This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
This is a strange Thursday, as there is a game at 2:00 PM ET between the Maple Leafs and Wild. However, since you may not be able to get a daily fantasy lineup in before that, it's been excluded. Still, you will have 14 teams worth of players to choose from. Here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS at STL ($9,100): Holtby has had a couple off nights recently, but even with those, he has a 2.42 GAA and .923 save percentage in his last seven starts. He will likely be just fine against the Blues. St. Louis has only scored 2.76 goals per game, bottom 10 in the NHL. Even on the road, this looks good for Holtby.
CENTER
Mathew Barzal, NYI vs. CHI ($6,600): It took Barzal a little while to find the form he showed as a Calder winner, but he's been red-hot recently. He's notched seven goals and eight assists through his last 15 contests. The sophomore also has 13 points with the extra man, and the Blackhawks rank last on the penalty kill.
Phillip Danault, MON vs. VAN ($5,600): Danault has moved up to being the first-line center for the Canadiens, at least for now, but either way he's been hot himself. Over his last five games, all road contests to boot, he has nine points and 15 shots on net. Now he returns home to face a Canucks team that will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. This could lead to newly-acquired netminder Mike McKenna being in net.
WING
Brock Boeser, VAN at MON ($6,400): Boeser gave Barzal a run for his money in the Calder race last season, and this year he has 14 goals and 28 points through 27 games. Even though the Canucks are on the second leg of a back-to-back, this is still a favorable matchup. The Canadiens have a 3.20 GAA, and even if Carey Price returns, he'll be playing his first game back from IR, and he only has a .904 save percentage.
Sam Reinhart, BUF vs. FLA ($6,200): Reinhart doesn't have a goal in his last 11 games, but he has 14 assists in that time, so there's no reason for complain. He plays on a line with Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel (who is day-to-day at the moment), which gives him plenty of opportunities to rack up assists. The Panthers have really struggled on the road defensively, as they have a 3.75 GAA in away games.
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR at PHI ($5,300): Teravainen has averaged 17:53 per game in ice time, and 2:59 with the extra man, both career highs. That's helped him rack up 29 points in 38 games, including eight on the power play. As for the Flyers, they have a 3.59 GAA, and the 28th-ranked penalty kill, and so far Carter Hart has been up-and-down in net.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. FLA ($5,300): Ristolainen has tallied 25 points this season, including 10 on the power play. The Finn has also notched 104 shots in 40 games, putting him on pace to have over 200 shots on net for the second time in his career. Roberto Luongo struggled in December, as he had a 3.28 GAA and .894 save percentage that month. Don't forget the Panthers' 3.75 road GAA either.
Ryan Pulock, NYI vs. CHI ($4,500): Pulock has three points in his last two games, and eight in his last seven. He's also put 83 shots on goal while blocking 66 shots as well. The Blackhawks have a 3.62 GAA, second highest in the NHL, and they've given up 34.2 shots on net per contest to boot.
