This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are 13 games in the NHL on Thursday. Ottawa plays in Buffalo, Carolina is home to Anaheim, LA travels to Florida, Edmonton plays in Detroit, San Jose takes on Montreal, Pittsburgh hosts Vancouver, New Jersey visits Tampa Bay, Seattle is in Washington, the Islanders host Toronto, the Rangers travel to St. Louis, Chicago visits Winnipeg, Calgary plays in Arizona and Vegas is home to Boston. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($31): Hellebuyck takes on a depleted Chicago team that's missing Connor Bedard, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, Anthony Beauvillier, Seth Jones and others. Chicago's offense was weak before the multitude of injuries, sitting 31st in the NHL with only 95 goals in 41 games. Hellebuyck has been one of the best goaltenders in the league this season, as he is 21-6-3 with a sizzling 2.20 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He is on a five-game winning streak and should be in line for his sixth straight.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. NYR ($29): Binnington has a tough matchup versus the Rangers on Thursday. He has won three of his last four games, giving him a 13-11-1 mark, to go with a 3.05 GAA and a .905 save percentage. Binnington was 1-1-0 versus the Rangers last season, giving up eight goals on 48 shots. I think he is too expensive to consider adding to your Yahoo team Thursday.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM at DET ($38): McDavid has an eight-game point streak on the line Thursday. He has four goals and 10 assists during the streak, giving him 15 goals and 40 assists in 35 games. McDavid is due for a big breakout game and could due so against the Red Wings.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mika Zibanejad, NYR at STL ($30): I wouldn't take a chance on Zibanejad at this time, as he is questionable to play due to an illness. He was expected to take the trip to St. Louis, but he shouldn't be counted upon to play. Looking at the stats, Zibanejad has 14 goals and 25 assists in 39 games as he and Artemi Panarin lead the Rangers offensively, but the threat of not playing makes Zibanejad a player to avoid Thursday.
WING
Dawson Mercer, NJ at TB ($19): Mercer has taken over the spot of Jack Hughes who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Mercer is centering Tyler Toffoli and Jesper Bratt and seeing action on the top power play. Mercer had 27 goals and 56 points as a sophomore last season and could hit that milestone once again, if Hughes stays out of action for a lengthy period of time.
Patrick Kane, DET vs. EDM ($21): Kane is expected to get traded before the deadline as the Red Wings are sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference standings, despite a three-game winning streak. Kane has been great this season, scoring six times and adding eight assists in 16 games. There are plenty of playoff contenders looking to add the offensive capabilities of Kane and he will continue to showcase his talents until the deadline, while trying to get the Red Wings back into a playoff spot. Kane is a good price Thursday to put in your fantasy lineup.
WINGS TO AVOID
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. ANA ($15): Despite seeing first-line duty, Teravainen isn't keeping pace with his linemates Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov who have combined for 35 points in the last seven contests. Teravainen has only two goals without an assist in the same seven games, giving him 14 goals and 22 points in 40 tilts this season.
Jordan Kyrou, STL vs. NYR ($19 ): Kyrou is having a tough go of it this season with nine goals and 27 points in 39 games. This is after back-to-back 70-plus point seasons for the 25-year-old. Kyrou has been dropped to the second power play after spending last season on the first unit. Kyrou has six assists this season with the man-advantage, after managing 11 goals and 23 points in 2022-23.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TB vs. NJ ($20): Hedman is having a bounce-back season with six goals and 39 points in 40 games. Last season was a disaster for Hedman (at least by his standards), as he had nine goals and 40 assists in 76 contests. He has already surpassed his power-play point total of 14 points last season, as he has 17 this season. Hedman is nicely priced Thursday to add to your DFS squad.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at DET ($23): Bouchard is having a stellar season, as the 24-year-old has nine goals and 39 points in 37 games. He has a goal and seven points in his last six games. Bouchard has quarterbacked the vaunted Edmonton power play and has four goals and 15 assists with the man-advantage.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Moritz Seider, DET at LA ($19): Seider snapped a five-game point drought with an assist Monday in Anaheim. He returns home after Detroit's three-game California road trip and don't be surprised if Seider and the Red Wings have some jet lag. He has five goals and 23 points in 40 contests this season, and has 12 points on the power play, despite seeing second unit power-play time as Shayne Gostisbehere has taken over the spot Seider held last season.
Sean Durzi, ARI vs. CGY ($19): Durzi has only one assist in his last five games as the Coyotes will play their fifth straight game at home. Durzi had a huge game Dec. 27 with a goal and three assists as the four-point effort gave him seven points in three games, but he has slumped ever since. Durzi has six goals and 21 points in 33 games, but I would advise looking elsewhere Thursday.
