NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Goalie Pickups Jan. 7 - Chance For Askarov To Win Third Straight; Bounce Back For Quick

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

10 games on Tuesday, Jan. 7

* = confirmed

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

Stuart Skinner, EDM* at Jeremy Swayman, BOS* (7 p.m. ET)

Anton Forsberg, OTT at Alex Lyon, DET* (7 p.m. ET)

Jake Oettinger, DAL* at Jonathan Quick, NYR* (7 p.m. ET)

Elvis Merzlikins, CLB* at Tristan Jarry, PIT* (7 p.m. ET)

Joseph Woll, TOR at Ivan Fedotov, PHI* (7:30 p.m. ET)

Jordan Binnington, STL at Filip Gustavsson, MIN (8 p.m. ET)

Juuse Saros, NSH at Connor Hellebuyck, WPG* (8 p.m. ET)

Dan Vladar, CGY at John Gibson, ANA* (10 p.m. ET)

Adin Hill, VEG at Yaroslav Askarov, SJ (10:30 p.m. ET)

Goalies

Dan Vladar, CGY at ANA (7% rostered)

I don't mind this matchup for Vladar even though the Flames have lost three of their past four. The Ducks are winning games but they're grinding them out, averaging 2.6 goals at 5-on-5 per game over their past five games. They're getting lucky, too, converting a high number of their shots even though they rank 23rd in shots per game during that span. I don't have a ton of confidence in Vladar, but I do think this game will be close and the Flames are the favored team.

Yaroslav Askarov, SJ vs. VEG (19% rostered)

Why not roll with the hot hand, right? This is a daunting matchup against arguably a top-five team in the league, but Askarov has been brilliant. There's no doubt he can rack up the saves and he should be able to at least keep this game close. Any time you're starting a goalie on a hot streak is a risk, but Askarov's upside is so high and it's so early in the week that these are the types of gambles I don't mind taking. At worst, I still think Askarov can offer up saves and a good save percentage.

Anton Forsberg, OTT at DET (5% rostered)
Alex Lyon, DET vs. OTT (14% rostered)

The Senators are considered the favorites but I don't agree. Lyon, who's on a three-game individual winning streak should get the start, but even if Cam Talbot starts, the Red Wings are trending up while the Sens are trending down with four losses in their past five games. Their offense has dried up, which does not bode well for Forsberg and his .885 SP, who has also not won a game since Nov. 25, the Wings power play has picked up recently with Todd McLellan behind the bench, going an astonishing 8-for-16. I would stream Lyon or Talbot over Forsberg, in any case.

Jonathan Quick, NYR vs. DAL (25% rostered)

Not an ideal matchup. The Rangers bounced back from a 7-4 loss to the Caps with a 6-2 win over the Hawks, but it was the Hawks. The Stars are a much tougher opponent and they're rolling with four straight wins and allowing no more than two goals per game. The Stars are expected to start Jake Oettinger, who has not been very good against the Rangers in his career (0-2-1, .878 SP, 3.55 GAA) but he was very good in their most recent matchup with just two goals allowed on 29 shots (.931 SP) even though he was tagged with the loss. The Rangers offense will need to provide ample offense to earn the win for Quick.

Quick has been much better at home (.912 SP, 2.42 GAA) than on the road (.898 SP, 3.10 GAA) this season, and he certainly has the potential to rack up the saves. There's a chance Quick shuts the door and the Rangers win, but they're definitely the underdogs and prone to the occasional blowout loss. Their play has improved a little since the holidays but still leaves a lot to be desired. Their transition defense is not good, allowing the sixth-most high-danger chances with the third-most giveaways to opponents at 5-on-5, per moneypuck.com.

Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. CLB (25% rostered)
Elvis Merzlikins, CLB at PIT (23% rostered)

What do you get when you pit the two worst defensive teams in the league against each other? A goalie duel, of course! Just kidding. This being hockey, it could happen, but more than likely this is going to be a high-scoring affair. Their previous meeting was a 6-2 win for the Jackets with Jarry allowing five goals and Merzlikins earning the win, and since 2020 they've averaged close to seven goals per game.

The risk-averse fantasy manager will avoid this matchup because the odds of this game featuring a lot of goals is quite high. Note, however, that the Pens have usually come out victorious with a 7-1-2 record in their past 10 matchups, and they're 28-5-0 all-time against the Jackets on home ice. This game won't be lopsided because the Jackets are an improved club and the Pens' best days are behind them, but FanDuel's oddsmakers still has the Pens ahead.

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