It may be hard to believe, but we are currently in Week 19 of the 2023-24 season. This campaign is flying by, and the playoffs will be here before we know it. Because of this, fantasy hockey managers now have a strong idea about what kind of waiver-wire goalies they should be targeting. This week offers some excellent options, so let’s discuss three of the best ones now.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Goalies to Consider for Week 19
Anthony Stolarz, Florida Panthers
One waiver-wire goalie whom fantasy managers should be keeping an eye on is Anthony Stolarz. The 2012 second-round pick is quietly having an excellent season with the Florida Panthers. In 16 appearances, he has an 8-5-2 record, a 2.11 GAA, and a .917 SV%. However, what is more encouraging is that his play has been improving as of late.
Stolarz has had a .900 SV% or better in eight out of his last nine appearances. With that, in his most recent starts, he has had a .963 SV%, a .913 SV%, and a .920 SV%, respectively. Overall, he is proving to be a dependable goaltender, and that certainly makes him a waiver-wire goaltender to consider in Week 19. He is not showing any signs of slowing down and is setting himself up for a nice raise through free agency this offseason.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have had a very tough 2023-24 season. This was expected to be the season where they finally became a playoff team again. However, they are near the bottom of the NHL standings due to a lack of scoring and inconsistent goaltending. Yet, when it comes to goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, he has been a major bright spot for Buffalo at the position, and he’s only getting better. Thus, if he’s still available in your league, he’s a clear waiver-wire goalie to bring in this week.
Luukkonen just put together a dominant 33-save shutout against the Los Angeles Kings in his last start on Feb. 13. This is only the tip of the iceberg, though. Since the start of the new year, he leads all NHL netminders who have appeared in at least five games in GAA (1.57), SV% (.944), and shutouts (three). Needless to say, he has been spectacular, and he’s a prime waiver-wire addition to make this week.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh Penguins
The final waiver-wire goaltender to keep an eye on this week is Alex Nedeljkovic. The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender is having a marvelous bounce-back season and is not showing any signs of slowing down. In 17 appearances, he has a 8-4-3 record, a 2.63 GAA, and a .917 SV%. Those are some very solid numbers from the 28-year-old.
Nedeljkovic has also been staying hot for the Penguins as of late. In three out of his last four appearances, he has a .900 SV% or better, which displays excellent consistency. Given how well he has performed throughout this season, he’s a waiver-wire addition worth making at this stage of the campaign.
Nevertheless, it is quite apparent that there are some strong waiver-wire goalies to consider this week. It will be fun to see how Stolarz, Luukkonen, and Nedeljkovic perform for the rest of the season from here.