Weekend Waiver Wire

Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Weekend Waiver Wire. It is time once again to take a look at what goaltenders may be available as a streaming option this weekend to help you take down your fantasy matchups. It’s another full slate, so let’s get to it!

Jet Greaves - Columbus Blue Jackets (46% owned on Yahoo / 69% owned on Fantrax)

Elvis Merzlikins - Columbus Blue Jackets (10% owned on Yahoo / 35% owned on Fantrax)

The Columbus Blue Jackets will hit the road for a back-to-back this weekend as they take on the Florida Panthers on Saturday before heading to Washington for a date with the Capitals. Jet Greaves has outplayed Elvis Merzlikins so far this year so you would have to think he’ll draw the second half of the back-to-back versus Washington while Merzlikins would get the start against Florida on Saturday. Greaves has put together a decent 2.81 goals against and .901 save percentage with a solid 62.5 quality start rate, giving his team a chance on most nights. The Washington Capitals will be a handful as the team ranks sixth offensively at 3.37 goals per game while ranking second defensively at 2.52 goals against per game. All that being said, I’m not against picking up Greaves off the wire but I would look to other options before committing to the Blue Jackets backstop.

As for Merzlikins, He’s had his struggles this year having fashioned a 5-5 record accompanied by a bloated 3.50 goals against and .895 save percentage with a 60.0 quality start rate. The Panthers have had injury troubles for most if not all year, however, they have stayed competitive while keeping their collective heads above water in playing .500 hockey. Even with a depleted Panthers line up, I'm just not convinced/comfortable rostering Merzlikins until he turns things around. It’s a pass for me.

Jake Allen - New Jersey Devils (38% owned on Yahoo / 52% owned on Fantrax)

The New Jersey Devils have a tough back-to-back on the horizon against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday before travelling to Beantown to face the Bruins on Saturday. My guess would be that Allen starts on Saturday versus the Bruins which will be no easy task as the B’s have played above expectations all year. That said, Boston remains without the services of superstar David Pastrnak as well as number one defenseman Charlie McAvoy (facial surgery) due to injury and will be hard pressed to maintain their strong play especially if Pastrnak’s undisclosed ailment lingers any longer than it already has (three games and counting). Aside from the fact that the Devils themselves remain without their own superstar Jack Hughes, I’m buying some Jake Allen stock this weekend and you should too.

Arvid Soderblom - Chicago Blackhawks (1% owned on Yahoo / 10% owned on Fantrax)

This could be a bit of a tough spot for Arvid Soderblom and the Chicago Blackhawks as a whole with the team continuing a west coast swing through Los Angeles to face the Kings on Saturday followed by a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. I would expect Soderblom to get the Kings in the first half of the back-to-back and quite frankly, I’m just not convinced it’s worth adding him with his performance this year as the Blackhawks backup is sporting a 3-4-1 record with an inflated 3.53 goals against and .878 save percentage to go along with a 37.5 quality start rate. Throw in the fact that the Kings play in their own end has been on point with the team placing fifth overall defensively at 2.62 goals against per game. It’s a hard pass for me.

Daniil Tarasov - Florida Panthers (4% owned on Yahoo / 19% owned on Fantrax)

It has been a difficult season for the Florida Panthers to be sure, however, to maintain a .500 points percentage without your two biggest stars is rather impressive. True, the Panthers find themselves dead last in the Eastern Conference yet remain only six points out of a playoff spot as we roll into December. A back-to-back this weekend against the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders will give backup netminder Danill Tarasov a chance to see some game action with an expected start against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Columbus is leaky defensively giving up 3.23 goals against per game while their offense has been rather stagnant sitting 23rd overall at 2.88 goals per game. Florida has not been as defensively sound as we have come to expect, however, I think they have enough juice offensively to overcome the Blue Jackets and like Tarasov as an addition off the wire this weekend.

Brandon Bussi - Carolina Hurricanes (14% owned on Yahoo / 29% owned on Fantrax)

Frederik Andersen - Carolina Hurricanes (47% owned on Yahoo / 59% owned on Fantrax)

The Carolina Hurricanes have quite a favorable upcoming schedule with both the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks on tap this weekend. There has been a bit of carousel in the Hurricanes crease this season as the team has kept three goaltenders on the active roster for a number of weeks now, that being said, the manner in which this team plays such a structured game will benefit whomever is in goal. Brandon Bussi has been the most consistent (and healthy) of the Hurricanes three headed monster to date having gone a combined 7-1 record accompanied by a stellar 2.11 goals against and .907 save percentage with a 62.5 quality start rate including one shutout. I would expect Bussi to draw the Sharks on Sunday with the way he’s been playing while veteran Frederik Andersen would likely face the Predators on Saturday. Speaking of the aforementioned Andersen, I don’t mind this landing spot for him to regain a little confidence against what should be an inferior opponent. The statline is not very glowing for the 6’4” 229lbs Dane this year with a pedestrian 5-6-2 record along with a horrendous 3.07 goals against and .878 save percentage including a 23.1 quality start rate. I’m fully investing in Bussi this weekend with Andersen being a solid option himself.

