The Wild, Avalanche and Maple Leafs may turn to their backups in their back-to-back games.
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 can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.
7 games for Friday, Dec. 20
* = confirmed
Matt Murray, TOR* at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF* (7 p.m. ET)
Sam Montembeault, MTL* at Cam Talbot, DET* (7 p.m. ET)
Joel Hofer, STL at Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA* (7 p.m. ET)
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR* at Charlie Lindgren, WSH* (7 p.m. ET)
Igor Shesterkin, NYR* at Jake Oettinger, DAL* (8 p.m. ET)
Karel Vejmelka, UTA* at Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN* (8 p.m. ET)
Scott Wedgewood, COL at John Gibson, ANA* (10 p.m. ET)
Goalies
Scott Wedgewood, COL at ANA (30% rostered)
A strong start from Wedgewood could lead to more playing time even though the Avs have hinted that they see Mackenzie Blackwood as their preferred option. I like this streaming start because I have a lot of confidence the Avs can provide good goal support and Wedgewood has been very solid so far with a 3-2-0 record, 1.92 GAA and .931 SP.
Casey DeSmith, DAL vs. NYR (5% rostered)
There's a chance DeSmith get this start after Jake Oettinger was pulled against the Leafs on Thursday. With the Rangers struggling so much and the Stars dominant at home - 13-4-0, best in the West - I think DeSmith is a good streaming option. The Rangers are immediately thinner up front after trading Kaapo Kakko, and I doubt their troubles will be alleviated after trading him.
Charlie Lindgren, WSH vs. CAR (40% rostered)
Lindgren has forced his way back into the rotation after the Caps briefly flirted with Logan Thompson as their No. 1. This a tough matchup but the Caps do have home-ice advantage though note Lindgren has been stronger on the road (.904 SP) than at home (.889 SP).
Still, the Caps have not lost three in a row all season and I suspect they'll put up a good fight. I don't mind starting Lindgren in this matchup and he should have plenty of ROS value if the Caps stick to their current rotation.
Alex Lyon, DET vs. MTL (12% rostered)
The Red Wings and Habs have a home-and-home series, so either Lyon gets this game or Saturday's, with Cam Talbot getting the other game. Either way, I do like the matchup for the Wings, though be wary the Habs offense has become far more dangerous with Patrik Laine.
The Wings' offense has also come alive with 10 goals in their past two games, and my fear is that this becomes a high-scoring game since neither team's defense is particularly tough. I think the Wings have a good chance to earn the win, but Lyon's played so sparingly this season I find it hard to trust him.
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at MIN (35% rostered)
At the bare minimum, Vejmelka should be rostered in over half of Yahoo leagues if only simply based on volume. Connor Ingram doesn't sound like he'll be back any time soon, and there's no rush to add goalie depth with Vejmelka playing so well; he's won three straight games and four of his past five.
This is a tough matchup but I think Utah has the offense to compete with the Wild, who will be much better after getting blown out in their previous game. I think Vejmelka can rack up the saves though Utah is certainly the underdog here.
Jesper Wallstedt, MIN vs. UTA (4% rostered)
Following a 6-1 loss to the Panthers, I think Wallstedt gets the net again for his second start of the season, saving Marc-Andre Fleury for Saturday in their second game of a back-to-back. There might be a rotation brewing for the Wild, but I suspect Fleury will still be the 1A option.
Regardless, I think Wallstedt looked okay in his first start, though I'm not entirely confident in his abilities yet, and the Utah offense is very talented and also quite explosive. I think the Wild will bounce back but don't be surprised if this is an upset. We get a little enamored by highly-touted rookie goalies too often, and the reality is they're usually too inexperienced to be reliable streaming options.
Joel Hofer, STL at FLA (9% rostered)
Hofer was very good in his previous start against the struggling Rangers and he's now won four straight games. I think Hofer's a decent option if there's nothing else on the waiver wire, but note the Blues are the underdogs and Hofer has had his share of blowup losses.
John Gibson, ANA vs. COL (17% rostered)
A lot of saves. That's what Gibson will provide. This game might be close because the Avs are playing the second half of a back-to-back and they still don't defend that well, so even an anemic Ducks offense should be able to put up some goals.
Matt Murray, TOR at BUF (1% rostered)
News broke Thursday that the Maple Leafs are calling up Matt Murray, though as of this writing it has yet to be made official. The Leafs have a back-to-back Friday and Saturday, and if Murray is to see action, the Sabres are the ideal opponent. Murray owns a 6-2-1, .913 SP and 2.88 GAA all-time against the Sabres, leaving Joseph Woll to face the Islanders on Saturday.
This is pretty significant. This means the Leafs don't have much confidence in Dennis Hildeby, whose fantasy value drops to near zero, and Murray gains interest as a streaming option. The Leafs are good and they'll win games with Murray in net, but also note Murray's been very good in the AHL so far this season, owning a .931 SP and 1.85 GAA through eight appearances.
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