This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's NHL slate features no shortage of action, with 12 games on tap beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which players to target and which to avoid in this slate.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at DET ($32): Fleury's price has dropped a bit recently, creating a nice buy-low opportunity against a Red Wings club that's scoring just 2.59 goals per game -- fourth-fewest in the league. Picking up a victory and the five fantasy points that come with it should also be easy for Fleury considering his Golden Knights have won 42 of 66 games this season while Detroit's emerged victorious just 26 times in 66 games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Ward, CAR at CHI ($31): Ward allowed four goals on 13 shots before getting the hook Tuesday in Minnesota, and he now owns an ugly 3.11 GAA and .898 save percentage in 15 road appearances. Those numbers simply won't cut it against a Blackhawks club that's won four of its last five home games to improve to 16-14-3 in Chicago this season.
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CENTER
Brayden Point, TB vs. NYR ($23): While most eyes will be on the players exchanged by these two teams at the trade deadline, Point could well prove to have the best value in this game. He's played at a point-per-game pace at home with 15 goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances at Amalie Arena and has a plus-15 rating in that venue to boot. Another strong showing is likely in the cards against a Rangers team that's gone 3-7-1 in its past 11 games while allowing all but two of those opponents to score at least three goals.
CENTER TO AVOID
Adam Henrique, ANH at NSH ($18): Henrique's been pedestrian since the calendar turned to February, registering 10 points and just 26 shots on goal in 16 subsequent games. There are worse players out there, but the bang for the buck just isn't there at $18, especially against a Predators team that's allowing a league-low 2.47 goals per game.
WINGS
Josh Bailey, NYI at EDM ($22): Bailey's been surprisingly strong on the power play this season, as his 28 points in such situations are well clear of the team's two next-best scorers (John Tavares-21, Mathew Barzal-20) even though Bailey's played four fewer games than each of those guys. His overall scoring pace of 1.03 points per game also compares favorably to each of those players, so Bailey's primed to exploit a league-worst Oilers penalty kill that ranks last in the league at 73.9 percent.
Mark Stone, OTT vs. BUF ($21): Stone often gets overlooked because he's playing for an awful Ottawa team, but he's been on an absolute scoring binge recently with points in nine consecutive games and 12 of his last 13. As a result, he leads his team in goals (20), points (61) and rating (plus-11). That rating is even more incredible considering no other player currently on the Senators roster with more than 35 appearances is better than minus-3 in that category. Since he's largely immune to his team's downsides, Stone's upside stands out even more against a Sabres team that's getting outscored 3.23 to 2.41 in the average game, especially with Buffalo playing its second game in as many nights.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Ovechkin, WAS at LA ($35): Ovechkin's been in a slump by his lofty standards, as he only has one multi-point performance in his last nine games and has finished with negative fantasy points three times in that stretch. The chances he disappoints relative to his $35 valuation are way too high on the road against a Kings team that's allowing the second-fewest goals per game (2.50).
Jakub Voracek, PHI at BOS ($27): Voracek's another high-priced player that's tough to justify paying up for against an excellent opponent. His Flyers have dropped three in a row, and Voracek's been cold himself for longer than that with just seven points in the past 11 games. Three of those points came in one outing against a Canadiens club that's just a glorified AHL team at this stage, and he faces significantly tougher opposition here in a Bruins team that's outscoring opponents 3.31 to 2.52 on average.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Petrovic, FLA vs. MON ($10): Petrovic is worth a look for owners looking to spend big at other positions. He just skated a season-high 21:40 Tuesday and is averaging a respectable 5.6 fantasy points per game over the past six thanks to four helpers and a plus-5 rating in that stretch for the surging Panthers. A Canadiens club that's now missing Max Pacioretty (knee) on top of its already lengthy list of notable absentees doesn't pose much risk here, and there's not much to lose with a player that costs just $10.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at OTT ($18): Ristolainen would be priced much higher if not for an ugly minus-14 rating, as he's been an offensive juggernaut from the blue line with 22 points in his last 28 games and six points in the past six. Considering he's facing an Senators team whose two best players are Stone and a defenseman with a rating that's exactly twice as bad as Ristolainen's, the hulking blueliner's deficiencies in his own end should be minimized. Meanwhile, his offensive ceiling is as high as ever since Ottawa's allowing the second-most goals per game in the league (3.40).
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Seth Jones, CLS vs. COL ($22): Power-play production has been a key piece of Jones' value, as he's tied for the team lead with 15 points in such situations. Don't expect that total to rise against an Avalanche penalty kill that ranks third at 83.3 percent.
