This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are just two games on Thursday's NHL schedule, which makes your daily fantasy decisions a little trickier. The difference between winning big, hitting the cash mark or losing will be extremely small this Turkey Day. Here are a handful of options to consider across a few different price ranges.
GOALIE
Tuukka Rask, BOS at OTT ($9,400): With Carey Price ($10,000) the clear-cut No. 1 option in the goalie pool, Rask could prove to be an underrated pivot. After all, the Boston netminder has an 11-3 record with a .942 save percentage and a 1.57 GAA. That said, it's worth noting that fading Price at home is risky.
CENTER
Patrice Bergeron, BOS at OTT ($6,700): While the offensive production has been a touch underwhelming this season (0.31 points per game), Bergeron is starting a career-high 61.0 percent of his shifts in the opponent's zone and has registered 16 shots over his past three games. His average of 3:11 on the power play is encouraging, too.
Derek Ryan, CAR at MON ($3,000): A low-priced source of cap relief, Ryan has averaged 2:33 of power-play time through his first five games, and he's projected to skate on the No. 2 unit Thursday. The 29-year-old center has taken a long road to the NHL that's included notching 68 points through his past 79 AHL games. Again, Ryan is strictly in flier territory and has a zero-point fantasy floor.
WING
Jeff Skinner, CAR at MON ($6,600): Currently sporting an 11th-ranked 3.2 points and fourth-ranked 11.79 shots per 60 minutes among skaters with at least 300 minutes, Skinner has driven the Carolina offense this year. He's unlikely to be highly owned because of the matchup, though. It's a contrarian roll at a high price, but the upside is there. Skinner and Ryan are paired on the No. 2 power-play unit, which further sets up their sneaky appeal.
Alexander Radulov, MON vs. CAR ($6,400): To date, Radulov and center Alex Galchenyuk have impressively combined for 4.9 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and they've aced the eye test. Radulov has an active seven-game point streak, and he also has room for better fantasy results, considering he's beginning 58.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and averaging 2:30 of power play time.
David Pastrnak, BOS at OTT ($6,200): Expected to return from an upper-body injury and slot back into his top offensive role, Pastrnak could fly slightly under the radar after missing the past three games. However, if he's in the lineup, he's worth a long look. Pastrnak has posted a contest-high 2.62 goals per 60 minutes among skaters with at least 200 minutes this season.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, BOS at OTT ($5,500): Krug's averaged 3.01 shots per game since the beginning of last year, and he owns a 10th-ranked 1.54 points per 60 minutes since 2013-14. However, Krug's two-year 1.7 shooting percentage is well below the 6.7 mark he posted through his first two years in the league. Even though he's producing at a high rate, there's still positive regression in the goal column ahead.
Andrei Markov, MON vs. CAR ($5,200): While hot streaks aren't predictive of future results, particularly in a one-game sample, Markov's longstanding production (1.38 points per 60 minutes dating back to the lockout season) doesn't match his salary. He's been scorching hot lately, with 13 points, 13 shots and six blocked shots through his past nine games while averaging 23:20 of ice time (3:29 on the power play). There is a risk he carries a huge ownership percentage, but that's to be expected with such a small slate.
