This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are 12 games Thursday in the NHL. Vegas visits Boston, Florida hosts Montreal, Carolina faces a tired Columbus team, the Islanders are in Detroit, Arizona takes on Toronto, Tampa Bay hosts Buffalo, Winnipeg visits Dallas, Minnesota plays in Nashville, Colorado travels to Chicago, Seattle hosts Pittsburgh, LA plays in Vancouver and San Jose hosts Anaheim. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Joey Daccord, SEA vs. PIT ($24): Daccord will try and make amends for his poor performance Saturday, as he gave up four goals on 13 shots before he was pulled early in the second stanza, in a 5-2 loss to Minnesota. Daccord is having a strong season as he has grabbed the reins as the No. 1 netminder with the Kraken. He is 16-12-10 with a 2.45 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He gave up two goals on 32 shots in a 3-0 loss in Pittsburgh on Jan. 15.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at DET ($31): It has been a tough season for Sorokin, especially since he was a star in his first three seasons in the NHL. Sorokin is 18-13-11, which isn't too shabby, but his 3.11 GAA and .909 save percentage pale in comparison to previous seasons, when his worst GAA was 2.40 in 2021-22, while he had a .918 save percentage in his rookie 2020-21 campaign. He faces the Red Wings, who have won six in a row.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at CHI ($37): The NHL's top center this season, MacKinnon is currently trailing only Nikita Kucherov in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. MacKinnon has 35 goals and 63 assists in 60 outings this season and is currently on a seven-game point streak, in which he has three goals and 13 points. He is closing in on his career high in power-play points, as he has 35, two shy of his best when he managed 37 during the 2018-19 season.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, TOR vs. ARI ($26): Tavares has only two goals and three points in his last seven games. The aging star has been moved down to the third line with the Maple Leafs, between Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson and was also demoted to the second power play. He has 17 goals and 43 points in 56 games and is currently on pace for his second-worst points-per-game season – his worst being his rookie season in 2009-10 when he managed 54 points in 82 games.
WING
Brandon Hagel, TB vs. BUF ($19): Hagel is currently on a 14-game point streak in which he has nine goals and 12 assists. He has 22 goals and 59 points in 61 games and is ready to smash his previous career high of 64 points, set last season. He has been doing it for the most part in even-strength situations as Hagel has only a goal and five assists with the man-advantage. Hagel is still nicely priced in Yahoo.
Patrick Kane, DET vs. NYI ($21): Kane has given the Red Wings everything they could have hoped for… and more. He is on a nine-game point streak, scoring five times while adding nine assists. Kane has played only 28 games for Detroit -- after he inked a deal in late November -- and he has 30 points this season in leading the Red Wings to move into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. VGK ($28): Marchand has been struggling of late, as he has only two goals and six points in 12 games since Jan. 25. All the tough play from Marchand in previous season's could finally be catching up with the 35-year-old. He has 26 goals and 53 points in 60 games this season, and while that's a great season for most players, it represents a regression for Marchand.
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. WPG ($25): The veteran winger has only a goal and two assists in his last eight games. Pavelski has hit the 20-goal mark for the fourth year in a row, as well as the 14th time in his 18-year NHL career, but at the age of 39, this could be the start of a serious regression in his offensive output.
DEFENSE
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. MON ($21): Montour has been on fire in his last five games, scoring three times while adding seven helpers. Montour has finally looked like the offensive threat he was last season, when he managed 16 goals and 73 points for the Panthers. Montour has five goals and 22 points in 43 games this season – missing the first 16 games of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at BOS ($22): Pietrangelo has picked up his offensive game, as he has a goal and nine points in his last 12 contests. He has three goals and 28 points in 54 games this season, but his play of late is the reason to add him to your fantasy lineup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at CLS ($19): Burns has been in a slump of late – managing only one goal with nary an assist in his last nine games. Burns has nine goals and 31 points in 59 games, including four goals and 12 assists with the man-advantage, this season. He is still an offensive force at times, but it's tough taking him in fantasy at this time.
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. LA ($22): Hronek has two goals and six assists in his last 19 contests. The 26-year-old has crushed his previous career high of 39 points set last season, as he has five goals and 39 assists thus far. The problem is his lack of production of late, and as such, I would recommend avoiding Hronek in your DFS pools.
