This article is part of our FantasyAces NHL series.
There are 18 teams in action Thursday, with the Jets and Panthers entering on the wrong end of back-to-back games.
Eye the potential high-scoring teams -- Washington, Philadelphia, Colorado and Calgary -- to pluck players, with a number of solid values available from all four teams.
Player Recommendations
G: Braden Holtby, WSH vs. BOS ($7,700): Boston enters with a 5-0 record and 4.4 goals per game average this season, so on paper, the matchup appears daunting. Games are played on the ice, though. Washington has lost to the Penguins and Rangers; otherwise, they've run the table. The Bruins are not in the same class as the Capitals, so look for their road success to come to a halt Thursday. Holtby also posted six consecutive showings in which he allowed two or fewer goals before this week's hiccup against New York.
C: Nathan MacKinnon, COL at ARI ($5,300): With six points over his past four games and better than a point-per-game pace this season, MacKinnon is riding high, and he has a respectable matchup Thursday. He's also relatively cheap, given he ranks No. 1 in fantasy points per game at FantasyAces among centers. The Coyotes haven't played since Friday, so there is a chance they come out of the gate a little flat, and they've allowed 3.6 goals per game over their past five outings.
W: Jakub Voracek, PHI at CGY ($5,200): With 50 shots, no goals and a 94.2 PDO, Voracek's production screams regression to the norm.
There are 18 teams in action Thursday, with the Jets and Panthers entering on the wrong end of back-to-back games.
Eye the potential high-scoring teams -- Washington, Philadelphia, Colorado and Calgary -- to pluck players, with a number of solid values available from all four teams.
Player Recommendations
G: Braden Holtby, WSH vs. BOS ($7,700): Boston enters with a 5-0 record and 4.4 goals per game average this season, so on paper, the matchup appears daunting. Games are played on the ice, though. Washington has lost to the Penguins and Rangers; otherwise, they've run the table. The Bruins are not in the same class as the Capitals, so look for their road success to come to a halt Thursday. Holtby also posted six consecutive showings in which he allowed two or fewer goals before this week's hiccup against New York.
C: Nathan MacKinnon, COL at ARI ($5,300): With six points over his past four games and better than a point-per-game pace this season, MacKinnon is riding high, and he has a respectable matchup Thursday. He's also relatively cheap, given he ranks No. 1 in fantasy points per game at FantasyAces among centers. The Coyotes haven't played since Friday, so there is a chance they come out of the gate a little flat, and they've allowed 3.6 goals per game over their past five outings.
W: Jakub Voracek, PHI at CGY ($5,200): With 50 shots, no goals and a 94.2 PDO, Voracek's production screams regression to the norm. He's still receiving all the big offensive minutes, and Thursday brings a slump-busting matchup against Calgary. Opposing goalie Karri Ramo has an .871 save percentage and a 4.43 GAA, and the Flames have allowed an average of 4.8 goals over their past five games.
W: Sam Bennett, CGY vs. PHI ($3,650): Calgary's lines went into the blender last time out, so there is some uncertainty surrounding who Bennett will center Thursday. He's shown well of late with Johnny Gaudreau, as Bennett has a four-game point streak with two goals and four helpers. At this dirt-cheap cap hit, his linemates are trumped by his recent production, and Philadelphia has allowed an average of 4.17 goals on the road this season.
W: Justin Williams, WSH vs. BOS ($4,500): Averaging a point per game over his past seven outings, Williams also boasts 19 shots during that stretch, and he carries a mid-range salary hit. The real draw is the matchup, though. Boston is allowing 3.27 goals per game, and Tuukka Rask still has only beaten the Coyotes (twice) and the Panthers.
W: Marcus Johansson, WSH vs. BOS ($4,650): There's sneaky value with Johansson because he skates with the No. 1 power-play unit and avoids the opposition's top defenders at even strength skating with the second line. Johansson has two goals, two helpers, a plus-2 rating and 10 shots over his last six games with 18:12 minutes of ice per game, so the floor is respectable.
W: Jarome Iginla, COL at ARI ($4,800): Scorching hot and riding shotgun with MacKinnon as well as long-time linemate Alex Tanguay, Iginla has four goals, four assists and 21 shots over his past six games. Iginla and MacKinnon are a nice combo Thursday, and they both present a nice profit opportunity as top scorers in midseason form against a beatable Arizona defense.
D: Drew Doughty, LA vs. CBJ ($4,800): Over his past seven games, Doughty has seven helpers, two power-play points and 20 shots with a plus-6 rating and 14 blocked shots. The rearguard is averaging north of 26 minutes per game during that span, and he faces the Blue Jackets, who shouldn't be viewed as a daunting matchup, especially with Los Angeles fresh off a Winnipeg-Nashville-Chicago-St. Louis quartet.
D: Tyson Barrie, COL at ARI ($4,300): While it isn't helpful to tout Barrie as a boom-or-bust play, the bust factor is mitigated by his cap-friendly salary Thursday. He has five helpers over his past two games and is the power-play quarterback for the Avalanche. The downside is Barrie's low shot volume and plus-minus risk, not to mention that he doesn't block shots. Still, in a favorable matchup and at a friendly price, Barrie has contest-winning upside.