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. ANH ($25): The argument against Subban is similar to that against Jones, except his price-related risk is even higher at $25. Anaheim's 83.2 percent penalty kill ranks just behind Colorado's unit, so adding to his team-leading total of 20 power-play points will be tough for Subban. Fellow Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis makes for a strong alternative considering he costs $4 less than Subban despite averaging 1.2 more fantasy points per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Ward, CAR at CHI ($31): Ward allowed four goals on 13 shots before getting the hook Tuesday in Minnesota, and he now owns an ugly 3.11 GAA and .898 save percentage in 15 road appearances. Those numbers simply won't cut it against a Blackhawks club that's won four of its last five home games to improve to 16-14-3 in Chicago this season.
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CENTER
Brayden Point, TB vs. NYR ($23): While most eyes will be on the players exchanged by these two teams at the trade deadline, Point could well prove to have the best value in this game. He's played at a point-per-game pace at home with 15 goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances at Amalie Arena and has a plus-15 rating in that venue to boot. Another strong showing is likely in the cards against a Rangers team that's gone 3-7-1 in its past 11 games while allowing all but two of those opponents to score at least three goals.
CENTER TO AVOID
Adam Henrique, ANH at NSH ($18): Henrique's been pedestrian since the calendar turned to February, registering 10 points and just 26 shots on goal in 16 subsequent games. There are worse players out there, but the bang for the buck just isn't there at $18, especially against a Predators team that's allowing a league-low 2.47 goals per game.
WINGS
Josh Bailey, NYI at EDM ($22): Bailey's been surprisingly strong on the power play this season, as his 28 points in such situations are well clear of the team's two next-best scorers (John Tavares-21, Mathew Barzal-20) even though Bailey's played four fewer games than each of those guys. His overall scoring pace of 1.03 points per game also compares favorably to each of those players, so Bailey's primed to exploit a league-worst Oilers penalty kill that ranks last in the league at 73.9 percent.
Mark Stone, OTT vs. BUF ($21): Stone often gets overlooked because he's playing for an awful Ottawa team, but he's been on an absolute scoring binge recently with points in nine consecutive games and 12 of his last 13. As a result, he leads his team in goals (20), points (61) and rating (plus-11). That rating is even more incredible considering no other player currently on the Senators roster with more than 35 appearances is better than minus-3 in that category. Since he's largely immune to his team's downsides, Stone's upside stands out even more against a Sabres team that's getting outscored 3.23 to 2.41 in the average game, especially with Buffalo playing its second game in as many nights.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Ovechkin, WAS at LA ($35): Ovechkin's been in a slump by his lofty standards, as he only has one multi-point performance in his last nine games and has finished with negative fantasy points three times in that stretch. The chances he disappoints relative to his $35 valuation are way too high on the road against a Kings team that's allowing the second-fewest goals per game (2.50).
Jakub Voracek, PHI at BOS ($27): Voracek's another high-priced player that's tough to justify paying up for against an excellent opponent. His Flyers have dropped three in a row, and Voracek's been cold himself for longer than that with just seven points in the past 11 games. Three of those points came in one outing against a Canadiens club that's just a glorified AHL team at this stage, and he faces significantly tougher opposition here in a Bruins team that's outscoring opponents 3.31 to 2.52 on average.
DEFENSEMEN
Alexander Petrovic, FLA vs. MON ($10): Petrovic is worth a look for owners looking to spend big at other positions. He just skated a season-high 21:40 Tuesday and is averaging a respectable 5.6 fantasy points per game over the past six thanks to four helpers and a plus-5 rating in that stretch for the surging Panthers. A Canadiens club that's now missing Max Pacioretty (knee) on top of its already lengthy list of notable absentees doesn't pose much risk here, and there's not much to lose with a player that costs just $10.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at OTT ($18): Ristolainen would be priced much higher if not for an ugly minus-14 rating, as he's been an offensive juggernaut from the blue line with 22 points in his last 28 games and six points in the past six. Considering he's facing an Senators team whose two best players are Stone and a defenseman with a rating that's exactly twice as bad as Ristolainen's, the hulking blueliner's deficiencies in his own end should be minimized. Meanwhile, his offensive ceiling is as high as ever since Ottawa's allowing the second-most goals per game in the league (3.40).
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Seth Jones, CLS vs. COL ($22): Power-play production has been a key piece of Jones' value, as he's tied for the team lead with 15 points in such situations. Don't expect that total to rise against an Avalanche penalty kill that ranks third at 83.3 percent.
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. ANH ($25): The argument against Subban is similar to that against Jones, except his price-related risk is even higher at $25. Anaheim's 83.2 percent penalty kill ranks just behind Colorado's unit, so adding to his team-leading total of 20 power-play points will be tough for Subban. Fellow Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis makes for a strong alternative considering he costs $4 less than Subban despite averaging 1.2 more fantasy points per game.
