This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's eight-game slate offers quite a few entertaining early season tilts, as some projected contenders are looking to shake off slow starts while surprise upstarts try to maintain their momentum. Among the night's action, the 0-3 Penguins will attempt to get off the schneid against a tough Ottawa team while the surprisingly dominant Panthers host Jack Eichel's fun, young Sabres squad.
While it's harder to spot untapped daily fantasy talent after having a few games to observe players' performances, there are still some hidden values to be found and some overpays to avoid as DFS players look to strike a balance between preseason projections and early-season results.
GOALIE
Brian Elliott, STL at EDM, ($31) - The Blues outshot the Oilers 31-24 en route to a 3-1 victory in the season opener, and there's no reason to suspect St. Louis won't carry the majority of the play in their rematch. Elliott probably won't be called upon to make a ton of saves, but he's an excellent bet to pick up a victory against an Oilers team still missing one of its top scorers in Jordan Eberle, and his relatively low price makes him an enticing value.
Players to Avoid
Antti Niemi, DAL at TB, ($31) - Dallas has looked pretty good early, and Niemi's price lets you save a few bucks over some of the top options in net, but there's a massive potential downside playing on the road against a Tampa Bay team that has 14 goals through four games.
Scott Darling CHI at WAS, ($31) - Washington's offense looked toothless without Alex Ovechkin in a 5-0 home defeat to the Sharks on Tuesday, but Ovi should be back and hungry to atone for his foolishness after being benched for missing a morning skate. Add him to the rest of a solid Capitals roster all looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss and that spells trouble for a Chicago team playing the second half of a road back-to-back.
CENTER
Jack Eichel, BUF at FLA, ($16) - Eichel has transitioned seamlessly to NHL with two tallies in his first three games, and he likely will keep the good times rolling in his first career road game. Florida's hot start (+8 goal differential through three games) might scare away some from Eichel, but his talent-to-price ratio is still so high that it makes him worth a gamble against a hot Panthers team due to come back to earth.
Players to Avoid
Oscar Lindberg, NYR at MON, ($21) - It's hard not to love Lindberg -- he came into this season with one game of NHL experience and proceeded to score four goals in his first three games. That said, he's the opposite of a value play at the moment. Whatever you do, don't invest in a third-line center who logged fewer minutes than Tanner Glass last game when he costs more than Steven Stamkos.
John Tavares, NYI vs. NSH, ($24) - Tavares has the second-highest cap hit of any center playing Thursday despite facing a Nashville team that has surrendered just two goals in three games. The Islanders captain will have his days, but it's better to use him when he doesn't have to face Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber and Roman Josi.
WING
Mike Hoffman, OTT at PIT, ($16) - The Penguins have really struggled out of the gate while Hoffman's line with Mark Stone and Kyle Turris has opened the season on fire for the Sens. Turris and Stone have seen corresponding increases in price, but Hoffman still remains an excellent value at just $16. He's a bit of a plus-minus risk playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road, but an elite combination of price and scoring upside makes Hoffman well worth a look regardless.
Chris Kreider, NYR at MON, ($16) - Montreal fans are still mad at Kreider for the time he got tripped into Carey Price in the 2014 playoffs, but the Bell Centre boos will just serve as motivation for the 24-year-old winger. Kreider is a physical monster who has put up some massive numbers in games where he skates with a chip on his shoulder (see his hat trick against ex-coach John Tortorella), and there's a decent chance the Canadiens' nonstop whining will unleash his inner beast in this one.
Players to Avoid
Patric Hornqvist, PIT vs. OTT, ($19) - Hornqvist has been held pointless through three games while only playing 15:25 per game, as he's a distant second in the team's pecking order at right wing. The Penguins are probably due for a couple bounces, but you may as well pony up the extra dollar and grab first-liner Phil Kessel if you think this will be the offense's breakout game.
DEFENSEMEN
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. MIN, ($21) - Minnesota has killed off just 40 percent of opposing power play opportunities so far, and Ekman-Larsson is primed to take advantage after recording 18 power-play goals the last two seasons. The Coyotes as a team have looked quite strong to start the season, so the Swedish defenseman may not be the plus-minus risk many feared him to be coming into 2015-16, especially playing at home.
Shea Weber, NSH at NYI, ($20) - Weber logged his first point of the season Tuesday in New Jersey, and there's a good chance he can build on that output against the Islanders. It's possible that New York's starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak returns from an upper-body injury to make his season debut, but neither a rusty Halak nor a healthy Thomas Greiss make for a scary proposition in net. The Predators have been fantastic early this season, so it makes sense to lock up their most heavily-used skater playing in front of a Brooklyn crowd that is still too confused as to why exactly they have a hockey team to really get into the game.
Players to Avoid
Johnny Boychuk, NYI vs. NSH, ($20) - There's nothing wrong with playing Boychuk, but his tough matchup with a hot Nashville team definitely caps his ceiling. Most of the defensemen in Boychuk's price range offer every bit as much talent while playing less intimidating opponents Thursday.
