This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's another busy Thursday in the NHL with eight games on tap as the Christmas break draws closer. The Wild are the only tired team as they travel to San Jose after a 4-1 win over Anaheim. Elsewhere, the Flyers are in Toronto for a matinee contest, Carolina travels to Pittsburgh, the Islanders take on their cross-town rivals, the Rangers, at Madison Square Garden, Ottawa hosts Washington, the Jets are in Boston, Seattle goes up the coast to take on Vancouver and the Flames are in LA. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. NYI ($35): Shesterkin has returned to his 2021-22 Vezina form of late. He saw his six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday but is 16-5-4 with a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage and has given up only 10 goals on 174 shots in his last six games. He faces the Islanders, who were shut out in Colorado on Monday, the second time in five games they have failed to find the back of the net.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carter Hart, PHI at TOR ($24): Hart is having a good season overall, going 10-9-6 with a 2.82 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The numbers are skewed though as he got off to a tremendous start, winning his first five games while giving up only 10 goals on 188 shots. Since then, he has been just okay. He gave up nine goals on 61 shots in two games against the Maple Leafs last season. Toronto is tied for third overall in the NHL standings with 46 points, scoring 107 goals in 33 games.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. PHI ($35): Matthews has come on of late, picking up points in 10 of his last 11 contests. He has 17 goals and 38 points in 33 games and is averaging 4.52 shots per game, a tad under last season, when he averaged 4.76 shots. He has picked up the pace of late though with 57 shots in his last 11 games, an average of 5.22. Matthews had a goal and an assist earlier in the season in his only game so far against the Flyers.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mark Scheifele, WPG at BOS ($25): Scheifele is on pace for a career high in goals as he has 19 in 32 games, with his best being 38 in the 2018-19 season. He has 27 points this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in five of his last seven contests. He has lost winger Blake Wheeler who is out of action another 3-4 weeks after undergoing groin surgery, and that is a big loss for Scheifele. The Bruins are a tough matchup as Linus Ullmark has been a top-two goaltender in the NHL this season.
WING
Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at LA ($21): Huberdeau has only five goals and 22 points in 30 games, but has been much better of late with two goals and 13 points in his last 13 games. He was strong Tuesday with a trio of assists in a 7-3 win over San Jose. He scored in his only game against the Kings this season. Huberdeau had 115 points last season with Florida and has averaged over a point per game in each of his previous four seasons.
William Nylander, TOR vs. PHI ($27): Nylander has been gold this season for fantasy managers as he has 19 goals and 17 assists in 33 games. He is seeing top-line action with Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting as well as time on the first power play unit, and he has six goals and 13 points with the man advantage. Nylander has three points in his last two games, as well as 13 shots on goal. He had three goals and five points in three games against the Flyers last season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. WPG ($30): Marchand has 26 points in 23 games, with five points in his last seven games including a three-assist effort Monday against the Panthers. He is not shooting the puck as much of late though, averaging only 1.80 shots per game over his last 10 contests. That gives him a shakier floor than you'd like at this salary.
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. NYI ($23): Kreider scored a career-high 52 goals last season, bettering his previous best of 28. He has 16 goals in 34 games this season and while he is on pace for the second-best season of his career, he is no longer playing on the first line with Mika Zibanejad. Kreider is on the second line (but still on the first power play unit) with Vincent Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey. He will have a tough matchup against the Islanders, who are expected to have Ilya Sorokin, a top-three goaltender in the NHL, between the pipes.
DEFENSE
Noah Dobson, NYI at NYR ($18): Dobson has put together a nice season with 10 goals and 21 points in 33 games. He set career highs last season with 13 goals and 38 assists, and it certainly looks like he will smash his high in goals. Dobson has been fruitful quarterbacking the power play, scoring three times and adding six assists as he has averaged 3:41 of action, up 1:04 from his career high last season.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at BOS ($22): It has been a coming out year for Morrissey, who has six goals and 38 points in 32 games this season, second best among blueliners behind only Erik Karlsson. Morrissey has already set a career-high in points, bettering last season's total of 37, and it is only mid-December. He has points in 10 straight games and 15 of his last 16 games, with five goals and 21 points during the streak.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Gustafsson, WAS at OTT ($19): Gustafsson has been hot in his last two games, with four goals and an assist, but I can't see that continuing as he had only 10 assists in 31 games before last weekend. Gustafsson sees second-unit power play time and has only four helpers with the man advantage, as he is seeing his lowest average time on the power play in the last five years. Gustafsson doesn't shoot the puck a lot, averaging only 1.67 shots per game this season, so his 11 shots in the last two games are an anomaly.
Vince Dunn, SEA at VAN ($17): Dunn has an assist in each of his last two games, but had not picked up a point in his previous six contests. He does have four goals and 18 points in 31 games this season, but there are better choices on the blue line, especially at his salary.
