NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Goalie Pickups Jan. 25 - Jake Allen Takeover

Jake Allen will be the Devils' starter going forward with Jacob Markstrom on the shelf.

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.

13 games on Saturday, Jan. 25

* = confirmed

Mackenzie Blackwood, COL at Joonas Korpisalo, BOS (1 p.m. ET)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at Stuart Skinner, EDM (4 p.m. ET)

Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at Joey Daccord, SEA (4 p.m. ET)

Jake Allen, NJ* at Jakub Dobes, MTL* (7 p.m. ET)

Joseph Woll, TOR at Anton Forsberg, OTT* (7 p.m. ET)

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at Cam Talbot, DET* (7 p.m. ET)

Darcy Kuemper, LA at Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ* (7 p.m. ET)

Casey DeSmith, DAL at Jordan Binnington, STL* (7 p.m. ET)

Dustin Wolf, CGY at Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN* (7 p.m. ET)

Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at Marcus Hogberg, NYI (7:30 p.m. ET)

Logan Thompson, WSH at Thatcher Demko, VAN (10 p.m. ET)

Juuse Saros, NSH at Lukas Dostal, ANA (10 p.m. ET)

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at Alexandar Georgiev, SJ (10 p.m. ET)

Anton Forsberg, OTT vs. TOR (4% rostered)

Forsberg is slated to start and it'll be his fourth straight appearance. The Sens have done a good job of limiting shots, making Forsberg's job easier, but their scoring has gone dry, having been shut out three times in their past five games. That'd be my biggest worry against the Leafs. I think Forsberg can offer a good save percentage but this is a tough matchup where a win is a coin flip. The Leafs are favorites by the slightest margin.

Jake Allen, NJ at MTL (23% rostered)
Jakub Dobes, MTL vs. NJ (24% rostered)

With news that Jacob Markstrom will be out up to six weeks with a knee sprain, Allen will be the Devils' starter going forward. Isaac Poulter will be the backup temporarily while Nico Daws gets a few more games in the AHL before he's called up. Allen now has immense fantasy value over the next two months and he should be picked up in all leagues. Allen is close to must-start territory every game even though his performances this season have generally been just okay (6 wins, .901 SP). 

The Habs have been excellent over the past month-and-half, and Saturday nights in Montreal are always tough. Dobes pulled off a win but allowed four goals on 27 shots (.852 SP) in his previous start, the first sign that his hot start might start to crumble. I still think he can rack up the saves, and I don't mind streaming him against a Devils team that's struggling at both ends.

I like Allen in this matchup even with the chance of an upset, but going forward you want Allen for wins, not necessarily a good save percentage. Dobes should be good for a high number of saves. 

Casey DeSmith, DAL at STL (7% rostered)

The Stars are playing the second game of a back-to-back with travel and DeSmith is coming off two straight losses. He's a capable backup and this is definitely a game where he can win. The Blues offense has improved under Jim Montgomery but they're still not a team to be really feared. 

I like DeSmith's odds of earning a win, but won't count on him delivering an outstanding save percentage. Shot volume will likely be relatively low. 

Joonas Korpisalo, BOS vs. COL (14% rostered)
Scott Wedgewood, COL at BOS (9% rostered)

Korpisalo likely gets the start after he relieved Jeremy Swayman in New Jersey and shut out the Sens the next night, making this his fourth straight appearance. It's an early start and the Bruins have a two-day break after this game, so if Swayman is healthy, he still may get the start. 

The Avs have a weird back-to-back where both games are matinees, so we may see a Mackenzie Blackwood vs. Jeremy Swayman showdown, which renders this writeup obsolete. Anyway, even with the Avs trading Mikko Rantanen in a big blockbuster Friday evening, and assuming Martin Necas won't get there in time, they should hold the edge against the Bruins. Korpisalo is the stronger goalie, in my opinion, but he will still have to face Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. For a win, I'd go for Wedgewood, but matinees can be very unpredictable and this certainly has the makings of a potentially high-scoring game.

Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. LA (32% rostered)

Good news: the Blue Jackets offense is good enough to win them games. The bad news: the Kings are super stingy and allowing just 2.73 goals on the road, seventh-best in the league. Merzlikins has won six of his past eight games but his play has been quite volatile. I think the Jackets can pull off an upset, but we're not looking for a strong save percentage from Merzlikins.

Marcus Hogberg, NYI vs. CAR (4% rostered)

The Islanders are suddenly on a roll with six wins in their past eight games, including three straight. Hogberg will likely get the start and he's been excellent so far this season with a .952 SP and 1.32 GAA. That surely won't last, especially against such a good team, and possibly with Rantanen in the lineup. I doubt the Isles get the win here, but a good save percentage and a lot of saves is very attainable with Hogberg. The Isles are 5-11-0 against the Canes since 2020.

Cam Talbot, DET vs. TB (41% rostered)

Talbot is an option for the Red Wings, and he's coming off a 4-2 win against the red-hot Habs with two goals allowed on 29 shots (.931 SP). He's generally been very good this season and the Lightning are playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel, and despite outshooting the Hawks, 40-14, on Friday, they barely squeaked by with a 4-3 win in OT. I'm fearful of the Lightning offense, but there's a chance Talbot pulls off the upset. Don't hold your breath for a good save percentage.

Alexandar Georgiev, SJ vs. FLA (45% rostered)

Georgiev's start with the Sharks was promising but he's reverted back to his sieve-like ways, allowing 13 goals in his past three games. The Sharks are not good defensively - that's not news - so at the very least Georgiev can rack up the saves, but it comes at the expense of a good save percentage. Never mind the wins - those just will never be there. Unless you're thinking about getting saves, Georgiev's not worth the trouble. He may have a strong performance in the odd game, but it's like playing with fire.

Lukas Dostal, ANA vs. NSH (38% rostered)

Dostal went from being a zero-G fantasy darling with his ability to rack up saves and steal wins to being just another talented goalie wasting away in Anaheim. He has just one win in his past five starts and his save percentage has dropped to .907 for the season. With the Predators offense improving, I would shy away from this matchup. If you want saves, Dostal can still deliver, and anything beyond that is just a big bonus.

Alex Nedeljkovic, PIT at SEA (14% rostered)

Maybe the Pens give Joel Blomqvist another look, but Nedeljkovic is their best option right now even though he allowed four goals against the Ducks. This is a local time matinee, which scares me already, but also note the Pens may be without top right winger Bryan Rust and they'll likely be facing Joey Daccord, who can be tough to beat. I'd shy away from all Penguins matchups due to their lack of consistency. The Pens are 2-4-1 all-time against them. 

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