This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
John Gibson, ANH @ EDM ($7,500) – Why are all the goalies so expensive? No matter — Gibson is a cheap(er), enticing play against the Oilers, who have lost two straight 5-0 games at home and have a historically terrible penalty kill. Oh, and Connor McDavid has been kept off the scoresheet for three straight games. Meanwhile, the now-healthy Ducks are flying high, and Gibson has a 4-1-2 career record against the Oilers with a .936 save percentage and 1.84 GAA.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TB at MON ($6,600) – There's plenty of good matchups Thursday, but why change a good thing? The Lightning are on a roll with eight wins in their past 10 and their 13 road wins are tied for first with the Kings. The Habs are in shambles and will need Carey Price — who's posting career-low numbers across the board — to be at his best to have a shot at a victory. Hedman drives the Lightning offense from the back end, and even though he had his three-game assist streak snapped Tuesday against the Leafs, he still managed to put five shots on goal.
P.K. Subban, NSH at ARI ($5,900) – Not having to play with the stone-handed Alexei Emelin is going to make things a lot easier for Subban, who practiced with Mattias Ekholm on Wednesday. Subban has been fantastic for the Predators, and the Coyotes have been dying a slow death all season. Strangely enough, they're also the only team, excluding the expansion Knights and the Habs, who traded him, that Subban has never scored against, even though he's averaged over two shots per game in 11 career games against them. It's about time he broke that goose egg.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. CLS ($7,100) – The breakout is real. He was named Player of the Month in November and continued his strong play through December, and with 48 points in 39 games is a legitimate candidate to win the Art Ross. He's scored eight points in his past three games, and Colorado's top line with MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and future superstar Mikko Rantanen has virtually been unstoppable.
Ryan Getzlaf, ANH at EDM ($6,700) – Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell have been dynamite, guiding the team to three straight wins. The Ducks captain is on a three-game two-assist streak, and he'll be facing a hapless Oilers squad that suddenly looks like it could be in contention for another a No. 1 pick. Getzlaf has been nearly a point-per-game player his entire career, even though at 32 he should be starting to show signs of decline. His career numbers against the Oilers? 44 games played, 30 assists, 47 points, eight game-winners and a plus-16 rating.
WING
Rickard Rakell, ANH at EDM ($6,800) – Why not double down? Getzlaf has been credited with the first assist on four of Rakell's past six goals. Of the seven goals Rakell scored in the playoffs last year, Getzlaf had the primary assist on four of them. It's not like the Oilers are posing much of a challenge, and it might be difficult for them to stay out of the penalty box with Ryan Kesler commanding their attention. Rakell is on a six-game goal streak, the longest of his career.
Claude Giroux, PHI vs. NYI ($6,400) – Rival Pittsburgh snapped his seven-game point streak, but it's a minor blip on the radar for the suddenly potent Giroux. After scoring just 58 points last season, the fourth straight season his offensive production declined, Giroux is on pace for a career-best 96 points. He's tied with linemate Jakub Voracek for the team lead, and the Islanders have struggled with a banged-up defense, losing three straight and falling out of the playoff race. Without a healthy defense, neither Jaroslav Halak nor Thomas Greiss have much of a chance here.
Calle Jarnkrok, NSH at ARI ($4,300) – Losing Filip Forsberg for a month takes a lot of bite out of the Predators offense, but someone has to at least try and fill his shoes. That's fallen on Jarnkrok, who has replaced Fosrberg on the top line. Despite averaging just under 16 minutes per game, he's played at least 20 in his last two. He'll need to shoot the puck more to compensate for Forsberg's production because three shots in two games just doesn't cut it, but he's also playing with the team's best playmaker in Ryan Johansen and best high-volume shooter in Viktor Arvidsson. Jarnkrok is more of a second-line offensive player, but he's getting top-line opportunities right now, making him a potential high-reward pick.
