This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's a busy 12-game night in the NHL on Thursday. Here are a handful of options across numerous price ranges to consider for your FanDuel lineups.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. NYI ($): Washington is 37-11-4 at home with an average of just 2.19 goals allowed per game over the past two years, and Holtby is in line for a bounce-back showing. He's allowed 10 goals through his past three outings (3.39 GAA), but the Islanders are on the wrong end of back-to-back games and have an atrocious 1-6-1 road record.
CENTER
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at WPG ($5,600): Draisaitl's fantasy jumps up significantly for the duration of his stay on the No. 1 line; he's expected to play with Connor McDavid in all situations. The young German's 2.09 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five over the past two seasons rank 20th in the league among skaters with at least 1,250 minutes, too.
Bryan Little, WPG vs. EDM ($5,200): The veteran pivot proved his health in his first game back from a lower-body injury by playing 20:09 and 3:12 with the man advantage. He's likely to be scarcely owned Thursday, and Edmonton has allowed the second-most high-danger scoring chances per game (12.29) this year. Little makes for a great source of cap relief with upside.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. TAM ($8,400): Among skaters with at least 3,000 minutes over the past three seasons, Tarasenko's 3.12 points per 60 minutes rank fifth in the league. He's scoring at a point-per-game pace this season with 10 goals and 23 points, but Tarasenko also brings reliability through his high shot volume (3.61 shots per game). Additionally, the Bolts have allowed 14 goals over their past three games, as starting goalie Ben Bishop is having a tough year.
Tyler Toffoli, LOS at ARI ($6,100): A streaky scorer, Toffoli has just one goal on 24 shots over his past nine games. He's averaging 18:19 of ice per night with 2:52 on the man advantage and lands in a slump-busting matchup Thursday. The Coyotes have allowed the most high-danger scoring chances per game (13.0) in the league this year, after all.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANA at VAN ($5,700): Averaging 2.57 shots per game and coming off a six-shot showing, Silfverberg is turning his opportunities into scoresheet appearances more frequently this season. He's posted seven goals and 15 shots through 23 games and has a solid matchup Thursday against a Canucks squad allowing 3.0 goals per game.
DEFENSE
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG vs. EDM ($6,400): The veteran defenseman offers a high fantasy floor because of his huge workload and cross-category production. Byfuglien has averaged 27:49 of ice per night with 4:02 on the power play, and he has five points, 20 shots and 14 blocked shots over his past eight games. Edmonton enters allowing 12.29 high-danger scoring chances per game this season, the second-highest mark in the league.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. NYR ($5,000): The Sabres' offense received a huge boost with the return of Jack Eichel, and Ristolainen collected two power-play assists Tuesday. The 22-year-old blueliner is logging huge minutes (26:18 with 3:35 on the power play), and he also has 52 shots and 41 blocked shots through 22 games. While his offensive upside is on the rise, Ristolianen also offers a target-worthy floor and is affordable. Further, it's unlikely that he'll carry a high ownership percentage against the highest-scoring team in the league.
