This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Do you like hockey? Then Thursday is the day for you! There are a whopping 14 games on the slate. Here are some players I think you should target, and avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. DAL ($31): Rinne is having another good season, as he's posted a 2.47 GAA and .914 save percentage. Now, you may think of Dallas as being a solid team, and they certainly have some big-name offensive players on their roster like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, so you may be concerned about this matchup. However, you don't need to be. The Stars have actually only averaged 2.16 GAA on the road.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jacob Markstrom, VAN at CHI ($30): Markstrom has had a nice run of play, as he has a 2.20 GAA and .926 save percentage over his last 19 outings. However, overall he has a 2.78 GAA and .910 save percentage. He's also catching the Blackhawks at a bad time. Chicago has won five games in a row, and it also ranks in the top 10 in goals per contest.
CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA at OTT ($13): The Ducks have the worst offense in the NHL. As such, Getzlaf has had to fight an uphill battle all season, but he does have 34 points in 48 games. Plus, this is about as good of a matchup as a player can find. The Senators rank last in GAA, and on top of that they are on the second night of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tomas Hertl, SAN at CGY ($21): Hertl has had a fine season, but recently he's lacked production on the power play. He only has two points with the extra man in his last 20 games, and they both came in the same contest. David Rittich has a 2.47 GAA for the Flames, and on top of that they've only allowed 29.2 shots on net per contest.
WING
Brock Boeser, VAN at CHI ($23): Boeser has tallied 18 goals and 18 assists in 41 games in his sophomore campaign. He's also averaged 3:37 per game with the extra man, which could pay off in this matchup. The Blackhawks have the league's worst penalty kill, and overall they have a 3.65 GAA. That's second worst in the league, so regardless of how many guys are on the ice for Chicago, Boeser should be just fine.
T.J. Oshie, WAS vs. COL ($21): Oshie is often banged up, but when he's healthy, he's a pretty-potent goal scorer. Playing on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom doesn't hurt, either. Oshie has been hot recently, as he has eight points in his last six games. Meanwhile, the Avalanche had a 3.90 GAA in January, and February's two outings haven't been any better (5.50 GAA).
WINGS TO AVOID
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at TAM ($25): Tarasenko has picked it up recently, but he's still having something of a down year by his standards. On the other hand, Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage. The Lightning also have the second-ranked penalty kill, and eight of Tarasenko's 18 goals have come with the extra man.
Jamie Benn, DAL at NAS ($21): Been has 19 goals in 52 games, which is good, but not on the level of last season when he tallied 36 goals. The fact that he's getting considerably less power-play time (2:37 per game), probably doesn't help. I recommended Pekka Rinne in goal, and part of the reason for that is that the Predators have a 2.30 GAA at home.
DEFENSE
T.J. Brodie, CGY vs. SAN ($17): Brodie doesn't produce on the level of his teammate Mark Giordano, but the fact they play together on Calgary's top pairing defensively helps. The 28-year-old has also been hot recently, as he five multi-point games in his last nine contests. San Jose has been an entirely different team on the road, and not in a good way. The Sharks have a 3.79 road GAA.
Ben Hutton, VAN at CHI ($13): It's unfortunate that Alexander Edler is hurt, but that will lead to an increase in minutes for Hutton, especially on the power play. That's encouraging, as he already has eight points with the extra man. As previously noted, the Blackhawks have the league's worst penalty kill, so this matchup looks favorable to Hutton.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Drew Doughty, LOS at PHI ($16): Doughty has been the rare King not having a terrible offensive season, but his teammates' struggles certainly haven't helped him. Plus, Jake Muzzin is gone now, leaving Doughty to shoulder an even bigger load, especially defensively. Philly's overall defensive numbers aren't great, but Carter Hart has a 2.48 GAA and .925 save percentage, which changes things.
Zach Werenski, CLM at ARI ($16): Werenski doesn't have a goal in his last 13 games, and this may not be the matchup for him to light the lamp in. Additionally, nine of his 28 points have come with the extra man. He's unlikely to find luck on that front here, as the Coyotes have the league's worst penalty kill.
