This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's another Thursday with an iffy NFL game, making it a great day for enjoying some NHL action. There are five hockey games happening, giving you a handful of options for DFS purposes. Want a little extra knowledge for your daily fantasy lineups? I've got a few recommendations for you.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Thursday. Additionally, a few top goalies are in action as well. There is only one team in the bottom five in GAA in action, the Blues, and I will be getting to them later to be sure.
GOALIES
Spencer Knight, FLA vs. DET ($8,100): Looking for a secondary goaltending option was a little tricky, but I landed on Knight. He's taken over from Sergei Bobrovsky and has a 2.64 GAA and .919 save percentage. The Red Wings are middling in goals per game, and since the Panthers are at home I think going with Knight is a solid choice if you don't want to go with Vasilevskiy.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NAS ($7,700): Vasilevskiy has a .919 save percentage in his career, so the fact he has a .909 save percentage this season is surprising. However, the Russian has been looking more like his classic self Thursday. Over his last eight starts he has a 2.26 and .924 save percentage. The Predators, meanwhile, have scored 2.65 goals per game, which is bottom five in the league.
VALUE PLAYS
John Tavares, TOR vs. LOS ($8,700): Tavares has racked up 13 goals and 14 assists through 27 games. He's also put 92 shots on net, so he's been quite active. Tavares has also averaged 3:29 per contest with the extra man and has 14 power-play points. The Kings, meanwhile, have the 26th-ranked penalty kill.
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. OTT ($6,000): Seguin has 19 points in 26 games, even though he only has four goals. You can chalk that up to a 6.8 shooting percentage to some degree, so puck luck could turn around for the Stars veteran. Cam Talbot's last start was brutal, which caused his numbers to dip, but a 2.84 GAA and .907 save percentage isn't from one start alone.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Jets at Blues
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $7,700), Kyle Connor (W - $8,500), Mikey Eyssimont (W - $3,000)
I told you I would get to the Blues. They have a 3.85 GAA, have allowed 33.2 shots on net per contest, and are last on the penalty kill. Jordan Binnington has an .889 save percentage, and he's allowed at least three goals in each of his last six starts. As such, I am looking at the Jets' second line.
Dubois is on a six-game point streak, including three assists in his last game. He also has four power-play points in that time. Connor had 47 goals last season, and he has 10 this year. However, he's put 86 shots on net and his 11.6 shooting percentage is below his career 15.0 numbers by a significant margin. Due to injuries, there has been shifting in the Jets lineup. Eyssimont is sort of along for the ride next to two high-level linemates. He has three points in his last eight games, but is a recent addition to the top-six forwards level which means more minutes.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. OTT ($6,600): Heiskanen has played a robust 25:07 per game this year, including 2:55 with the extra man. With 61 shots on net in 23 games the Finn is shooting more than ever, and he has 10 power-play points already. The Senators have given up 33.3 shots on net per contest, and they have a below-average penalty kill as well.
Nate Schmidt, WPG at STL ($3,700): I wanted a Jets defenseman, and I decided to look beyond Josh Morrissey. Morrissey has been stellar, but I wanted to give you an option at a lower salary. Schmidt has been hot recently. He is on a two-game point streak, with a power-play point in both of those games. Now he faces a Blues squad in the bottom five in GAA and penalty-kill percentage.
