I hope you claimed Troy Terry from the waiver wire last week, as he’s now up to an impressive 12-game point streak. Don’t wait to make that change to your roster and take a flier on a player. You never know if the next fantasy hockey waiver wire addition will lead to a lengthy run of success.
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Week 5 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire
Forwards
RW Reilly Smith, VGK (48% rostered): With Mark Stone out of the lineup, Smith has been playing on the top line. He has four goals and four assists in 13 games on the campaign. He’s been relatively consistent thus far, but heating up a bit more recently with four points in the last four games, including a two-goal performance against Seattle Tuesday night. Smith scored at least 50 points in each of his first three seasons with Vegas but had just 25 points last season. He’s on pace to get back to the 50-point mark again.
C/LW Adrian Kempe, LAK (37%): The Kings are on a six-game winning streak, and Kempe has six points during that span. Four of those points are goals, which includes scoring the overtime game-winner Tuesday night. He’s playing on the top line and top power-play unit. Through 13 contests, Kempe has eight points, 14 PIM, 35 shots, and 22 hits. He’s on pace for 50 points, which would be a notable leap from his career-high of 37 points.
C/RW Ryan Hartman, MIN (30%): Hartman normally plays a more defensive and checking game, but he’s doing that while providing offense this year. Through 11 contests he has six goals and an assist. He has one goal on the power play, while two others were game-winning goals. He has eight PIM, 38 shots, 10 hits, and a plus-7 rating. This level of offense isn’t sustainable for Hartman over a full season. But with five points in his past five games, pluck him from the waiver wire while he’s still hot.
C Nicolas Roy, VGK (25%): The Golden Knights are ravaged by injuries to key players, including at center. With William Karlsson, Nolan Patrick, and new acquisition Jack Eichel all on the shelf, Roy finds himself centering the team’s top line. He has eight points in 11 appearances this year. He was blanked Tuesday night but scored five points in the previous three outings. Roy has 23 PIM, 23 shots, 14 hits, and a plus-5 rating. Expect him to continue being given a significant role until Vegas starts to get healthy.
LW Andreas Johnsson, NJD (14%): Johnsson’s point totals have decreased in each passing season. From 43 points in 73 games to 21 points in 43 games, to 11 points in 50 games. This year however, he has nine points in 11 games. His six goals already surpassed last year’s total of five. He’s playing on the second line and second power-play unit while averaging an additional 70 seconds of ice time per game. Not only is Johnsson having a bounce-back season, but he could also set a career-high in points too.
Defense
D Shayne Gostisbehere, ARZ (53%): There aren’t too many bright spots for the Coyotes this season, but Gostisbehere has been one of them. He has nine points in 12 games. In his most recent contest, he scored three assists, which is the second time he’s done that as a Coyote. He’s coming off back-to-back years where he struggled in Philadelphia, notching 32 points over a combined 84 games. It’s very possible he’ll have his best season since 2017-18 when he scored 65 points.
D Brandon Montour, FLA (45%): Last season, after collecting 14 points in 38 games with the Sabres, Montour was traded to the Panthers where he registered four points in 12 matches. He’s scoring at nearly double that pace with seven points in 13 outings this year. Four of these points have been generated on the power play. While he doesn’t excel in any particular category, Montour can chip in with peripherals. He has 12 PIM, 27 shots, eight hits, and 10 blocks.
Goalies
G Jonathan Quick, LAK (31%): After a rough 0-3-1 start, Quick has won three straight games. He has a 2.26 GAA and a .924 save percentage. These are huge improvements over the numbers he’s posted during the past three seasons. It was initially thought Cal Petersen would be the full-time starter in Los Angeles, with Quick as the backup. However, if Quick continues this level of play, we could be looking at a 50/50 split between the two netminders the rest of the way.
If you found Brandon’s Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire recommendations helpful, you’ll also want to check out David Petrie’s analysis of the Jack Eichel trade.
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