This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's another busy Thursday in the NHL with 12 games on tap. Winnipeg is the only team that is playing the second game of a back-to-back as they take on the Golden Knights in Vegas, so be careful rostering tired players. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. NJ ($38): Sorokin has started the season just like he left off the 2021-22 campaign as he is 1-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and a .941 save percentage. He was 26-18-8 last season with a 2.40 GAA and a .925 save percentage, showing the NHL that he was a top-five goaltender despite playing for the struggling Islanders. He was 1-1-0 against the Devils last season, giving up six goals on 66 shots, and he got his victory at home.
GOALIE TO AVOID
James Reimer, SJ at NYR ($23): Reimer is 0-3-0 this season as the Sharks have had a busy travel schedule. They started the season in Europe, returned home and now are in New York to take on the Rangers, all in the last two weeks. Reimer has a 3.05 GAA and a .911 save percentage heading into Thursday's action. He has not faced the Rangers since Dec. 2019 when he gave up five goals on 24 shots while playing for Carolina.
CENTER
J.T. Miller, VAN at MIN ($27): Miller is off to a good start with a pair of goals and an assist in four games after a breakout year in 2021-22 in which he managed a career-best 99 points. He has two new linemates in Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev and also heads up the first power play for the Canucks.
CENTER TO AVOID
Jack Eichel, VGK vs. WPG ($26): Eichel has a goal and two assists in four games but was completely shut down against the Flames on Tuesday, as he was pointless and held without a shot on goal in a 3-2 loss. He has struggled overall since returning from disk surgery last season, as he managed only 14 goals and 25 points in 34 games -- including going pointless in two games against the Jets.
WING
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR at EDM ($24): Svechnikov is off to a great start with three goals and five points in three games. The 22-year-old anchors the second line as well as the second power play unit, as the Hurricanes are spreading around their talent this season to get a balanced lineup.
Mitch Marner, TOR vs. DAL ($32): Marner has a goal and three assists in four games. He had his best year to date with 35 goals and 97 points in 72 games last season and was a first-team All-Star for the second year in a row. Marner had three assists in two games versus Dallas last season and will see first line action alongside Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting as well as first-unit power play time.
WINGS TO AVOID
Timo Meier, SJ at NYR ($22): Meier is off to a slow start with only one assist in his first five games, but he has 21 shots on goal thus far, so it is only a matter of time until he explodes after he recorded 35 goals and 76 points in 77 contests last season. It's doubtful that it will happen Thursday though, as he will face the best goaltender in the NHL in Igor Shesterkin. Meier was pointless in two games against the Rangers last season.
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. SJ ($27): Kreider is pointless in his last two games after starting the season with a pair of goals against Minnesota and an assist versus Tampa Bay. Kreider had a career year last season with 52 goals (his previous best was 28) and 77 points, but it's unlikely that he will get close to those numbers this season. He was pointless in his only game against the Sharks last season.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS at OTT ($23): Carlson has a goal and an assist in four games this season. He has hit the 70-point mark in three of the last four seasons and would likely have done so in the fourth year had it not been for the COVID-shortened schedule. Carlson quarterbacks the Washington power play and had 25 of his 71 points in 2021-22 with the man advantage. The veteran blueliner had a goal and an assist in two games versus the Senators last season.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at CGY ($18): There is no defenseman in the NHL hotter than Dahlin right now, as he has found the back of the net in each of his first three games. The No. 1 selection in the 2018 draft had a tough 2020-21 campaign with only 23 points in 56 games, but he regained his confidence last season with 13 goals and 53 points.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Hampus Lindholm, BOS vs. ANA ($17): Lindholm came into the season as the quarterback of the first power play unit with Charlie McAvoy still recovering from offseason surgery. Lindholm has a goal and an assist in four games, but his goal was into an empty net while he has yet to pick up a point on the power play. Lindholm will face his former Anaheim teammates after being dealt to the Bruins at last season's trade deadline, but that may not be enough incentive to use him in your lineup.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. VAN ($17): Spurgeon is off to a slow start with only one assist in his first three games. He had the best season of his career in 2021-22, picking up 40 points in 65 games with a plus-32 rating, but at the age of 32 it could be all downhill from here. He underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason and while he is fully recovered, it may have taken a toll on his body. Spurgeon had a goal in three games against the Canucks last season.
