Into the first week of April, we’re in the home stretch of the fantasy hockey season. You might be in the midst of a playoff series in your league, and can use a little boost to get you through to the next round. I’ll also be keeping the schedule in mind, as having those extra games can go a long way. The fantasy hockey waiver wire report has you covered on who to target to maximize your chances for success.
Week 25 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire
Forwards
Jeff Skinner, LW, Buffalo Sabres (45% Rostered)
Skinner is having a great bounce-back campaign. He has 51 points in 69 meetings, which is more points than his previous two seasons combined (37 points). At 29 goals this year, he’s just one goal away from posting the fifth 30-goal season of his career. He’s playing on the top line and top power-play unit for the Sabres. There might not be better players capable of lighting the lamp available on the waiver wire. Skinner has three games to go this week, on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, Carolina Hurricanes (37% Rostered)
After Skinner, Niederreiter is perhaps the next best goal-scoring option that can be found on waivers. He has five goals and an assist in his past seven outings while having 22 goals and 37 points through 63 contests on the year. He’ll chip in for other categories with his 125 shots, a plus-20 rating, and 98 hits. His Hurricanes have three games remaining this week, on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Mathieu Joseph, RW, Ottawa Senators (16% Rostered)
Joseph was buried on a deep Tampa Bay Lightning squad, averaging 13:42 per game while scoring 18 points in 58 contests. However, the trade to Ottawa has given him more opportunity, and he’s making the most of it. In seven games with the Senators, he’s racked up 10 points, while playing 16:15 per matchup. His offense has mostly exploded in recent affairs, scoring a hat trick and an assist to kick off April. He then followed that up with a three-assist performance, then notched another pair of helpers in his most recent contest. He’s currently slotted on Ottawa’s top line with Brady Tkachuk and Josh Norris. This makes Joseph an easy decision to claim from the waiver wire. Joseph has games on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Defense
Radko Gudas, D, Florida Panthers (50% Rostered)
Gudas doesn’t typically provide much offense, but with his Florida Panthers scoring seven goals every other game, there are plenty of opportunities for the rugged defender to pick up some points. Such as picking up a short-handed goal as part of a four-goal Florida comeback. His main value comes from his contributions everywhere else. He has a plus-27 rating, 94 PIM, 101 blocks, and a league-leading 323 hits. He has 77 more hits than second-place Tanner Jeannot. Gudas has two more contests this week, on Friday and Saturday. He’s good to keep going forward, but if you’re desperate enough, you can drop him for another player ahead of Sunday’s games.
Mattias Ekholm, D, Nashville Predators (47% Rostered)
Ekholm has really racked up the offense lately, posting five points in his last three outings. Being the next best anchor on Nashville’s blue line after Roman Josi, Ekholm is averaging 23:30 per night and plays on both special teams units. In 64 games he has 25 points, 117 shots, 59 hits, 82 blocks, and a plus-14 rating. He doesn’t excel in any particular category, but does a little bit of everything. His Predators have three games remaining this week – on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Goaltending
Anton Forsberg, G, Ottawa Senators (48% Rostered)
Forsberg has a 17-14-3 record to his name, with a 2.72 GAA and .919 save percentage, along with one shutout. Those are some respectable numbers for the first-time starter on a struggling Senators squad. Forsberg won his two most recent matchups, against the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. His schedule admittedly gets tougher, with games against the Nashville Predators (Thursday), New York Rangers (Saturday), and Winnipeg Jets (Sunday). Two of the games are at home, and there’s the weekend back to back so Forsberg figures to start two of the contests. Goalies are always the trickiest position to nail down at this time of year, so stream as much as you can with the options available in your league.