This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
When I wrote up my recommendations for Wednesday, I made note of the fact it was a very Western-focused group of games in terms of teams, and especially home teams. Well, Thursday is kind of the opposite of that. Calgary is at home against Montreal, but otherwise nobody west of Dallas is in action (It can be easy to forget that Winnipeg is basically just north of Minnesota). It's a big day for the East Coast, but also for the NHL in general, as 10 games are on the slate. Time for some Eastern-infused recommendations for your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Tristan Jarry, PIT at BUF ($28): Yes, Jarry still has a 3.05 GAA and .900 save percentage, but things have looked better recently. Over his last 10 starts he has a 2.49 GAA and .923 save percentage. He should be able to keep that up against the Sabres, as they have only managed 2.25 goals per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at TOR ($29): Speaking of 10-game stretches, Hellebuyck's last 10 games have been pretty worrisome. The American goalie has a 3.12 GAA and .904 save percentage over his last 10 outings. Toronto has managed 3.44 goals per game, second in the NHL, and Auston Matthews is back healthy and scoring goals with gusto.
CENTER
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. CHI ($27): Pavelski has had to really carry the Dallas offense this season, and so far he's been up for it. The veteran center has 13 goals and 11 assists, and he's scored a goal in three straight games. Pavelski has also notched 55 shots on goal in 21 games. The Blackhawks have allowed 34.5 shots on net per contest, highest in the NHL. Apparently this is my day for looking at the last 10 games for goalies, because over his last 10 games Kevin Lankinen has a 3.24 GAA and .908 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mika Zibanejad, NYR at BOS ($25): It's been a brutal season for Zibanejad. He has only nine points in 24 games and his 4.5 percent shooting is staggeringly low. Things have been looking a little better, as he has three points in his last five games, but the Bruins aren't likely to let him build any momentum. Boston has a 2.35 GAA and has given up a mere 26.3 shots on net per contest.
WING
Kasperi Kapanen, PIT at BUF ($19): Kapanen has been enjoying a nice run of play, as he has seven points in his last five contests. He's skating on Pittsburgh's second line alongside Evgeni Malkin, and he's started 63.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third highest on the team. The Sabres have a 3.25 GAA, but Linus Ullmark is out and Carter Hutton has a 3.40 GAA and .883 save percentage.
Patrick Maroon, TAM at DET ($10): I think this matchup is an opportunity to get a Lightning player on a low salary into your lineup. After all, the Red Wings have a 3.37 GAA, third highest in the NHL. Maroon may play on the fourth line, but he starts 60.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most among Tampa forwards. Plus, he does play 1:40 per game on the power play. Maroon has a point in his last two games, and if he does that again that's enough for him to pay off at this salary.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at DAL ($29): DeBrincat has bounced back from his 8.7 percent shooting, and he recently had an eight-game point streak. However, he hasn't had a point in his last two games, including a road game against the Stars. Dallas has picked things up defensively, and now has a 2.48 GAA while only giving up 27.8 shots on net per game.
Kyle Palmieri, NJD at NYI ($17): Palmieri is another player who is being plagued by shooting-percentage problems. He only has four goals in 21 games, and his power-play performance has fallen off a cliff. Perhaps that's why he's gone from averaging 3:10 per game with the extra man last season to 2:35 this season. If that wasn't enough, the Islanders have a 2.15 GAA.
DEFENSE
Keith Yandle, FLA at CLM ($18): To think that at the beginning of the year there were concerns that Yandle would be the odd man out in Florida. Instead, it's been business as usual. The 34-year-old has averaged 3:57 per game on the power play and tallied 11 power-play points in 25 games. Columbus is in the bottom five in penalty-kill percentage, and it also has a 3.22 GAA.
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. NJD ($14): Leddy has been quite impressive on the power play so far. He's notched eight of his 16 points with the extra man. Now he's facing a New Jersey team that has the worst penalty kill in the league. That adds up to promise for the veteran defenseman.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Adam Fox, NYR at BOS ($19): Fox has performed well this season, even though his shooting percentage has dropped from 6.4 to 3.8. However, nine of his 13 points have come with the extra man. That doesn't bode well in this matchup, as the Bruins have the best penalty kill in the NHL.
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. FLA ($18): Werenski has missed a chunk of the season with injury, but even so one goal and seven assists in 20 games isn't great. He hasn't scored a goal since returning from his latest injury as well. Chris Driedger has been impressive in net for the Panthers (2.40 GAA, .920 save percentage), but recently even Sergei Bobrovsky has picked up his play. The Russian has a 2.48 GAA and .926 save percentage in his last six games.
