NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Expected Starters - Wednesday, Dec. 13

Wednesday, Dec. 13. Five-game slate.

* = confirmed or probable

Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT* at Samuel Montembeault, MTL*

Jeremy Swayman, BOS at Vitek Vanecek, NJ*

John Gibson, ANA at Semyon Varlamov, NYI*

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* at Ivan Prosvetov, COL*

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG* at Cam Talbot, LA

Streaming Options

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

Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at MTL (8% rostered)

Nedeljkovic will undoubtedly be the most popular waiver wire pickup of the night. Though the Pens are playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel, Nedeljkovic has been excellent save for one start this season. He’s won only two of his five starts but that’s mainly because the Pens didn’t provide much goal support, and that would be the only concern in this matchup. Nedeljkovic has a career .951 SP and 1.62 GAA against the Habs.

(NEW) Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. ANA (40% rostered)

It's been a 2:1 rotation for the Isles and with Ilya Sorokin winning consecutive games, it's Varlamov's turn to keep the streak going. This will be a good matchup for the Isles, who can provide goal support even though Varlamov has allowed at least three goals in five straight games. The Ducks have lost 11 of their past 12 games. It should be an easy win, but I'm not sure the save percentage will be pretty. 

(NEW) Ivan Prosvetov, COL vs. BUF (9% rostered)

Prosvetov gets the start after relieving the struggling Alexandar Georgiev in their previous game against the Flames, a nail-biter 6-5 win. This will be Prosvetov's third straight appearance, and with a back-to-back coming up on Saturday and Sunday, it's looking like Prosvetov will end up playing more than Georgiev this week. The Avs are favored in this matchup and Prosvetov's increased playing time makes him more than just a streaming option; he can be a good mid-term hold for managers looking to for some wins.

Devon Levi, BUF at COL (53% rostered)

Breaking our own criteria a little bit since Levi is rostered in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, but I also wanted to note Levi has allowed just five goals on 86 shots (.942 SP) in three games since his re-call, but this is a stiff test. The Avs’ offense is terrifying, and you’d only start Levi if you’re confident that he can at least give you a save percentage. If you’re conservative and looking to preserve a good save percentage or GAA, I’d rather sit Levi.

Editor's note: The Sabres will start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, giving Levi a break after three games even though Levi played well. Luukkonen gets his first start since Dec. 3 and backed up Levi against the Coyotes after recovering from illness. This is a chance for the Sabres to see what kind of tandem they have in Luukkonen and Levi with Eric Comrie being the No. 3 choice again. The Avs' netminders are struggling a little bit, but even with the inconsistency, they will be a difficult opponent. It's likely the Sabres will allow more than just a couple goals. 

John Gibson, ANA at NYI (48% rostered)

The Ducks are terrible. Again. Mired in a three-game losing streak and an eight-game losing streak before that, they’ve yet to win in regulation since Nov. 14. Their goaltending has not been good – Gibson looks a little lost out there once again – and their goal support – Mason McTavish remains injured – is close to non-existent. The one thing the Isles haven’t had trouble doing lately is score, and it’s unlikely the Ducks have the firepower to stage a comeback should the Isles collapse in the third (again).