This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL is taking a long weekend starting Friday, so it's not surprising that Thursday is a rather busy day. There are a whopping 13 games on the slate. That means 26 teams are in action, which in turn means a huge number of players to choose from for daily fantasy. To try and help make your decisions less daunting, here are some recommendations…
GOALIE
Mike Condon, OTT vs. CGY ($29): Condon has been a bit up-and-down recently. For example, in his last four starts, he has two shutouts, but also a game where he gave up seven goals. Overall, though, he has a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage. The Flames have lost four games in a row, while Ottawa is 6-3-1 in their last 10. Calgary is also in the bottom 10 in goals scored per game. Condon is on the cheaper side, so there's a fair amount of upside here that makes him a potential bargain.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Curtis McElhinney, TOR at PHI ($36): Well this one's a bit of a head-scratcher. Yes, McElhinney has a .928 save percentage this season, but has only played in eight games. The Blue Jackets thought so much of him they were content to waive him earlier this year. In his career, McElhinney has a .905 save percentage, and now he has to go on the road and try to pick up a win against the Flyers. Philly has averaged 31.9 shots on goal per game, while the Maple Leafs have given up 32.6, so McElhinney is likely to be busy.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]
CENTER
Jason Spezza, DAL vs. BUF ($16): Spezza has been productive on the power play, as per usual. He's averaged 3:09 a game with the extra man, tallying over 14 power-play points in that time. Buffalo's penalty kill sits at the bottom of the league, making this a particularly good matchup for Spezza.
CENTER TO AVOID
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at SAN ($22): The Oilers played Wednesday, meaning Draisaitl and company have to head to San Jose to play their second game in as many nights. The Sharks have only allowed 2.29 goals and 27.2 shots on net per game, both of which rank near the top of the league. It'll be a very difficult matchup for Draisaitl, who has also cooled down a bit recently. In his last seven games, he's only notched nine shots.
WING
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG at CHI ($19): Even as his linemates fall to injuries, Ehlers keeps going strong. He's notched 13 points over his last 13 games, registering 39 shots on net in that time. The Blackhawks have given up 31.1 shots on goal per game, and their penalty kill ranks 28th in the league. Ehlers has played 2:44 a night with the extra man, so he could easily take advantage of Chicago's penalty-kill problems.
Evander Kane, BUF at DAL ($18): The Stars have a favorable matchup against the Sabres, but Buffalo has just as good a matchup in Dallas. The Stars have given up 3.12 goals per game, and their penalty kill ranks one spot above Buffalo's (29th). Kane hasn't been a huge power-play contributor this year (he's only averaged 1:46), but he's found ways to be productive. In his last eight games, he's has six points and — more notably — a whopping 39 shots on goal. That's an insane rate of shots, and if he keeps that up against Dallas' porous defense, he may not need much in the way of power-play time to be a bargain.
WINGS TO AVOID
Taylor Hall, NJD vs. WAS ($24): No team has been better at goal suppression than the Capitals, as they've only allowed 2.08 per game. The next best team, Minnesota, has a 2.26 GAA. Hall has been having a good year, even though he only has seven shots (and zero goals) in his last four games. However, even if Hall was red-hot, this would be a particularly tough matchup. With literally almost every NHL team in action, you don't have to settle for a player in Hall's situation.
Jeff Skinner, CAR vs. LOS (21): Skinner has zero points in his last five games, although he's still managed to put plenty of shots on net. That won't be easy against the Kings, though. Los Angeles has given up the fewest shots on goal per game in the league. Peter Budaj has a 2.11 GAA, and if any team is going to be able to keep Skinner's shooting in check, the numbers say it's Los Angeles.
DEFENSEMEN
Alec Martinez, LOS at CAR ($17): Earlier in the season, you wouldn't have wanted any part of this matchup. Then, Cam Ward came back down to Earth. The Hurricanes have allowed 3.55 goals per game in the month of January, and Ward has given up 13 goals over his last two starts. Martinez scored his first goal in a while in the Kings' last game, but on the season he's still averaging 6.2 fantasy points per contest. Plus, he doesn't need to contribute offensively to help your fantasy team, as he's notched 98 blocked shots.
Keith Yandle, FLA vs. TAM ($17): The Lightning also are sporting a 3.55 GAA in January, and on the season they've allowed 2.90 goals per game, so it's not like this is a completely unexpected dip in play. Yandle has registered 112 shots on goal in 49 games and has tallied 10 power-play points.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NAS vs. CLM ($22): Subban has finally returned from a lengthy injury absence, although he hasn't recorded a point in his first three games back. Things won't get easier against Columbus, as Sergei Bobrovsky has a 2.04 GAA and a .930 save percentage. Eventually, Subban will get rid of his post-injury goose egg in his points column, but it will likely have to wait until after the All-Star break.
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL at MIN ($19): Speaking of tough matchups for defensemen, Devan Dubnyk has a 1.91 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Additionally, Minnesota's penalty kill ranks sixth, and 18 of Shattenkirk's 33 points have come with the extra man. Shattenkirk only has 54 blocked shots in 48 games, as well, so he could be in for an underwhelming game from a fantasy perspective Thursday.
