NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Expected Starters - Thursday, Dec. 7

Thursday, Dec. 7. 13-game slate.

* = probable or confirmed

Devon Levi, BUF* at Linus Ullmark, BOS*

Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ* at Ville Husso, DET*

Cam Talbot, LA at Samuel Montembeault, MTL*

Joseph Woll, TOR* at Anton Forsberg, OTT

Spencer Martin, CLB* at Semyon Varlamov, NYI*

Scott Wedgewood, DAL at Charlie Lindgren, WSH*

Jonas Johansson, TB at Juuse Saros, NSH

John Gibson, ANA at Petr Mrazek, CHI*

Carter Hart, PHI* at Connor Ingram, ARI*

Antti Raanta, CAR at Dustin Wolf, CGY*

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG* at Alexandar Georgiev, COL*

Filip Gustavsson, MIN* at Casey DeSmith, VAN*

Akira Schmid, NJ* at Philipp Grubauer, SEA*

Streaming Options

( < 50% rostered on Yahoo leagues and ranked by matchup)

Scott Wedgewood, DAL at WSH (5% rostered)

The Stars are playing second half of their back-to-back while the Caps are coming off a two-day break, and they must be extra motivated after losing the final two games of their road trip by a combined 10-1 score. On the flip side, Wedgewood has been an excellent streaming option this season, and the Stars should have enough left in the tank to at least end their three-game road trip with a win. Their past three matchups have all been low-scoring wins by the Stars.

(NEW) Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. CLB (28% rostered)

The Isles are going back to Varlamov, who shut out the Jackets on Oct. 28, 2-0. Varlamov's play has dipped since his back-to-back shutouts in late October, and in his past five starts has allowed at least three goals in each game. I like the Isles' chances of winning and there's also a good chance Varlamov turns in a solid performance considering his career .939 SP and 2.13 GAA in 18 games against the Jackets. 

John Gibson, ANA at CHI (48% rostered)

Gibson’s been playing better than past seasons, and this is a good opportunity for the Ducks to snap their skid with only one win (via shootout) in their past 10 games. The Hawks aren’t nearly as deep and have likewise struggled with only two wins in their past 12 games. However, the Ducks have a deeper lineup and should at least be able to provide better goal support for Gibson.

Akira Schmid, NJ at SEA (27% rostered)

Vitek Vanecek looked so shaky against the Canucks, the Devils can’t go back to him, right? Schmid hasn’t been sharp either, but he should get a chance, and this is a good matchup against a team that’s really struggling with five straight losses. If Schmid starts, this will be his first ever appearance against the Kraken. Worst-case scenario, the Devils should be able to provide plenty of goal support for Schmid to win.

Jonas Johansson, TB at NSH (35% rostered)

This will be Johansson’s second start since Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return and this is a good matchup. The Lightning have won two straight and outscored their opponents, 7-1. Historically, this matchup has also been dominated by the Lightning with 12 wins in their past 14 matchups. As long as the Lightning can keep the Preds’ top line in check, this should be a win. Johansson’s .811 high-danger save percentage, per naturalstattrick.com, is merely average, but note the Preds aren’t particularly good at finishing around the crease even though they generate plenty of shots from that area, per hockeyviz.com.

(NEW) Casey DeSmith, VAN vs. MIN (8% rostered)

The Wild are on a roll and the Canucks' defensive play still leaves a lot to be desired even after acquiring Nikita Zadorov. The Canucks are typically excellent at home but they've also lost six straight matchups against the Wild. If the Canucks pull off the win, it'll most likely be a high-scoring affair. DeSmith has not played since Nov. 28 and sports a sub-.900 SP in his past two starts. 

(NEW) Charlie Lindgren, WSH vs. DAL (25% rostered)

This will be Lindgren's first start in four games and a chance to re-establish himself in the Caps' rotation. His play has expectedly dipped after a four-game run, and the Stars will be eager to win the final game of their three-game road trip. The Caps don't provide much goal support, which means Lindgren will have to somehow steal the game. Considering his recent play, it doesn't seem likely he'll be able to pull it off. 

Dustin Wolf, CGY vs. CAR (7% rostered)

Wolf relieved Dan Vladar in their previous game against the Wild and might draw the start. Why not, right? I’d be willing to roll the dice with Wolf partly because I think he has more upside than Raanta. The Canes are (supposedly) the better team, but they’re certainly not playing like it. If Wolf plays well, he’s worth a stash since the Flames might use him as a temporary No. 1 to see what they’ve got in the former AHL MVP.

Editor's note: Ryan Huska noted in his morning presser that this was always going to be a scheduled start for Wolf. That tells us they'll be working Wolf into the rotation with Vladar right away, and that bodes well for his fantasy value in the interim. 

Antti Raanta, CAR at CGY (40% rostered)

Trust the Canes to be better after an ugly 6-1 loss to the Oilers on Wednesday, but their play has truly been concerning. Raanta has six wins in 10 starts, but I’d be wary of his individual performance in terms of his save percentage and goals against. The Flames offense has improved since the start of the season, and I’d be wary of this start. The Canes just don’t breed a lot of confidence right now.

Spencer Martin, CLB at NYI (3% rostered)

If the Isles jump out to an early lead, don’t fret; it’s more than likely they somehow blow it. Still, the Isles have found their scoring touch lately, and though Martin has sprinkled in some good performances in eight starts this season, the Jackets have also been hit by the injury bug, recently losing Adam Boqvist (shoulder) and Cole Sillinger (upper body), and also seeing Patrik Laine and Erik Gudbranson both sit out due to illness. I’d be cautious about this start; it might be a win for Martin, but it might also feature a lot of goals.

Anton Forsberg, OTT vs. TOR (6% rostered)

Joonas Korpisalo is healthy but Forsberg has won two straight games, so it’ll be interesting to see who the Sens end up starting. The smart choice would be Forsberg since he’s playing far better, but this a tough matchup against a team that’s had a string of some poor luck – and some self-inflicted wounds – with two overtime losses and another by one goal in their past five games. This is a revenge game for Joseph Woll, who lost 6-3 to the Sens on Nov. 8.

Devon Levi, BUF at BOS (32% rostered)

Called up to fill in for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (illness), Levi may get the start to help the Sabres snap their four-game funk. However, this is a very difficult matchup, and considering Levi’s play necessitated a stint in the AHL, it’s inadvisable to stream him until he plays at a top-tier level.

Mackenzie Blackwood, SJ at DET (13% rostered)

There will be considerable hype going into this game because it will be Patrick Kane’s Red Wings debut. The Sharks are 4-2-0 in their past six but it’s also the fifth game of their lengthy road trip. Ville Husso should make things slightly easier for the Sharks but, ultimately, what you’re going to get from Blackwood is a high number of saves.

Cayden Primeau, MTL vs. LA (1% rostered)

Don’t even think about it. Though it also wouldn’t be hockey and its inherent randomness if the Kings’ record-breaking unbeaten start on the road (10-0-0) somehow ends against a goalie who is barely replacement level. 

Editor's note: The Habs are breaking from their three-man rotation and starting Samuel Montembeault for the second straight game, the first time they've started the same goalie in consecutive games since Oct. 23 with Jake Allen. Montembeault's the Habs' best goalie but this is still an undesirable matchup. You're getting a good save percentage in the most likely scenario.