percentage, 3.11 goals against average, and zero shutouts.

Jake Allen - New Jersey Devils

Like Dobes and Montembeault, Allen has come from behind and seemingly stolen the starting position from Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom has struggled to get out of the gate this season, and Allen was brought in to be a backup for him, however as any head coach would, Sheldon Keefe is riding the hot hand and given Allen the nod for majority of the starts so far this season.

As good as Allen is playing, the organization won't yet give up on Markstrom yet for financial reasons, having just signed him to a two-year, $6M AAV contract, however Allen could easily solidify a 1A/1B situation for the remainder of the season if he continues to play well.

If you need a goalie on your squad, Allen is owned in less than 25% of leagues and is poised to get at least half of the starts moving forward, and has the fire power of the Devils in front of him.

Allen has five wins in eight games started as a goaltender. He also has a .904 save percentage, 2.48 goals against average, and zero shutouts.

Akira Schmid - Vegas Golden Knights

We talked about Schmid in my last article, and you can catch up on my thoughts on him there, however Elliot Friedman has reported that Adin Hill's injury is serious, and he could be out for a few months. This means that Schmid could be the new starter for quite some time. 

In turn, you can be sure that Schmid is going to be scooped in in every league that is serious, and fast. If you're in need, look no further and grab him from your waiver wire immediately! If you're not in need, it might be a good idea to grab him anyways and try to deal him for value. He is going to be an asset to someone with a hole in their blue paint, either short term or long term.

Schmid has six wins in five games started as a goaltender. He also has a .908 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average, and one shutout.