This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Ben Bishop, DAL vs. ANA ($36): Bishop was solid last year, posting a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage. He was helped by the fact the Stars only allowed 29.8 shots on net per game. The Ducks are one of the rare teams to play double-digit games, but their shorthanded offense has been pretty iffy. Anaheim has only managed 2.40 goals and 23.9 shots on net per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jonathan Quick, LOS at MIN ($32): Quick has had a dreadful season, as he's been alternately injured or terrible. He has a 4.55 GAA and .845 save percentage this year. Of course, he's a better goalie than that, and he will get better. This just may not be the game where it happens. The Wild were stellar at home last year, and scored 3.29 goals per contest in their own arena.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at EDM ($23): Backstrom may no longer play center on Alex Ovechkin's line regularly, but that doesn't mean you should forget about him. He already has 11 assists (plus two goals), and he has eight power-play points. Hey, he still gets to play with Ovechkin with the extra man! Meanwhile, last year, the Oilers had a 3.20 GAA, which was fifth highest in the NHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LOS at MIN ($25): Kopitar has three goals, but those are his only three points of the season. He hasn't been helped by his teammates, as the Kings have only managed 1.89 goals per game. As I noted earlier, the Wild were great at home last season. They had a 2.17 GAA in home games.
WING
Jeff Skinner, BUF vs. MON($18): The move to the Sabres has worked for Skinner so far, as he has five goals on 26 shots through nine games. He's also started a whopping 70.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the team. It also seems worth noting that he's averaged 3:00 per game on the power play, but he has zero points with the extra man. That could change against a Canadiens team that had the 30th-ranked penalty kill last year.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS vs. PHI ($16): DeBrusk only has two points this year, but he should be able to pick it up. He had 43 points as a rookie, and this season he's started 60.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most among Boston forwards. That sort of ice positioning should pay off in time. Besides, the Flyers have a 4.11 GAA this year, and last year they had the 29th-ranked penalty kill.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. ANA ($28): Benn is a great player, no doubt, but he has been held without a point in four-straight games. This is primarily about a matchup with John Gibson, though. The Ducks goalie has a 1.93 GAA and .949 save percentage, and he had a .926 save percentage last season, so he's not just a small sample size wonder.
Kevin Fiala, NAS at NJD ($14): Fiala emerged last season by scoring 23 goals and adding 25 assists. However, this year he has only two points, and they both came in the same game. With Cory Schneider out, Keith Kinkaid has filled in admirably, as he has a 1.85 GAA and .929 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith, CHI vs. NYR ($19): Keith had some bad luck last year, as he only had a 1.1 shooting percentage. Once again, the puck hasn't been doing what he wants, as he has zero goals on 20 shots. However, he has five assists, so it's not all bad. The Rangers allowed 35.3 shots on net per game last season, so Keith should have the chance to finally light the lamp.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. VAN ($17): After a slow start, Ekman-Larsson has four points in his last three games. He had 15 points on the power play last year, which was actually his lowest total over his last five seasons. The Canucks had a 3.16 GAA last season, and on top of that they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back Thursday.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Alex Pietrangelo, STL vs. CLM ($22): It's been a slow start to the year for Pietrangelo, who has one point, an assist, to his name. Sergei Bobrovsky is off to a slow start of his own, but the Vezina-winning goalie has a stellar track record. Last season, he had a 2.42 GAA and .921 save percentage.
Alexander Edler, VAN at ARI ($19): As mentioned earlier, the Canucks are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, the only team that's true for on Thursday. Antti Raanta had a 2.24 GAA for the Coyotes last year, with a .930 save percentage thrown in for good measure. He's dealing with an illness, but if he can't play Darcy Kuemper has a 1.51 GAA in his two starts this season.
