This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's NHL slate offers no shortage of action, with nine games on tap beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which players stand out as options to target and which should be avoided.
GOALIE
Tuukka Rask, BOS at FLA ($28): Rask's allowed 17 goals over his past five starts, but those struggles haven't stopped him from posting a 5-0-0 record in that stretch. The Finnish stud's lengthy track record of success suggests his play is likely to veer back towards his season GAA and save percentage marks (2.35, .917) before long, so take advantage of Rask's precipitous drop in price and deploy him against a formerly-hot Panthers club that got cooled down by Ottawa of all teams Monday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Curtis McElhinney, TOR at BUF ($36): McElhinney suffered a 3-2 loss to Florida in his last start, and the 34-year-old backup's career 2.89 GAA and .908 save percentage are much more representative of his true ability than his superior season numbers based on an 11-start sample. Thus, it's tough to trust him at $36 on the road, even against a weak Sabres offense. Keep in mind that Buffalo beat the Maple Leafs, 5-3, just 10 days ago.
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CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at MON ($33): Malkin's been arguably the league's hottest player for a while now, and his monstrous upside is impossible to ignore in this highly favorable matchup. The talented Russian has 25 goals and 51 points in 30 games since the calendar flipped to 2018, as well as 66 points (32 goals) in 44 appearances since the start of December. A Canadiens team that's allowed 20 goals in going 1-3-1 over its past five games while using Antti Niemi and Charlie Lindgren in net will have a hard time keeping Malkin in check.
CENTER TO AVOID
Pierre Luc-Dubois, CLS at PHI ($18): Dubois has disappointed owners much too often recently to trust him at $18. He's finished with minus-1.0 or fewer fantasy points thrice in the past six games and four times in the last 10, including the last time his club took on this likely playoff-bound Flyers team.
WINGS
Zach Hyman, TOR at BUF ($14): Hyman's role on the top line has him primed to take advantage of the defensively-challenged Sabres (3.22 goals allowed per game). He owns an excellent plus-21 rating to go with 13 goals and 34 points despite a lack of power-play time, and those numbers have translated to an average of 5.2 fantasy points per game -- fourth-highest among wingers priced at $14 or less. Given Hyman's price and opponent, he's a low-risk, high-reward play.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at NYI ($14): Oshie's one of the three wingers in this price range that's been more effective than Hyman (5.4 fantasy points per game), and the argument for using him here is very similar. The Islanders have infamously opened up a large lead in the goals allowed category (3.51 per game), and Oshie couldn't ask for more opportunities offensively considering he skates on the top power-play unit and on Nicklas Backstrom's line at even strength. You won't get a better buy-low opportunity on a guy who could still top 50 points for the fifth consecutive season with a strong finish.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at WPG ($16): DeBrincat's been a non-factor over the past 11 games, posting just three assists without a goal while averaging only 3.4 fantasy points per contest. Getting back on track will be exceedingly difficult at the Bell MTS Place against a Jets team that owns a 24-7-2 home record.
Alexander Steen, STL vs. COL ($16): No Blues player with at least 20 points has been more reliant on the power play than Steen, who has scored 32.5 percent of his points (13/40) with the extra man. The veteran forward also has a team-worst minus-11 rating, further showing just how limited his value is outside of power-play situations. Colorado's third-ranked, 83.7 percent penalty kill thus represents a major matchup problem for Steen.
DEFENSEMEN
Seth Jones, CLS at PHI ($24): Some owners will be scared off by the minor upper-body injury Jones suffered Monday, but he's fully expected to suit up for this contest. That's great news for the Blue Jackets, as the blueliner has been scorching hot with four goals and seven points during his active three-game point streak. He also has 14 shots and three power-play points in that stretch, giving Jones a team-high 18 in the latter category. Look for those totals to keep rising against a Philadelphia penalty kill that ranks second-worst in the league at just 74.7 percent.
Ryan Ellis, NSH at ARI ($23): Ellis has been a fantasy beast of late, reaching double-digit fantasy points in each of his past six games and nine of the last 12. Even though he started slow after returning from a long-term knee injury, Ellis' average of 9.4 fantasy points per contest thanks to six goals, 17 assists and a plus-21 rating in 31 games is tops among blueliners in this slate. That average should only go up against a Coyotes club that's getting outscored 3.14 to 2.39 in the average game.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Duncan Keith, CHI at WPG ($19): Keith has just one goal in 70 games this season, so his offensive upside is obviously capped at this stage of his career. The aging blueliner also has a career-worst minus-19, which is likely to plummet further against a Jets team that excels at home and is outscoring opponents 3.26 to 2.61 on average overall.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI vs. CLS ($26): Gostisbehere's going through his worst dry spell of the season, as he hasn't scored in 19 games and has just one helper over the past eight. Getting back on track won't be easy for this slate's most expensive defenseman against a Blue Jackets team that's allowing just 2.73 goals per game (10th-fewest in the league) and comes in riding a five-game winning streak.
