This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Since Thursday is the last day before the NHL All-Star break, there are 30 teams in action (sorry, Kings fans). Here are some player recommendations…
GOALIE
Pittsburgh Penguins, PIT vs. MIN ($15,300): The Penguins are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, and have won four in a row. The Wild, meanwhile, are only 9-13-1 on the road. Minnesota has also only put 29.9 shots on net per contest, which is bottom five in the NHL. At the very least, it seems likely Pittsburgh will pick up a win before the All-Star break.
CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. CHI ($12,000): The Blackhawks are one of a few teams in action on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday, and they are on the road as well. With zero days of rest, Chicago has a 3.22 team GAA, and it's allowed 34.7 shots on net per contest. Larkin may only have eight goals, and a 6.9 shooting percentage is the driving force behind that, he has 30 assists in 47 games. Additionally, 14 of those points have come in his last 15 tilts.
Erik Haula, VGK vs. NYI ($11,900): Haula is hoping to keep a hot streak going into the break, as he has six points in his last four contests. The odds are good he'll manage to do that, as the Islanders have a putrid 3.63 team GAA. Haula also has 10 power-play points, and the Islanders have the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
WING
Joe Pavelski, SAN vs. NYR ($12,500): Pavelski has 34 points in 47 tilts, despite the fact he only has an 8.1 shooting percentage. That seems very likely to improve, as his career shooting percentage is 11.9. January has been rough to the Rangers. They have a team GAA of 3.55 in this month, and they've given up 35.1 shots on net per contest.
Josh Anderson, CLM at ARI ($11,700): Anderson's scoring has dropped off a bit, but he has 15 goals in 46 games. He's also put 147 shots on net, and he's put 46 shots on target in his last 15 contests. Perhaps the 23-year-old will find some more luck in this matchup. The Coyotes have a 3.39 team GAA, and they have a .893 team save percentage to boot.
Kyle Okposo, BUF at VAN ($10,500): After a slow, slow start (he still has a 7.7 shooting percentage), Okposo has finally started to turn things around. In his last six games he has nine points. He also has averaged 3:16 per game with the extra man, and he has 10 power-play points. The Canucks have a 3.17 team GAA and have given up 32.1 shots on net per contest. Vancouver also has a poor penalty kill, which is ranked 26th overall.
DEFENSEMEN
Torey Krug, BOS at OTT ($11,300): Krug has seven goals and 21 assists in 42 games, and that includes a four-game point streak that is currently active. Now he gets to go up against an Ottawa team that has a 3.43 team GAA. In January, the Senators' team GAA is up to 3.89, and they've given up a whopping 39.6 shots on net per game in the first month of 2018.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at VAN ($10,300): Ristolainen has torn it up recently. He has 12 points in his last 11 games, including all three of his goals on the season. The big Finn has also put 97 shots on net in 39 games, and he's blocked 62 shots as well. As previously noted, Vancouver has a 3.17 team GAA. The Canucks' penalty-kill struggles are also relevant, as Ristolainen has averaged 3:29 per game with the extra man.
