This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday brings us 12 NHL games. Here are several players to target and avoid in your quest for daily fantasy success…
GOALIE
Mike Smith, ARI vs. VAN ($32): Talk about two teams with nothing to play for, although that's been true of both these teams for quite some time. Smith hasn't been great with a .914 save percentage, but that should be enough against the Canucks. Vancouver has only scored 2.16 goals per game, which is second fewest in the NHL. The Canucks have also only taken 27.8 shots on net per contest. On top of that, Vancouver has lost five games in a row, and the team is also 12-24-3 on the road. Meanwhile, the Coyotes are actually 17-17-5 at home, which is comparatively gaudy. At this price, it's worth gambling on Smith.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Corey Crawford, CHI at ANA ($31): It's a good day for goalies, with a lot of the higher priced options looking quite solid. Crawford has a 2.72 GAA and a .913 save percentage in his last six games, but overall he's got a .920 save percentage. However, he still may find it tough to pick up a win. Anaheim is 7-0-3 in its last 10 games and 27-8-4 at home. The Blackhawks have already locked up the best record in the Western Conference, so they don't really have anything to play for either. With so many quality options in net Thursday, you can do better than Crawford.
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CENTER
Charlie Coyle, MIN at COL ($20): Coyle's season has been up-and-down, but in his last 11 games he has seven points. He's also averaged 2:09 per game on the power play, and he's tallied eight points with the extra man. Sure, that's not a massive number, but it's enough to be encouraging heading into a matchup with the league's 29th-ranked penalty kill. The Avalanche have been terrible defensively overall, as they've allowed a league-worst 3.37 goals per contest.
CENTER TO AVOID
Jonathan Toews, CHI at ANA ($24): The Ducks have only allowed 2.43 goals and 29.7 shots on net per game, and their penalty kill is ranked fourth overall. Additionally, since the beginning of March, Jonathan Bernier has a 1.91 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Toews doesn't have a goal in his last eight games, and he will also likely find it difficult to have success against Anaheim's penalty kill.
WING
Viktor Arvidsson, NAS at DAL ($22): Heading into the season, nobody expected Arvidsson to have averaged 7.7 fantasy points per game. He's started 36.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he's put a whopping 242 shots on goal in 78 games. The Stars have allowed 3.13 goals per game, and their goalies have a collective .895 save percentage. If Arvidsson puts pucks on the net like he usually does, he could be in for another big game.
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NYI ($17): Aho hasn't hit the rookie wall. If anything, he's gotten a second wind down the stretch. In his last 12 games, he's tallied 10 points while putting 28 shots on net. Overall, he's notched 23 goals on 204 shots, and he's also registered 16 power-play points. The Islanders have allowed 2.96 goals and 31.8 shots on net per game, and in March they gave up 3.25 goals per contest.
WINGS TO AVOID
Blake Wheeler, WPG at CLM ($26): This is not about Wheeler but about the matchup. Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky leads the league in both GAA (2.02) and save percentage (.925). The Blue Jackets also have the eighth-ranked penalty kill. With 24 teams in action, and a lot of options available, you'd be wise to avoid Wheeler as he heads into a matchup with the likely Vezina winner.
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. STL ($22): Huberdeau has played well since finally getting healthy, although he has zero points in his last four games. Now he's facing off with a St. Louis team that allowed a league-low 1.53 goals per game in March. Overall, the Blues have only given up 28.1 shots on goal per contest, and they have the sixth-ranked penalty kill to boot.
DEFENSEMEN
P.K. Subban, NAS at DAL ($18): Perhaps Subban hasn't been quite what was expected with Nashville this season, with injuries playing a big role in that. However, he's still notched 140 shots on goal in 64 games, and he's tallied 16 power-play points. Dallas has the league's worst penalty kill, which should suit Subban just fine. Additionally, the Stars are sixth in the league in shot attempts per 60 minutes (58.9). Subban has blocked 101 shots, so there's a good chance he'll get in front of a puck or two.
Alex Goligoski, ARI vs. VAN ($16): Speaking of Dallas, former Star Goligoski has enjoyed a nice run of play recently. In his last 11 games he's tallied seven points and 25 shots on net. His power-play time is also up, as he averaged 2:35 with the extra man in his last 21 games. The Canucks are bad offensively, but they are no better on the other end of the ice. They've ceded 2.90 goals and 31.7 shots on net per tilt, and their penalty kill ranks a mere 26th in the league.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG at CLM ($23): The Blue Jackets have only allowed 2.30 goals per game, and obviously they've been better with Bobrovsky in net. No goalie has been better than Bob, and with so many defensemen in action, you have many better options than Byfuglien. He's on the pricier side, and has a particularly tough matchup.
Alec Martinez, LOS vs. CGY ($19): Martinez got off to a hot start, but after regressing back to the mean, he's averaged 5.7 fantasy points per game. The Flames have allowed 28.7 shots on net per game, and in his last 20 contests, Brian Elliott has a 2.14 GAA and a .928 save percentage. Additionally, since the All-Star break, Calgary has the eighth-ranked penalty kill, and 14 of Martinez's 38 points have come with the extra man.
