NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Expected Starters - Saturday, Dec. 30

Saturday, Dec. 30. Nine-game slate.

* = confirmed or probable

Filip Gustavsson, MIN* at Connor Hellebuyck, WPG* (2 p.m. ET)

Daniil Tarasov, CLB* at Devon Levi, BUF (5 p.m. ET)

Vitek Vanecek, NJ at Linus Ullmark, BOS (7 p.m. ET)

Jake Allen, MTL* at Anthony Stolarz, FLA* (7 p.m. ET)

Joel Hofer, STL* at Tristan Jarry, PIT* (7 p.m. ET)

Igor Shesterkin, NYR* at Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB* (7 p.m. ET)

Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR* at Martin Jones, TOR* (7 p.m. ET)

Yaroslav Askarov, NSH at Darcy Kuemper, WSH (7 p.m. ET)

Stuart Skinner, EDM at Cam Talbot, LA (10 p.m. ET)

Expected Goalies

( < 50% rostered on Yahoo, ranked by matchup)

(NEW) Anthony Stolarz, FLA vs. MTL (11% rostered)

Stolarz is expected to get the start and keep the Panthers' three-game winning streak alive. It's a back-to-back for the Panthers and the games have been close, but Stolarz will have the edge in this matchup. The Panthers have won nine of their past 10 matchups, some of which were blowout wins. Stolarz is the most desirable streaming option on this list. 

Yaroslav Askarov, NSH at WSH (2% rostered)

Kevin Lankinen is out with an illness, and dare the Preds start Juuse Saros for the second straight night? Askarov is one of the league's most highly-touted prospects in net, and he would be making his first start of the season and the second of his career. His first appearance was on Dec. 27 when he stopped all six shots he faced after relieving Saros against the Canes. There's not much history to go off for Askarov, but for what it's worth, the Caps' offense has been anemic all season, and with a dearth of streaming options, why not roll the dice with Askarov? 

(NEW) Joel Hofer, STL at PIT (13% rostered)

Hofer will make his third start in five games and extend his winning streak to three games. He's allowed just one goal in each of his past two starts, and this will be a tougher contest than it looks on paper with the Pens' offense coming alive lately. The Blues are only 1-2-2 against the Pens dating back to 2022. Hofer's only worth starting if you think his hot streak can be extended, otherwise this is a tough game. 

Martin Jones, TOR vs. CAR (39% rostered)

You hope that if the Leafs put up five goals again, Jones can at least stop enough pucks for them to win. If the Leafs win, it might be in spite of their horrendous goaltending, and also because the Canes somehow implode, having won three straight games just once this season. The Leafs have shown an ability to bounce back after tough games, and they'll put forth a stronger effort, but it's going to be difficult playing the second half of a back-to-back against a team that dominates puck possession. However, Jones has some longer term fantasy value considering how Ilya Samsonov should not see the ice ever again until he regains his confidence.

Jake Allen, MTL at FLA (8% rostered)

This will be Allen's first start in nearly two weeks after allowing just two goals on 32 shots (.938 SP) in a win against the Jets. This is a tough matchup against a very good offense, and Allen has historically fared very poorly against them with a career 2-7-0 record and a .863 SP. Even a good save percentage seems like a bit of a stretch when past history is taken into consideration. 

Daniil Tarasov, CLB at BUF (1% rostered)

Tage Thompson is questionable for this game, and even if he doesn't play, the Sabres' offense can be very potent. The Jackets are coming off another 6-5 overtime win against the Leafs, the second time this month, and will likely start Tarasov after Elvis Merzlikins left the game due to illness and Spencer Martin came in relief. Tarasov currently sports a .852 SP and 4.39 GAA in three starts this season.