This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
We've already seen two series end in the NHL playoffs already, and a third might join the ranks Thursday. One more win for the Golden Knights and the Sharks will be ousted. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, from Thursday's three NHL contests.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. STL ($29): Hellebuyck has posted a 2.39 GAA and .927 save percentage over his last 15 starts. He also has a 2.47 GAA in this series. The Blues managed 2.71 goals per game on the road this year, which isn't terrible, but is relatively favorable for Winnipeg's netminder compared to the other teams in action.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at SAN ($36): Fleury has assuaged some fears based on his recent play, but the Sharks have a potent offense and they are in a must-win situation. At home, San Jose potted 3.61 goals per game, fourth most in the NHL. Plus, Fleury had a .907 save percentage in away contests.
CENTER
Paul Stastny, VGK at SAN ($20): Stastny has notched 16 points in his last 12 games. That includes a whopping eight points in this series, mostly thanks to a five-point outing. The Sharks were better at home this year, but it is hard to be too excited about a team that has had to swap goalies twice in this series already.
CENTER TO AVOID
Kevin Hayes, WPG vs. STL ($13): Hayes hasn't quite contributed as hoped for the Jets after being acquired from the Rangers. He has one point in this series, and he's also yet to notch a power-play point with Winnipeg. While Jordan Binnington has looked human in the playoffs, he still is the guy who had a .927 save percentage in the regular season.
WING
Nino Niederreiter, CAR vs. WAS ($17): Niederreiter has started 62.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone since being traded to the Hurricanes, top on the team. That certainly helped him notch 30 points in only 36 games with Carolina. As for the Capitals, they had a 3.34 GAA in away contest.
David Perron, STL at WPG ($17): Perron has a point in three of the four games in this series. He also tallied 14 power-play points this year despite only playing in 57 games. That bodes well, as the Jets had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill.
WINGS TO AVOID
T.J. Oshie, WAS at CAR ($20): Oshie has not been shooting a ton recently. He only has three shots on goal in his last five games, including three outings where he didn't put a single puck on net. If there is one thing Carolina's defense does well it's suppressing shots, as it only allowed 28.4 shots on net per contest at home.
Timo Meier, SAN vs. VGK ($17): Meier had an impressive campaign, notching 30 goals for the first time in his career, but he's slowed down recently. He's only notched one point in his last six games. Additionally, the Swiss forward only has one power-play point in his last 17 contests. The Sharks may be back at home, but Meier's recent form is still enough to be concerning at this time of year.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, SAN vs. VGK ($25): Karlsson doesn't have a goal since returning from injury, but he has five assists in five games. Two of those points have come with the extra man as well. The Golden Knights had a 3.15 GAA on the road, and I expect the Sharks to be pulling out all the stops in this one. The smooth-skating Swede could easily see more than 30 minutes of ice time, and with the options limited I feel like it's worth shelling out for a top-level defenseman.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. WAS ($17): Slavin has tallied seven points and 22 shots on net over his last eight contests. That includes two assists in each of his last two games. Skating on Carolina's top pairing certainly helps too. As previously noted, the Capitals had a 3.34 road GAA this year.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS at CAR ($25): I'm not against a high-priced defenseman, obviously, but I feel like Carlson won't bring you the bang for the buck you need. The Hurricanes had a 2.59 home GAA, and only allowed 28.4 shots on net per contest. Carolina also had the eighth-ranked penalty kill on the season. Carlson does a lot of his damage on the power play, and that will be hard to do in this matchup.
Colton Parayko, STL at WPG ($17): Parayko notched 10 goals this year, but none of them have come in his last 25 games. He's also not in line to take advantage of Winnipeg's 22nd-ranked penalty kill. The 25-year-old only averaged 1:18 per game with the extra man.
