NHL Goalies: Whose Job Is Secure?

I don't know if I've ever seen so many goaltending duels in one year. The No. 1 spot seems to be up for grabs on plenty of teams. It's certainly making life for fantasy owners that much tougher.

Let's start in the city of brotherly love, where the Philadelphia Flyers are beginning to compete for victories. Martin Biron has been less than stellar, and Antero Niittymaki has done his best to grab the momentum for himself.

The Finn had a solid rookie year in 2005-2006, going 23-15-2. Since then he has pretty much fallen off the map. Niittymaki has played five games this year, and Biron seven. As it stands, Niittymaki has a better save percentage, goals against average, and one shutout.

He's yet to lose in regulation as well, meaning that Biron will have to work in order to remain the go-to guy in Philadelphia.

Chicago is probably the most undecided squad in terms of their starting goaltender. Cristobal Huet was meant to run the show with Nikolai Khabibulin on the bench.

Huet's early struggles opened the door for the Bulin Wall, and the Russian has taken full advantage. Their numbers are extremely similar, with Khabibulin having the slight edge.

Just when it seemed like Huet had lost it, he turned aside 48 shots last night in a win over Columbus. Back to square one.

In Dallas, Marty Turco's numbers are just disturbing to look at. Yes, Turco's job at No. 1 is almost 100 percent secure, but allowing four to five goals per game won't help his cause.

And then there's the Ottawa Senators. Martin Gerber played the first game of the season then sat out the next. Alex Auld has stepped up and seems to have taken the goaltending duties in the nation's capital.

The job in Atlanta will most likely go to the first guy that can allow less than five goals in a match. Kari Lehtonen was beaten seven times the other night against Philly, and Johan Hedberg allowed six in New Jersey yesterday.

Ondrej Pavelec—suit up, play a decent game, and you may just go from No. 3 to No. 1.

As proved last year, Craig Anderson has the ability to steal a few games for the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun still has to look over his shoulder, realizing that nothing is for certain.

Like Turco, Evgeni Nabokov doesn't even have to think about being a backup. However, the numbers tell a different tale. Nabokov has a save percentage under .900, and he allowed a goal against Pittsburgh a few days ago.

That in itself isn't terrible, but he only faced 11 shots. Brian Boucher, meanwhile, has only played twice and recorded a shutout on each occasion. A comeback may be in store for the kid.

Rick DiPietro recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, and he'll be out for a month or so. Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis will duke it out now. Unfortunately for them, the Islanders are probably the worst team in the NHL.

Usually, it's nothing but wins and...well wins, in Detroit. Chris Osgood returned to the starlight after carrying the Red Wings to Stanley Cup glory last season. Thus far, he's 4-1-2, but the numbers aren't too impressive.

Ty Conklin stole the show in Pittsburgh last year when Marc-Andre Fleury went down. He's already seen four starts, and his digits are just edging Ozzy's. This could turn into a great goaltending contest as the season goes along.

Finally, we reach the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pascal Leclaire hasn't resembled the great goalie we saw the previous year. Now that he's on the IR, Fredrik Norrena sees a chance he never could have imagined: A chance to be top gun (no pun intended) in Columbus. We'll see if Daniel Lacosta has anything to say about the subject.

Those are just some of the on-going goalie battles taking place in the early season. Jobs are available for youngsters, and the No. 1 position is wide open.

Will any of these men take advantage and seize their opportunity? Or will the so-called regulars keep their thrones?