NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Expected Starters - Thursday, Dec. 14

Thursday, Dec. 14. Eight-game slate.

* = confirmed or probable

Charlie Lindgren, WSH* at Samuel Ersson, PHI*

Elvis Merzlikins, CLB* at Ilya Samsonov, TOR*

Pytor Kochetkov, CAR at Ville Husso, DET*

Dan Vladar, CGY at Filip Gustavsson, MIN*

Joonas Korpisalo, OTT* at Jordan Binnington, STL*

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at Stuart Skinner, EDM

Arvid Soderblom*, CHI at Joey Daccord, SEA

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* at Thatcher Demko, VAN

Streaming Options

(< 50 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, ranked by matchup)

Charlie Lindgren, WSH at PHI (34% rostered)

There’s a chance Darcy Kuemper gets the start, who made 32 saves in a 4-2 win against the Hawks in their most recent game. But it’s also hard not to go back to Lindgren, who made 31 saves in a shutout win against the Rangers. In either case, both goalies are good options against the Flyers, who rank 22nd in goals for per game. The worry for Lindgren (or Kuemper) is the lack of goal support and the Flyers are a much more hard-working group compared to the inconsistent Caps. Note in two career appearances against the Flyers, Lindgren has been nearly flawless with a .984 SP and miniscule 0.48 GAA.

Joey Daccord, SEA vs. CHI (7% rostered)

Daccord has been excellent in his past two starts, allowing just two goals on 25 shots (.920 SP) in a 3-0 loss to the Wild and then shutting out the Panthers with a 24-save performance. He’ll likely draw the start while he has the hot hand, and I Iike this matchup for the Kraken. As long as they can limit Connor Bedard to just one goal, they should win. Note the Kraken hold a slim 4-3-0 edge in the all-time series and it’s generally been a high-scoring affair, with an average of 9.75 goals scored in their past four matchups.

Petr Mrazek, CHI at SEA (24% rostered)

Mrazek allowed four goals against the Oilers but that’s a pretty good result against Connor McDavid, all things considered. Mrazek was excellent in his previous two starts, allowing just one goal against the Blues and shutting out the Ducks. The Kraken are languishing near the bottom of the league and should only be slightly favored. The Blackhawks have one distinct edge in this matchup and that’s Connor Bedard, but it hasn’t been enough to win many games. Mrazek holds an ugly .806 SP and 6.36 GAA in his career against the Kraken.

Editor's note: Arvid Soderblom will get the start. Soderblom has lost four straight games and allowed at least three goals in each of them, so this doesn't really put the Hawks in a better position to win. Still, I'd take my chances against a team that has trouble scoring compared to one that could get shelled, like Pyotr Kochetkov or Ville Husso. 

Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at DET (39% rostered)

Kochetkov’s coming off a 4-1 win against the Sens but it’s anybody’s guess how the Canes’ goalies will fare from game to game. The Red Wings are shorthanded with injuries to numerous key players but still have plenty of scoring talent. It’s a coin flip between these two teams.

Alex Lyon, DET vs. CAR (40% rostered)

The shine on Lyon’s fantasy value certainly has dulled and, if he starts, it’ll be his first appearance in three games after the Wings elected to give James Reimer (6-3 loss to Dallas) and Ville Husso (6-4 win against St. Louis). Given Reimer and Husso’s so-so performances, Lyon still has a chance to establish himself at the top of the food chain, but this is not the ideal matchup for him to do so. Both teams just snapped their losing streaks and the range of outcomes is too large to be sure of anything.

Editor's note: The Wings will start Ville Husso on Thursday. This is a bit of a curious decision; even though Husso earned the win, he wasn't particularly sharp. The Wings don't seem to have much confidence in Lyon despite his earlier hot streak. This has the makings of a high-scoring game, and I'd advise sitting goalies on both teams just to be safe. 

Dan Vladar, CGY at MIN (6% rostered)

If the Flames are working a rotation, it’s Vladar’s turn after Dustin Wolf lost to Vegas. Neither goalie breeds much confidence – perhaps Wolf more so than Vladar – and the Flames have lost two straight with 11 goals allowed and carry just three defensemen they really trust. The Wild, meanwhile, have turned a corner under John Hynes and they had three days’ rest after shutting out the Kraken.

Spencer Martin, CLB at TOR (2% rostered)

The Jackets will likely go back to Martin after Jet Greaves lost to the Panthers following a win against the Blues. With Elvis Merzlikins still on the shelf, the Jackets will just rotate and go with the hot hand – win and you’re in. Unless the Jackets offense makes minced meat of Ilya Samsonov, however, the Leafs should win this game easily. The Leafs are 4-1-1 in their past six matchups against the Jackets.

Editor's note: Merzlikins is expected to be activated from IR and make the start against the Leafs. While this likely improves the Jackets' chances, they're still very much the underdog.