NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Goalie Pickups and Expected Starters March 18 - Jarry's Drive For Five

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.

9 games on Tuesday, March 18

* = confirmed

Linus Ullmark, OTT at Sam Montembeault, MTL (7 p.m. ET)

Dan Vladar, CGY at Igor Shesterkin, NYR (7 p.m. ET)

Ilya Sorokin, NYI at Tristan Jarry, PIT (7 p.m. ET)

Petr Mrazek, DET at Charlie Lindgren, WSH (7 p.m. ET)

Jordan Binnington, STL at Juuse Saros, NSH (8 p.m. ET)

Lukas Dostal, ANA at Jake Oettinger, DAL (8 p.m. ET)

Philipp Grubauer, SEA at Spencer Knight, CHI (8:30 p.m. ET)

Karel Vejmelka, UTA at Stuart Skinner, EDM (9 p.m. ET)

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at Kevin Lankinen, VAN (10 p.m. ET)

Goalies

Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. NYI (23% rostered)

We played the odds last time given Jarry’s historically strong performance against the Blues, and he did not disappoint earning his seventh win in eight career appearances against them. It’s a similar story here; Jarry is 11-4-1 all-time against the Isles with a .918 SP and 2.46 GAA, and 7-1-1 on home ice. True, he was not sharp earlier this season when he allowed five goals on 33 shots (.848 SP) on Dec. 28, but that was on the road and Jarry’s playing his best right now.

There’s obvious risk with Jarry’s save percentage declining with each subsequent start despite winning five in a row. The Isles have trouble scoring most nights and own the league’s worst power play. This game should be close, but being on home ice should tip the scales in the Pens’ favor. I think Jarry’s an option if you’re looking for a win.

Petr Mrazek, DET at WSH (11% rostered)

Mrazek seems to be the Wings’ preferred option in net, and coming off a shutout win, don’t be surprised if he gets his fourth straight start. Take the shutout with a grain of salt; Mrazek faced just 18 shots against the Knights, and now he’s on the road against one of the league’s best teams at home with a 21-7-6 record. Mrazek is 5-9-2 with a .897 SP all-time against the Caps.

The Caps have won six of their past seven and certainly have more momentum on their side, while the Wings have won two of their past three but lost seven of their past nine. Mrazek has been better for the Wings than he was for the Hawks, but it’s hard to envision him stealing this game. You’re hoping for a lot of saves for this streaming matchup and not necessarily a good save percentage or even a win.

Karel Vejmelka, UTA at EDM (44% rostered)

Utah ends their three-game road trip in Edmonton and a win puts them in the wild card spot. They’re good on the road (17-13-4) but the Oilers seem to have turned a corner with five wins in their past eight games. Scoring seems to be more difficult than usual, but the Oilers have never had much trouble scoring against the Utah/Arizona franchise. The Oilers won both of their meetings and scored four goals in each game.

Utah has limited their opponents to 26 shots or less in five straight games but that will be difficult to do against the Oilers. In their previous two meetings, the Oilers put up a minimum of 32 shots. Vejmelka has a chance to win if Utah’s offense provides enough goal support and if he stands on his head; otherwise it’s more likely he offers a lot of saves and a decent save percentage.

Philipp Grubauer, SEA at CHI (4% rostered) Spencer Knight, CHI vs. SEA (27% rostered)

Grubauer will be going for his second straight win and draws another matchup against the Hawks, who have lost four straight. Knight should get the call, his fifth start for his new club and so far he’s been quite good with a .928 SP and 2.24 GAA. There’s no doubt Knight is the better goalie, but the Kraken have had the upper hand in this matchup averaging 4.2 goals per game.

Knight will likely have the better save percentage and rack up more saves, and the Hawks aren’t awful at home (13-15-4). The one thing I worry about is the lack of goal support, which puts Grubauer in a better position to win the game. If I had to pick a goalie, it’d be Knight; he gets me saves, a decent save percentage and a chance at a win, whereas Grubauer has a good chance to get the win but doesn’t provide much for peripherals.

Dan Vladar, CGY at NYR (4% rostered)

The good news is Vladar has limited teams to no more than three goals allowed in four straight starts. The bad news is he has just eight wins in 25 starts and the Flames are playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing 6-2 in Toronto on Monday. Their games have been close in recent seasons – all five of their most recent games since 2023 were decided by two goals or less – but the Rangers have a clear advantage. Note this is Vladar’s first career appearance against the Rangers.

The Rangers aren’t playing their best but hosting a potentially tired road team from the West and starting their backup should be a win for them. Vladar has been playing better but also is not a reliable streaming option. You’re hoping he can stop a lot of pucks, but earning the win is difficult, especially with the Flames’ league-worst offense, averaging just 2.55 goals per game. 

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