Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire - Tuesday, Nov. 14

Daniel Vladar, CGY at MTL (2% rostered)

Either Vladar or Dustin Wolf will start if Jacob Markstrom is still unavailable, and I don’t think Vladar’s performance against the Leafs (3.69 GAA, .889 SP) was bad enough that they will start Wolf in consecutive games. The Flames are no closer to righting the ship and face a sneaky-tough Habs squad that’s 5-4-0 at home. This might be a coin flip, and even if the Flames pull off a win, Vladar’s stats are unlikely to be pretty.

Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ vs. FLA (11% rostered)

Blackwood’s going to get you a lot of saves, and that’s about it. The Sharks are porous on defense and they don’t provide any goal support, but once in a while, Blackwood will steal a game with 40-plus saves. The Panthers are red-hot with four straight wins, so be wary of this matchup, but it’s not the worst of the night.

Charlie Lindgren, WSH vs. VEG (5% rostered)

Darcy Kuemper is day-to-day and Hunter Shepard started the most recent game, so it’s likely Lindgren’s turn in net. Asides from the season opener, Lindgren has been very good in both of his appearances, allowing three goals in two games, both of which were wins. However, the Knights are the league’s best team, and since losing to the Caps in the final, the Knights have won six of their past eight matchups, including five straight. I’d rather take my chances elsewhere.

Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW, STL vs. TB (46% rostered)
Robert Thomas, C, STL vs. TB (41% rostered)
Brayden Schenn, C/LW, STL vs. TB (40% rostered)

This might be your last chance to grab these players. Thomas has the most offensive upside as the No. 1 center and much of the Blues’ offense goes through him as their top playmaker. The spike in shot volume is also nice.

Buchnevich has been scoring at close to a point-per-game pace over the past two seasons and both him and Schenn are coming off hat-trick performances against the Avs. Schenn has more value in banger leagues with his 32 hits, which trails only Sammy Blais on the team.

Nazem Kadri, C, CGY at MTL (47% rostered)

Kadri’s five-game points streak was snapped against the Sens and it was the first game of the season he failed to get a shot on goal. The points are tough to come by because the Flames don’t have any scorers, but Kadri’s at least doing his part and remains valuable in leagues that count shots and faceoff wins. His scoring will come and go, and you’ll just need to ride out the dry spells.

Wyatt Johnston, C, DAL vs. ARI (31% rostered)

Matt Duchene is also worth rostering, but Johnston’s upside is higher as the No. 2 center, and he hasn’t struggled to score as much as Duchene, though both players have been scoring lately. Johnston has a chance to make it three straight multi-point games, and he’s been far more productive at home with seven points in five games compared to six points in nine games on the road.

Dawson Mercer, C/RW, NJ at WPG (25% rostered)

Nico Hischier is not making the two-game road trip, which locks in Mercer as their No. 2 center. He scored zero points in the first 10 games of the season but has since scored two goals in his past three games. It’s a sign that he’s picking it up after some poor luck to start the season, and the shot volume has (uncoincidentally) picked up. Usually, an outing against Connor Hellebuyck is an automatic fade, but not this season.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH vs. VEG (19% rostered)

The Caps are at home so they’ll get last change, and maybe that gives Spencer Carbery the advantage to get better matchups for Kuznetsov’s line with Alex Ovechkin. Kuznetsov is getting tons of ice time and that’s unlikely to change on a team short on scoring. Since getting moved back to the first line, Kuznetsov has scored two goals and three points in two games.

Sam Bennett, C, FLA at SJ (19% rostered)

Bennett didn’t show on the score sheet last game following a five-game absence after suffering his second injury of the season. However, this matchup is just too good to pass up. The Sharks are the worst defensive team in the league by a significant margin.

Cole Perfetti, C, WPG vs. NJ (6% rostered)

Perfetti’s at least worth streaming, and in keeper leagues, definitely worth holding. He’s on a six-game points streak and three-game goals streak playing L2. It’s very encouraging that Perfetti is the engine driving the second line with Vladislav Namestnikov scoring just one goal this season and Nikolaj Ehlers quickly fading into obscurity in fantasy. The Devils defense and goaltending rates among the league’s worst.

Alex Killorn, LW/RW, ANA at NSH (29% rostered)

With Trevor Zegras placed on IR on Monday, that means Killorn’s going to get an extended look on PP1. This should be a productive matchup because the Preds tend to take a lot of penalties and their PK is ranked 31st in the league, partly due to a down season from Juuse Saros.

James van Riemsdyk, LW, BOS at BUF (12% rostered)

I’m usually not a proponent of old scoring wingers who can’t skate, but JVR’s four-game points streak gives me a little pause. The Sabres still haven’t fixed a lot of their issues on defense, and JVR has scored 20 career goals against them, more than any other team. With the B’s stacking their top line, JVR is playing L2 with Charlie Coyle.

Thomas Novak, C, NSH vs. ANA (11% rostered)

The return of Cody Glass hasn’t put a dent in Novak’s fantasy value, who scored two assists against the Yotes. Glass and Novak had been battling for minutes but Novak possesses more offensive upside and remains on a very speedy line with Luke Evangelista and Kiefer Sherwood that’s excellent off the rush. Novak’s 12 points is tied with Ryan O’Reilly for second on the team behind Filip Forsberg.

Connor Zary, C, CGY at MTL (2% rostered)

Zary had scored four points in his first four games but ended up with zero in a 4-1 loss to the Sens. Zary’s scoring pace was going to come down at some point, anyway, but he’s still in a good spot playing on a line with Kadri. Now, if only Zary can get a little time on the PP…

Michael Amadio, C, VEG at WSH (1% rostered)

Chandler Stephenson is not expected to play Tuesday, which means Amadio will remain the No. 2 center with Mark Stone and William Carrier on his wings. Amadio’s a role player and usually quite limited on offense, but on L2 and PP2, there’s definitely some untapped offense. He scored two assists in a 5-0 win against the Sharks on Friday.

Calen Addison, SJ vs. FLA (4% rostered)

I’m intrigued by Addison’s upside, though playing on the Sharks obviously has its pitfalls. With no one to compete with Addison for minutes on the power play – unless the Sharks return to a five-forward unit – he’s going to capture all of the potential upside. In 12 or 14-team leagues where quality defensemen are hard to find, Addison’s a speculative add just to see if he can put up some points. So far, it hasn’t looked promising, but it might take a while for him to adjust to his new team.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, FLA at SJ (40% rostered)

We’re all hopping on the OEL train a little late – he should’ve been rostered in more leagues earlier in the season – because Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad are returning soon. That being said, until they return, OEL’s a great streaming option especially now that he’s scoring with three goals and six points in his past five games. This is a great matchup for the Panthers.