This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIES
Jake Allen, MON vs. PHI ($24): Allen has been excellent at home over his last six starts, recording a .920 save percentage and a 2.51 GAA. It's been tough sledding in the win department with just one victory during that stretch, but he has DFS tournament appeal still, especially because the Flyers rank 25th in the league with 2.63 goals per game this year.
GOALIES TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, LA at FLA ($30): Bobrovsky has been struggling of late with an .889 save percentage and a 3.13 GAA over his last eight appearances, though plenty of offensive support landed him with a 5-2-0 record. Tonight's matchup against the Kings is no joke, as L.A. ranks fifth over the last month with 2.77 xGF/60 at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.
CENTER
Charlie Coyle, BOS at NYI ($16): Patrice Bergeron landed in the COVID-19 protocols Wednesday and will likely miss Thursday's game, meaning Coyle will likely get promoted to the top line. He's been impressive this year with seven goals and seven assists through the first 25 games, and a bump in playing time along with a linemate like David Pastrnak could take his production to the next level.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nazem Kadri, COL at NSH ($28): Kadri has already taken his game to the next level, and thus he'll be a hot commodity in DFS moving forward. It may be worth fading that enthusiasm Thursday. Predators goaltender Juuse Saros has been fantastic this season, especially at home where he has registered a .933 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA.
WING
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. LA ($20): Reinhart took a while to get his feet wet in Florida, but he has averaged 18:12 of ice time over the last 14 games, nearly two minutes more than he did over the first 14 games. Over those last 14 contests, he has recorded six goals and five assists – two of each with the man advantage – and now he'll get a chance to take on Los Angeles' 27th-ranked PK (76.8 percent).
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. DET ($19): Teravainen leans heavily on his power-play usage for fantasy value, as nine of his 20 points have come with the man advantage. That reliance won't be a serious issue tonight, as the Red Wings rank 26th with a 76.8 percent penalty kill. Furthermore, he could see even more ice time Thursday with five Detroit forwards in the COVID-19 protocols.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brady Tkachuk, OTT at TB ($19): Tkachuk is on pace for career highs in goals and assists, as he's accrued 12 goals and 10 assists through 23 games. The matchup against Andrei Vasilevskiy is quite tough, but the Lightning are vulnerable on the PK, as they rank 22nd in the league with a 79.5 percent mark. Tkachuk has just three goals on the power play though, so he could have a difficult time converting.
Corey Perry, TB vs. OTT ($18): Perry is having a solid season with 11 points through 28 games, but he's still averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game. His salary's quite high for the pedigree he has at age 36, and the matchup against Ottawa's Anton Forsberg – who has posted a .917 save percentage over the past seven games – isn't ideal, either.
DEFENSE
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at NJ ($22): Pietrangelo began the year slowly, but he has been superb since the beginning of November, accruing 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) and 49 shots on goal over the past 19 contests. Seven of those points have come with the man advantage, so his chances of hitting for fantasy purposes are strong against New Jersey's 21st-ranked PK (79.5 percent).
Erik Karlsson, SJ vs. VAN ($20): With five goals and five assists over the last 11 games, Karlsson is looking like his old self on the blue line while averaging three shots on net per game. Only one of those points were on the man advantage, but Karlsson skates on PP1 and will get a chance to take on Vancouver's last-ranked PK (66.7 percent) tonight.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Thomas Chabot, OTT at TB ($19): Chabot is throwing his hat in the ring for the title of league's premier defensemen, as he's registered eight assists and 16 shots on net over the past five contests. His matchup Thursday is extremely difficult, though. Vasilevskiy has recorded a .927 save percentage and a 2.15 GAA this year.
Tyler Myers, VAN at SJ ($18): Myers has posted three points over the last two games, but we shouldn't expect that offensive output for long, as he registered just six points through the first 28 games. He's a fine option for cash games because he shoots a ton and blocks a lot of shots, but his ceiling is limited on a nightly basis.
