This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
After the NHL dipped its toe into the water Wednesday with four games, it jumps in head first Thursday with nine games. That means a lot more players to choose from, and a lot more decisions to make. Only one team that played Wednesday, the St. Louis Blues, plays Thursday, so that means we have 17 teams worth of players providing us with a relative blank slate. With that in mind, here are some players to target, and also some players to avoid.
GOALIE
Henrik Lundqvist, NYR vs. NYI ($33): Lundqvist had a solid .920 save percentage last season, but he had a 2.48 GAA, which is the highest GAA of his career. He owes that to facing more shots than usual. However, facing an Islanders team that no longer has Kyle Okposo is not a terribly formidable opponent. With a mid-range price, he represents a good value.
Goalie to Avoid:
John Gibson, ANA at DAL ($31): Gibson is dealing with an illness, so that alone is reason for concern. On top of that, he isn't a proven commodity. He's still only played 66 NHL games. The Stars were one of the most potent offenses in the league last season. Even a full-strength Gibson might not be worth $31.
CENTER
Alex Galchenyuk, MTL at BUF ($19): Galchenyuk may have scored the quietest 30 goals in the NHL last season. He did it on 201 shots, as well. Now, he's centering Montreal's top line and could be on the way to making himself a household name. Although, basically every Hab is a household name in Montreal. All this, and he will cost you less than Nick Bonino ($21) on Thursday.
Center to Avoid:
Vincent Trocheck, FLA vs. NJ ($24): Trocheck is a good player who notched 53 points last season and was named an injury replacement to Team North America for this summer's World Cup. That said, he's the second-line center for the Panthers, and he will be going up against one of the NHL's best goalies in Cory Schneider. This looks like it could be a low-scoring game, and with so many other options it makes sense to avoid Trocheck.
WING
Corey Perry, ANA at DAL ($22): Perry may be hard to like, but he's been a consistent fantasy performer for years. We're talking about a guy who has scored at least 33 goals in his last three seasons, and if he remains healthy he will clear the 200-shot mark like clockwork. The Stars were good at scoring last season, but they have one of the weaker goaltending tandems in the NHL. It's a nice matchup to start the season for Perry.
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs CAR ($17): Ehlers is one of the young Jets who gets some people excited about this team's future. As a 19-year-old rookie, he scored 15 goals in 72 games. More notably, he had 11 power-play points in 2:19 of ice time with the extra man. Carolina, meanwhile, still employs Cam Ward and his .909 save percentage last season as its goalie. It's a great matchup for the talented Dane.
Wingers to Avoid:
Brandon Saad, BOS at CLM ($25): This is not about Saad's skills, as he played quite well in his first season with Columbus. It's only partially about John Tortorella or the fact Boston is a good team with a goalie in Tuukka Rask who has shown that he can stand on his head. It's mostly about the price. Saad is one of the priciest wingers available Thursday. Why select him when you can get another winger from this game, Brad Marchand, for $23?
Kyle Palmieri, NJD at FLA ($21): Palmieri, who had never scored more than 14 goals in a season previously, notched 30 last season. Granted, he took more shots than he ever had, and got more time on the power play, but he also had a career-high shooting percentage. In short, he seems like a real regression candidate, so why not grab somebody with a better track record?
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. MTL ($18): You know Ristolainen is going to get playing time. He averaged more than 25 minutes on the ice last season. His plus/minus is also not a concern in this format, which makes him an even better option. If Carey Price was playing, Ristolainen would still be a solid choice, but with Al Montoya in net for Montreal, his value is even higher.
Cam Fowler, ANA at DAL ($15): Dallas' goal prevention issues last season have already been mentioned. Fowler has his flaws, but the guy has been a real force on the power play in his career. He played 3:18 a night with the extra man last season, netting 17 power-play points. Fowler is one of those players who helps fantasy teams more than his real team, but that's not your concern.
Defensemen to Avoid:
John Carlson, WAS at PIT ($28): Carlson is a really good defenseman. He's played more than 23 minutes a night the last four seasons and had more than 200 shots in a season once. However, why does he cost $3 more than any other defenseman Thursday? The value just isn't there with him, especially against the Penguins.
Johnny Boychuk, NYI at NYR ($17): Boychuk is a good player, but he's never scored more than nine goals in a season and he only played 1:03 on the power play last year. He's also been dealing with a shoulder issue during preseason, so he may not be fully ready to go for this game. The Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist, are a pretty tough matchup, so $17, while not a terrible price, feels a bit rich.