David Rittich - New York Islanders (7% owned on Yahoo / 15% owned on Fantrax)

The New York Islanders have to be fairly pleased with the play of their backup goaltender David Rittich so far this year. The veteran netminder has put together a respectable 6-2-1 record with a 2.61 goals against and .900 save percentage along with a 66.7 quality start rate including one shutout. The Islanders will need to be at their best with an upcoming back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lighting on Saturday followed by a date with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Sunday. I would expect Rittich to suit up against the depleted Panthers while Ilya Sorokin would face the Lightning in the first half of the back-to-back. This is a decent landing spot for Rittich in my opinion as the Panthers are just trying to keep their collective heads above water until some reinforcements start making their way back into the lineup. If you happen to miss out on your first few choices, Rittich is a potential addition to your roster.

Joel Hofer - St-Louis Blues (6% owned on Yahoo / 28% owned on Fantrax)

The St-Louis Blues will take on a couple of Atlantic division teams during their back-to-back this weekend when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday before heading down the road for a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. It's been a struggle for Hofer to gain any traction as the 25-year old has slogged his way to a 3-5-2 record combined with an inflated 3.29 goals against and .881 save percentage in addition to a 30.8 quality start rate. My feeling is that will not change this weekend with the Canadiens (7th in GF/GP) and Senators (11th in GF/GP) both playing well offensively combined with the Blues currently sitting 27th overall defensively (3.44 GF/GP) and you have the making for a rather tough ask from Hofer. It’s a hard pass.

Spencer Martin - New York Rangers (0% owned on Yahoo / 2% owned on Fantrax)

There has been no word on Jonathan Quick’s return as of yet, so with that being said, former KHL goaltender Spencer Martin has the potential to see some NHL action this weekend with the New York Rangers welcoming a couple of heavy hitters in the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights. The Rangers have been putrid on home ice this year as evidenced by their 3-8-1 record combined with the fact they are taking on two teams scoring over three goals per game and one can see that Martin is in a less than favorable spot. Look to other potential options as this is a desperation play only.

Vitek Vanecek - Utah Mammoth (1% owned on Yahoo / 10% owned on Fantrax)

Color me intrigued as it pertains to the Utah Mammoth backup as things are lining up for the Czechia native to face either the Vancouver Canucks on Friday or the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Vitek Vanecek has struggled to start the season with a 2-5-1 record accompanied by 3.11 goals against and .868 save percentage, that said, both opponents find themselves amongst the league's bottom dwellers which offers a more favorable outcome regardless of Vanecek’s aforementioned struggles. Don’t get me wrong, Vanecek wouldn’t be my first choice heading into the weekend but if fantasy managers miss out on their preferred netminder Vanecek is a viable option due to the level of his competition. It’s a slight gamble but could be a sneaky good addition to your roster..

Kevin Lankinen - Vancouver Canucks (11% owned on Yahoo / 31% owned on Fantrax)

The Vancouver Canucks finish off this week at home with a back-to-back against the Utah Mammoth on Friday and Minnesota Wild on Saturday. The Canucks have been terrible defensively this year as Vancouver sits dead last in goals against per game (3.63) while owning a -18 goal differential on the season. Injuries have not been kind to this group with six regulars currently out of the lineup, most notably of course would be goaltender Thatcher Demko. Enter, Kevin Lankinen who has been asked to bear a heavier workload in Demko’s stead to varying results as the Canucks backup has put together a 4-8-3 record with a 3.48 goals against and .883 save percentage. The Mammoth, who are coming off a big win against the Anaheim Ducks where they exploded for a total of seven goals and the Wild who have gone 8-0-2 in their last ten are just playing at another level right now. In this instance, I'd fade Lankinen.

Jakub Dobes - Montreal Canadiens (29% owned on Yahoo / 59% owned on Fantrax)

Sam Montembeault - Montreal Canadiens (0% owned on Yahoo / 71% owned on Fantrax)

It will be rocking on Saturday in Toronto as the Montreal Canadiens will pay the Maple Leafs a visit to rekindle an old rivalry. The way that rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes has outplayed Sam Montembeault would suggest to me that he would be tabbed for the start on Saturday night in Toronto. Although Toronto has struggled mightily this year, they still boast a potent offense which ranks fifth league-wide (3.42 GF/GP) combine that with Montreal's defensive woes (3.54 GA/GP) and you can see where things could get a little dicey. The matchup to focus on for fantasy managers would be the tilt on Sunday against the St-Louis Blues who have been some kind of awful this season. As mentioned above, I figure Montembeault draws this start to help rebuild some of his lost confidence against a team struggling on offense ranking 30th overall (2.56 GF/GP). On the flip side, Montreal may have difficulties in their own end, however, the Habs are a different story on the attack ranking seventh overall (3.31 GF/GP) which leads me to believe that whomever receives that start against the Blues is certainly the one to target.

Eric Comrie - Winnipeg Jets (26% owned on Yahoo / 39% owned on Fantrax)

Thomas Milic - Winnipeg Jets (1% owned on Yahoo / 10% owned on Fantrax)

After getting fed a nice slice of humble pie on Monday in Buffalo (5-1 loss), I would fully expect to see a much different result in the return match on Friday in Winnipeg. Thomas Milic is expected to start against the Sabres with Eric Comrie set up to face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, which to me is perfect timing as Milic should be sitting right there on the waiver wire for you seeing as the 22-year old is only 1% owned on Yahoo. I really like this spot for Milic as a spot start. As for Comrie, he is an option but with the Jets playing on back-to-back nights with the second game being in Edmonton where the Oilers will be rested and waiting for them just doesn’t give me the utmost confidence in a favorable outcome (McDavid and Draisaitl cast a large shadow as well).

There you have it folks, some streaming options to consider for your fantasy squad heading into the weekend.

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