This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are nine games in the NHL on Thursday, with a few mismatches and a few other games to potentially avoid. Pittsburgh-New York and Montreal-Tampa Bay will be excellent contests, but there might not be oodles of offense there. However, Minnesota and Philadelphia should have strong games against basement dwellers. Here are some value picks, with each skater priced under $6,000.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SAN vs. CLM ($8,500): After losing three consecutive road starts, Jones stopped 19 of 20 shots in winning fashion at home Tuesday. This salary is a little low, and Columbus has averaged just 2.6 goals per game to start the season. The Sharks' offense hasn't yet gotten going to support Jones, but there's too much talent here for that to last.
CENTER
Joe Thornton, SAN vs. CLM ($5,200): While he's gone without a point over his past three games while taking just three shots on net, Thornton has received 4:53 of power-play time during the drought. Additionally, Columbus is excelling thus far with a .918 save percentage, sixth in the league. Regression works both ways, so look for Thornton's scoring skid to end Thursday.
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. ARI: ($4,100): The rookie has a great chance to continue his strong start in this top-tier matchup. Konecny presents nice value after collecting six points through the first seven games of the season, while Arizona has surrendered a league-high 4.33 goals per game and has to choose the lesser of two evils between Louis Domingue and Justin Peters in net. Additionally, the Coyotes are also playing the final contest of their six-game road trip after losing the first five.
WING
William Nylander, TOR vs. FLA ($5,300): Everything is going right for Nylander and linemate Auston Matthews right now, as the 20-year-old Swede is up to nine points -- four goals -- through six games to start the year. Although such an offensive pace is unsustainable over the long haul, Nylander has registered 14 shots alongside his back-to-back multi-point showings. And since his salary doesn't reflect his early-season tear, he can regress and still return value.
Jonathan Marchessault, FLA at TOR ($4,700): Toronto has lost four consecutive games, allowing 19 goals during that stretch, so Marchessault lands in a nice matchup to continue pounding the points column. He's only missed the scoresheet once through the first six games of the year, and the first-year Panther is averaging 17:52 per night with 3:11 of power-play time.
Nino Niederreiter, MIN at BUF ($4,500): A new-look second line with Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Eric Staal checks out nicely against the 1-2-2 Sabres. Niederreiter has also hit the scoresheet in consecutive games with seven shots on net while topping 16 minutes both times – a big jump after he averaged only 12:18 over the first five games.
Viktor Arvidsson, NAS at LAK ($4,300): Although he missed the scoresheet Wednesday, Arvidsson still has three goals and an assist through six games to start the year. He's been seeing most of his ice time alongside Ryan Johansen and James Neal in a top-six role of late, and the Kings have a 25th-ranked .900 save percentage at five-on-five thus far, which doesn't project to improve much with Peter Budaj in net.
DEFENSE
Mathew Dumba, MIN at BUF ($4,600): Now that he's being deployed in a top-pairing role with an average of 25:12 over the past four games, Dumba's fantasy value is skyrocketing. During that stretch, he's posted three assists, seven shots on net and four blocked shots; meanwhile, the Sabres have won just one of five games to start the year while allowing 3.0 goals per game.
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. NYI ($3,600): Over his past six games, Schultz has recorded 16 shots on net and received 2:44 of power-play time per night. He's also started 60.9 of his shifts in the offensive zone. However, Schultz owns just a single assist this season. With Kris Letang likely out again Thursday, Schultz will man the point on the No. 1 power-play unit, so he could easily return value at this modest salary.
