This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are 14 games on the NHL schedule Thursday. Ottawa hosts Chicago, Washington play in Toronto, the Islanders visit Florida, Columbus faces Pittsburgh, Philadelphia takes on Montreal, Carolina hosts Detroit, San Jose travels to Minnesota, Vegas plays in Winnipeg, Calgary visits St. Louis, Colorado hosts the Rangers. LA plays Edmonton, Seattle is home to Anaheim, Nashville heads to Arizona and Dallas heads north of the border to face Vancouver. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Daniil Tarasov, CLS at PIT ($20): There is so much value in taking Tarasov at a low price. He has faced over 40 shots on goal in three of his last four starts. Tarasov stopped 43 shots in a 4-2 loss Saturday in Vegas, giving him a 7-10-3 record, to go with a 3.24 GAA and a .904 save percentage – not too shabby for the lowly Blue Jackets.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at FLA ($36): Varlamov is a very high price, especially considering he is ready to face one of the best teams in the NHL – the Panthers. Varlamov has played well of late, going 2-0-1, but he was 1-3-0 in his four previous decisions. Varlamov is 8-7-4 with a 2.86 GAA and a .910 save percentage this season as a backup to Ilya Sorokin. The Panthers have scored 234 goals, 13th in the NHL.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. WAS ($35): Matthews leads the NHL in goals with 59. If that wasn't a good enough reason to select him Thursday, Matthews managed a pair of goals and three assists the last time the two teams met, eight days ago. Matthews has 11 points in his last five games as he is only seven points away from reaching the 100-point mark for the second time in his career.
CENTER TO AVOID
J.T. Miller, VAN vs. DAL ($35): Miller has 91 points in 72 games this season, but he has only four points in his last five games, including two pointless games. Miller is highly priced, especially considering he has only one assist in two games versus the Stars this season.
WING
Filip Forsberg, NSH at ARI ($30): Forsberg has been on fire of late – he has a six-game goal scoring streak as well as points in each of his last seven games. Forsberg has seven goals and 14 points during the streak, giving the 29-year-old 40 goals and 81 points this season. Forsberg has three goals and six points in three games versus the Coyotes this season.
Bryan Rust, PIT vs. CLS ($22): Rust has goals in each of his last two games and has five goals and seven points in his last seven contests. Rust is back on the top line with Sidney Crosby and that certainly doesn't hurt his fantasy value. Rust has 23 goals and 43 points in just 51 games this season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. NYR ($26): Nichushkin is questionable with a lower-body injury. He has been outstanding when he has been in the lineup, scoring 26 times while adding 24 assists in just 48 appearances. Nichushkin has gone pointless in his last two games – with a minus-3 rating. Look for Zach Parise to garner a role in the top-six, should Nichushkin miss Thursday's tilt.
Joe Pavelski, DAL at VAN ($25): Pavelski is having a nice season with 25 goals and 35 assists in 73 points. The problem is that he has been slipping of late. The 39-year-old veteran has only a goal and two assists in his last six games. The Stars are in the midst of a four-game West Coast trip that still has Vancouver and Seattle to go. It's not worth selecting Pavelski on Thursday.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NSH at ARI ($28): Josi is on a seven-game point streak in which he has four goals and seven assists. Josi has been on fire since the calendar turned to 2024, scoring 11 times and adding 33 assists in 35 games. Overall, Josi – who has an outside chance at Norris Trophy consideration – has 19 goals and 54 assists in 72 appearances this season.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. LA ($23): Bouchard saw his seven-game point streak come to an end Tuesday in a 4-3 win over Winnipeg. Bouchard had 12 assists during his streak, giving the 24-year-old blueliner 15 goals and 72 points in an outstanding year. He has six goals and 32 points on the vaunted Edmonton power play and is well worth his price Thursday.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Mattias Ekholm, EDM vs. LA ($24): Ekholm has actually been scoring of late, finding the back of the net twice against the Sabres on Mar. 21, giving him seven points in his last five games. He has seven goals and 35 points in 68 games, hardly worth his price in Yahoo on Thursday.
Erik Karlsson, PIT vs. CLS ($24): Karlsson is goalless in his last 15 games and hasn't been an offensive threat as he has only three assists during his slump. Karlsson has eight goals and 46 points in 71 games, a far cry from last season when he had 25 goals and 101 points with the Sharks. He is not worth selecting until he snaps out of his slump.
