This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are 10 NHL games Thursday, including four Canadian teams in action. You can watch hockey and, perhaps even dream of moving to one of those Canadian cities. Because their hockey teams are so exciting, of course. What other reason would you have? Here are some players to target and avoid for Thursday…
GOALIE
Petr Mrazek, DET vs. VAN ($34): The Canucks did score five goals in their last game. Despite that, they still are averaging 1.9 goals per game. Mrazek has really struggled in his last three starts, so much that it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wings give Jimmy Howard his third start in a row. If Howard starts, you want him. If Mrazek starts, he's still worth selecting, because if he's ever going to have a good night it will be against Vancouver.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Martin Jones, SAN at FLA ($34): Jones' GAA has been pretty good (2.33), but his save percentage (.909) leaves something to be desired. He and the Sharks are also on the road against a good Florida team. It's not a very good matchup, and Jones isn't exactly cheap. There are better values.
CENTER
Mark Scheifele, WPG at ARI ($25): Scheifele is off to a great start to the season, with nine goals, and 18 points, in 14 games. He's playing more than 20 minutes a night and averaging 3:53 on the power play. In any matchup, Scheifele isn't a bad play, but against the Coyotes and their
There are 10 NHL games Thursday, including four Canadian teams in action. You can watch hockey and, perhaps even dream of moving to one of those Canadian cities. Because their hockey teams are so exciting, of course. What other reason would you have? Here are some players to target and avoid for Thursday…
GOALIE
Petr Mrazek, DET vs. VAN ($34): The Canucks did score five goals in their last game. Despite that, they still are averaging 1.9 goals per game. Mrazek has really struggled in his last three starts, so much that it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wings give Jimmy Howard his third start in a row. If Howard starts, you want him. If Mrazek starts, he's still worth selecting, because if he's ever going to have a good night it will be against Vancouver.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Martin Jones, SAN at FLA ($34): Jones' GAA has been pretty good (2.33), but his save percentage (.909) leaves something to be desired. He and the Sharks are also on the road against a good Florida team. It's not a very good matchup, and Jones isn't exactly cheap. There are better values.
CENTER
Mark Scheifele, WPG at ARI ($25): Scheifele is off to a great start to the season, with nine goals, and 18 points, in 14 games. He's playing more than 20 minutes a night and averaging 3:53 on the power play. In any matchup, Scheifele isn't a bad play, but against the Coyotes and their woeful goal prevention he's a great option, and well worth his price.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LOS at MON ($23): The Canadiens' overall numbers don't look as good after their disastrous game against the Blue Jackets, but Al Montoya was in net for that, not Carey Price. Kopitar is off to a slightly slow start, with only two goals to his credit. He's always a strong two-way player, but his fantasy numbers aren't great right now, and this is a tough matchup.
WING
Jeff Skinner, CAR vs. ANA ($22): The Ducks will be on the second night of a back-to-back. That's beneficial to Skinner, who doesn't need a ton of help. He has six goals on 40 shots this season in a mere 11 games. Skinner has a track record as an offensive producer in the NHL, and this is a pretty good price to get him at.
Troy Brouwer, CGY vs. DAL ($16): The Stars are on a bit of a downswing, and both of their goalies have sub-.900 save percentages. Brouwer is off to a decent start to the season with seven points in 14 games, but he's also playing 3:24 a night on the power play. This could be a night for a potential breakout, given the circumstances.
WINGS TO AVOID
Phil Kessel, PIT vs. MIN ($25):
This isn't so much about Kessel, who has 11 points and seven on the power play. It's about Minnesota's great goal prevention, led by Devan Dubnyk's .951 save percentage. Kessel is a little pricey, and it's going to be hard for him to contribute to your fantasy team and provide value given the situation.
Brandon Saad, CLM at BOS ($20): The Jackets will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and Tuukka Rask has a .941 save percentage. Both of these facts are points against Saad. He's having a decent season, but with so many players available Thursday, you'd be wise to look elsewhere.
DEFENSEMEN
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. WPG ($22): Ekman-Larsson has five goals on 32 shots, and he's playing almost five minutes a night on the power play. He's also only the tenth most expensive defenseman Thursday. Sure, there are a lot of players in action, but that still seems a little low for Ekman-Larsson.
Cam Fowler, ANA vs. CAR ($19): The Ducks will be on the second night of a back-to-back, but that doesn't exactly make the Hurricanes a tough matchup. Carolina is another team with two goalies with sub-.900 save percentages, and Fowler is a real power-play weapon. Until Hampus Lindholm is able to return, he'll also have an increased role.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT vs. MIN ($26): Letang has played well since returning from injury, and he's receiving a ton of minutes. However, he only has one goal and, as previously mentioned, Minnesota is good at preventing goals. As the third most expensive defenseman Thursday, you can find better value than No. 58.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs MON ($21): Once again, here's a good player in a bad matchup. The looming presence of Price was mentioned earlier, and Doughty only have six points in 13 games. A lot of players have really good matchups, so it doesn't make a ton of sense to take a chance on Doughty here.
