NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Expected Starters - Monday, Jan. 15

Monday, Jan. 15. 10-game slate.

* = confirmed or probable

Nico Daws, NJ* at Jeremy Swayman, BOS* (1 p.m. ET)

Kaapo Kahkonen, SJ* at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* (1 p.m. ET)

Casey DeSmith, VAN* at Elvis Merzlikins, CLB* (1 p.m. ET)

John Gibson, ANA* at Anthony Stolarz, FLA* (1 p.m. ET)

David Rittich, LA* at Antti Raanta, CAR* (3 p.m. ET)

Ilya Sorokin, NYI at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (6 p.m. ET)

Joey Daccord, SEA* at Tristan Jarry, PIT* (6 p.m. ET)

Juuse Saros, NSH at Logan Thompson, VEG (6 p.m. ET)

Alexandar Georgiev, COL at Jake Allen, MTL* (7 p.m. ET)

Carter Hart, PHI* at Joel Hofer, STL* (8 p.m. ET)

Streaming Options

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

Casey DeSmith, VAN at CLB (15% rostered)

Just a hunch, but with the Canucks ending their road trip after leaving Buffalo late and starting a Monday matinee that would be 10 a.m. Pacific Time, I think DeSmith gets the start. DeSmith is no Thatcher Demko, of course, but this is a great matchup for a team that's going for their sixth straight win with an elite offense providing goal support. 

Anthony Stolarz, FLA vs. ANA (10% rostered)

Stolarz hasn't allowed more than two goals since Dec. 2 when he allowed four against the Isles, and with the Ducks missing Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson, this is great matchup. This is an extra early start for the Ducks and with the Panthers' winning streak snapped at 10 games Saturday, no doubt they'll try to get back on track soon. The Panthers have won seven straight matchups against the Ducks and Stolarz has a .962 career SP against his former team. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. SJ (16% rostered)

I don't think there's much of a gap between Luukkonen and Devon Levi, and would even venture to say Luukkonen is the better option. Either goalie gets a good matchup against the Sharks (it's not a good day to be a Pacific Coast team) with the early start. Luukkonen is coming off an excellent performance despite being tagged with the loss after allowing just one goal against the vaunted Canucks. He'll be going for his fourth win in five starts. 

Samuel Ersson, PHI at STL (33% rostered)

Ersson's coming off an impressive 35-save shutout against the Jets, so he has to get the start again, right? He's outplayed Carter Hart recently and has very good rest-of-season value with the potential to take the starting job. Historically, this has been a tough matchup, but I think the Flyers have the slight edge. If they don't win in their tough road trip — three games in four nights — Ersson should at least provide a solid save percentage. 

Editor's note: Hart gets the start. 

Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT vs. SEA (26% rostered)

It looks like the Pens are going with a rotation now and Nedeljkovic has been very solid all season. This is a chance for redemption after getting pulled against the Canucks after one period, the first time that's happened to him this season. The Kraken are on a roll and they'll be tough to score on, but a good save percentage should be the bare minimum in this matchup. 

Editor's note: Tristan Jarry will get the start. This will be the second straight start for Jarry and third straight appearance after Nedeljkovic was pulled against the Canucks. 

Antti Raanta, CAR vs. LA (30% rostered)

Raanta's 38-save win against the Pens was very encouraging. Since getting called up, he's allowed just three goals in two starts. The Kings are reeling and the Canes are playing much better now than they were earlier in the season. I don't mind rolling the dice with Raanta in this matchup and I think both a win and a good save percentage is possible. 

Nico Daws, NJ at BOS (9% rostered)

Love the goalie but not the matchup. If Daws puts in a good performance against the Bruins, he should take the net going forward. That's the long-term upside, so even if you're unsure about this matchup, Daws may be worth the stash. The Bruins have dominated this matchup in recent years, winning nine of 11 matchups and both losses were suffered in overtime. The Devils are missing key players and this will be a difficult win. 

(NEW) Joel Hofer, STL vs. PHI (8% rostered)

Hofer gets a crack to snap his personal two-game losing streak against a shorthanded Flyers team that will be without top center Sean Couturier and the newly-acquired Jamie Drysdale. Historically, this matchup has always been quite close, and I expect the same. 

Hofer can be streaky but even when he's bad, he's not awful, so there's certainly a pretty high floor. I'd be okay rolling with Hofer in this matchup. You'll get a decent save percentage and a coin flip's chance of earning a win.

Kaapo Kahkonen, SJ at BUF (3% rostered)

Pass. Even when the Sharks are good at limiting shots, Kahkonen hasn't shown much ability to stop pucks. The Sabres are missing Jeff Skinner, but they have so much more offensive firepower regardless. 

Jake Allen, MTL vs. COL (7% rostered)

Have you seen Nathan MacKinnon play lately? The Habs have lost three straight and Allen has not played since Jan. 4 and has not won since Dec. 18. 

Elvis Merzlikins, CLB vs. VAN (23% rostered)

Is there upset potential? Yes, against a West Coast team that travelled late in adverse conditions and starting way earlier than usual, even for a matinee. But for a goalie who hasn't played since Dec. 29, this is a tall order. Unless Merzlikins pulls out a season-best performance, the Jackets are big underdogs.