This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
March Madness will be here soon, but the hockey season has already gone mad. There are 10 games on the NHL slate Thursday. Here are my recommendations for my daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Darcy Kuemper, ARI vs. ANA ($8,500): Sound the Kuemper klaxon! Once again, it's time to recommend Arizona's underappreciated goalie. Over his last 15 games he has a 1.99 GAA and .938 save percentage. Now he gets the benefit of facing a Ducks team that ranks last in shots and goals per game.
CENTER
Ryan O'Reilly, STL at OTT ($6,700): O'Reilly has already set a career high with 67 points in 69 games, and if he adds three more goals to his total of 26 he will set a personal best there too. It would be bold to bet on a hat trick in any game, but the Senators are a rather favorable matchup. Their 3.71 GAA is highest in the league, and they were the biggest sellers of talent at the deadline.
Ryan Johansen, NAS at LOS ($5,600): Johansen doesn't have a goal on the power play yet, but he's still been successful with the extra man. He's averaged 3:15 per game in power-play time, notching 15 assists in the process. The Kings have really scuffled on the penalty kill, as they are tied for 30th on that front.
WING
Kevin Labanc, SAN vs. FLA ($5,200): Labanc has started 58.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among San Jose forwards. That's helped his notch 14 points in his last 15 contests, and 47 points overall. Meanwhile, the Panthers have a 3.79 road GAA, bottom five in the NHL.
Jared McCann, PIT at BUF ($5,200): Maybe they should have put McCann on Sidney Crosby's line sooner. Over his last eight games he's notched 10 points. The Sabres have been, shall we say, the opposite of hot. Their 3.68 GAA since the All-Star break is highest in the league.
Ondrej Palat, TAM at DET ($4,700): Palat has had his worst luck shooting this year, but it hasn't all been bad news. He's skating on a line with Steven Stamkos, which is never a bad thing, and he has eight points in his last 13 games. As for the Wings, they've struggled since the All-Star break, as they have a 3.63 GAA in that time.
DEFENSE
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI vs. WAS ($5,300): It has not been the season we expected from Gostisbehere, but he's still getting his opportunities. The defenseman has started 56.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Flyers, and averaged 3:31 per game on the power play. Plus, he does have three points in his last two games. Now he's taking on a Capitals team that has a 3.37 GAA on the road.
Colton Parayko, STL at OTT ($4,700): Parayko has put 162 shots on net in 69 games, notching 10 goals with those chances. This comes after he had 212 shots on goal last season. His ability to put the puck on net should come into play here, as the Senators have allowed 36.0 shots on net per contest.
