This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's nine-game NHL slate promises to provide an entertaining finish to 2015, as the defending champion Blackhawks are just one of 10 Western Conference teams pitted in pivotal intra-division duels. Add a Capitals-Hurricanes matchup from the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division that figures to produce plenty of fantasy value on the Washington side, and DFS players should have their hands full picking their lineups. Fortunately, all you have to do to go into 2016 on a fantasy high note is adhere to the list of value plays presented below.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, WAS at CAR ($32) - Grubbauer isn't the most talented goaltender in the world, but he gets the job done when asked to make spot starts for a talented Capitals team. The German backup is 4-2-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .914 save percentage this season, and he stopped 31 of the 32 shots in a win in Carolina just 10 days ago. The allure of a repeat performance is hard to ignore at his very reasonable $32 price.
Goalie to Avoid:
Devan Dubnyk, Min at STL ($37) - Dubnyk's results have been dubious lately -- he has won just two of his last five starts while averaging 11.4 fantasy points per game over that span. A road date with a Blues team that is 7-3-0 in its last 10 and held Dubnyk to 5.5 points during their previous matchup in St. Louis hardly seems like the right time and place for the goaltender to regain his mojo.
CENTER
John Tavares, NYI at BUF ($20) - Tavares is finally showing signs of busting out of his extended slump, as the talented center now has four points in his last three games after posting just three in his previous 12 appearances. It was always only a matter of time until the Islanders' captain turned things around, considering he's averaged more than a point per game played over his last four seasons combined, and the Sabres will be ill-equipped to stop him after having to travel home from Washington to complete a brutal back-to-back set. Tavares' price will skyrocket quickly once he proves he's back in form, so grab him cheap while you still can.
Center to Avoid:
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. PIT ($22) - Larkin showed grit in playing through an upper-body injury Monday and Tuesday, but he registered just four shots on goal and a minus-1 rating in those two games combined while looking less than 100 percent healthy. Until the rookie looks fully healthy, it's best to keep him out of your DFS lineups.
WING
Teddy Purcell, EDM vs. ANH ($18) - Purcell is getting opportunities galore playing alongside Leon Draisaitl and the seemingly unstoppable Taylor Hall on Edmonton's top line. The former Lightning winger has accrued three goals on 21 shots in the last five games, as defenses continue to shift away from him in an effort to contain his talented linemates. Playing Purcell is an excellent way to invest in one of the NHL's most dangerous lines without having to break the bank.
Jarome Iginla, COL vs. CHI ($19) - Iginla has heated up with a four-game point streak following an excruciating slump that saw the veteran winger record just a single goal in a 14-game span. While a repeat of his five-point New Year's Eve game against the Oilers to close out 2008 probably isn't in the cards, Iginla should be in line for another nice performance against a Chicago team that has shown some chinks in the armor while allowing 16 goals in its last five games.
Wings to Avoid:
Marian Gaborik, LA at CGY ($19) - Gaborik has been seeing alarmingly little ice time since center Jeff Carter went down with an upper-body injury on Dec. 26. The Slovakian winger's offensive potential is significantly reduced with Nick Shore as his center, so the coaching staff has opted to use Gaborik for 13:25 or less in each of the Kings' last three games. Carter is due back soon, but Gaborik isn't worth starting until he returns, even against a poor defensive team like the Flames.
Chris Kunitz, PIT at DET ($17) - Kunitz's services will still cost you $17, even though he has just 13 points in 36 games played. Age has clearly caught up to the 36-year-old winger, and those continuing to pay up for him in hopes of a return to his 35-goal form of 2013-14 are just wasting cap room that they could be spending on more productive players.
DEFENSE
Ryan Suter, MIN at STL ($17) - Suter's five-game scoring slump has dropped his price to $17, creating an enticing opportunity to buy low on one of the league's premier defensemen. His overall numbers are still just fine, as Suter's 24 points through 35 games still have him on pace for a career high even after the last five games. Add the fact that Suter's 81 shots on goal and 62 blocks significantly exceed the totals of the other defensemen in his price range, and the Wild blueliner makes for a can't-miss value at the moment.
Tyler Myers, WPG at ARI ($17) - Myers must've made his New Year's resolution a couple weeks early, as he's been a different player since Dec. 15. The talented defenseman has two goals, four assists, a plus-5 rating and two goal-saving blocks with his face (each still only worth one fantasy point) on his resume since that date, and a matchup against a Coyotes team that has lost four of seven while giving up 23 goals in the four defeats gives Myers a golden opportunity to build even more momentum heading into 2016.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. NYI ($18) - Ristolainen has just one point in his last six games after an extended hot streak, and his defensive flaws are starting to weigh him down again with no offensive outbursts to make up for them. His minus-5 rating is in significant danger of dropping further, as checking John Tavares after his recent return to form will be no easy task for Ristolainen on the second night of a back-to-back.
Kris Russell, CGY vs. LA ($19) - Russell blocks a lot of shots, but that's about all he has going for him. He's on pace for only 27 points after posting 34 a season ago, and that simply isn't enough to warrant much fantasy consideration considering teammates Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Dennis Wideman have out-produced Russell offensively from the blueline this season.
Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com
