NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Goalie Pickups and Expected Starters March 11 - Merzlikins in the Marsh; Gibson Potentially Returns

On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.

11 games on Tuesday, March 11

* = confirmed

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at Jeremy Swayman, BOS (7 p.m. ET)

Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ at Jacob Markstrom, NJ (7 p.m. ET)

Anton Forsberg, OTT at Samuel Ersson, PHI (7 p.m. ET)

Adin Hill, VGK at Tristan Jarry, PIT (7 p.m. ET)

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR (7:30 p.m. ET)

Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (8 p.m. ET)

Igor Shesterkin, NYR at Connor Hellebuyck, WPG (8 p.m. ET)

Sam Montembeault, MTL* at Kevin Lankinen, VAN (10 p.m. ET)

Logan Thompson, WSH at John Gibson, ANA (10 p.m. ET)

Ilya Sorokin, NYI at Darcy Kuemper, LA (10:30 p.m. ET)

Juuse Saros, NSH at Alexandar Georgiev, SJ (10:30 p.m. ET)

Goalies

Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ at NJ (37% rostered)

The Devils are averaging just 2.3 goals per game since Jack Hughes’ injury and will likely not have Dougie Hamilton in the lineup. This gives me hope for Merzlikins, especially with a very good offense supporting him that scored seven goals against the Rangers. There is some risk here because the Jackets are 11-18-4 on the road, but it’s also the last game of a four-game road trip and teams tend to play in the final game so they can go home on a high note.

I don’t mind being contrarian and picking Merzlikins for the win. I don’t think the Devils offense has enough offense to turn this into a blowout win unless Merzlikins has a really poor performance, so the save percentage won’t be bad enough to completely destroy your night.

Anton Forsberg, OTT at PHI (4% rostered) Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. OTT (22% rostered)

The Sens are winning games despite getting outplayed, losing the possession battle in four of their past six games, including last night’s 2-1 victory against the Wings where Linus Ullmark made 48 saves. This will be Forsberg’s first start since Feb. 6 and first appearance since Feb. 22 when he came in relief for Ullmark. Maybe Forsberg puts in a strong performance, but the Sens were outplayed heavily and playing the second game of a back-to-back, so I don’t suspect they’ll have their A-game.

However, Ersson has lost four straight with 16 goals allowed and the Flyers aren’t playing well at all. I think a matchup against the Sens gives the Flyers their best chance because to snap their losing streak they’ll host the Lightning and Hurricanes next, but don’t have the talent to match up against the Sens.

This game’s a toss-up. NHL.com’s odds has the Sens (-118) favored by the slightest of margins over the Flyers (-102). I think there’s risk for both goalies, but I’m leaning toward Forsberg despite his lack of playing time recently. I don’t expect a good save percentage from either goalie, so if you do stream either Forsberg or Ersson, you’re looking for a win.

Alexandar Georgiev, SJ vs. NSH (40% rostered)

The Preds have won 12 (!) straight against the Sharks dating back to 2019, and they tend to be close, high-scoring games. That alone should keep fantasy managers on the sideline, and the only way Georgiev can win is if the Sharks can keep the Preds’ shots to a minimum, which seems unlikely.

Stream Georgiev at your own risk. While the Sharks’ losing streak against the Preds has to end some time, both teams have not been very good defensively and feature some elite talent, setting the stage for another high-scoring game.

John Gibson, ANA vs. WSH (13% rostered)

Ville Husso was assigned to the AHL which is a hint Gibson should be ready to go in this matchup. If he doesn’t start, he’ll at least back up Lukas Dostal. The Caps have won four straight against the Ducks, but what I dislike most about this matchup is the Ducks’ offensive woes against the Caps, scoring just six goals in those four games and getting shut out twice.

I think Gibson (or Dostal) will rack up the saves, but I have little confidence the Ducks can score enough to get him the win against a very stingy and structured Caps. Alex Ovechkin’s chase for the goals record is at full tilt, and the Ducks PK ranks 28th and take the ninth-most penalties in the league.

Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. VGK (7% rostered)

It feels like a tease; Jarry allowed just one goal on 30 shots (.967 SP) in a 3-1 win against the Wild. We take this with a grain of salt; the Wild offense has no bite without Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, and the Pens scoring three goals is considered a good night for them. This is a much tougher opponent despite a mediocre road record (14-12-3).

Start Jarry at your own risk. The win against the Wild is a good sign, but there’s been so many instances where Jarry has been inconsistent and prone to a blowout loss. He’s either really good or really bad, and most times this season it’s been the latter.

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