There are 14 games in the NHL on Thursday with only Montreal and Washington playing the backend of back-to-back contests. The second team will be the home team. Starting with the earliest, the games are San Jose/Boston, Chicago/Detroit, Florida/Montreal, New Jersey/Philadelphia, Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay, Seattle/Toronto, the Islanders/Carolina, Minnesota/Nashville, Buffalo/St. Louis, Edmonton/Winnipeg, Colorado/Arizona, Dallas/Calgary, Washington/Anaheim and Vegas/Vancouver. Below, you’ll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Stuart Skinner, EDM at WPG ($26): Skinner’s stats are pretty bad as he is 7-7-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .876 save percentage this season, but he has won three straight games, giving up six goals on 75 shots. You get a great salary with Skinner on Thursday as he goes for his fourth straight win.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Antti Raanta, CAR vs. NYI ($27): Raanta is 6-3-0 with a 3.47 GAA and .854 save percentage after coming off one of the worst games an NHL goaltender has had. Raanta made six saves and gave up eight goals against Tampa Bay on Friday for a .429 save percentage. He will try and make amends after sitting out the last two games, against the Islanders.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM at WPG ($37): There is no hotter player in the NHL right now than McDavid, who has 12 points in his last three games. McDavid was injured Oct. 21 and missed a couple of games, but was still hurting as he managed only two assists in the next six contests. He’s now back to being the best player in the game as he is on a five-game point streak. McDavid had two assists in his only game against the Jets earlier in the season.
CENTER TO AVOID
William Karlsson, VGK at VAN ($20): Karlsson got off to a great start this season and has 10 goals and 21 points in 23 games, but he has only one point in his last five games, as he has really slowed down. He had two assists in three games versus the Canucks last season.
WING
Alex Tuch, BUF at STL ($23): Tuch is on a three-game scoring binge in which he has three goals and five points. The 27-year-old has eight goals and 16 points in 19 games and is seeing action on the top line, as well as the first power-play unit this season. Tuch has flourished since his trade to Buffalo from Vegas, scoring 54 goals and 133 points in 143 contests.
Tyler Toffoli, NJ at PHI ($23): Toffoli has picked up right where he left off last season as the talented winger has 11 goals and 19 points in 20 games. He had a career-year in 2022-23, scoring 34 times while adding 39 assists in Calgary. The trade to the Devils did not slow him down and playing alongside Jack Hughes certainly doesn’t hurt.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Ovechkin, WAS at ANA ($33): Ovechkin was considered a cinch at the end of last season to surpass Wayne Gretzky in the next few years as the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader, but the aging Russian star has only five goals and 12 points in 19 games this season, and is on pace to score only 22 goals this season, a level he has never come close to. Ovechkin has only one power play goal, and will be hard pressed to hit the double-digit mark, something he has missed only once in the last 12 years (he had nine in the shortened 2020-21 season over 45 games).
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. SJ ($28): Marchand is stuck in a four-game point drought. He has seven goals and 12 assists in 21 games, but at the age of 35, he seems to be slowing down. There are better choices at this juncture than Marchand, considering his price.
DEFENSE
Cale Makar, COL vs. ARI ($34): Makar has regained the lead in scoring among defensemen with six goals and 32 points in just 21 games. He has been white-hot since Nov. 7 with three goals and 18 assists in just 11 games as he has moved into fourth place in overall NHL scoring. Makar had three goals and six points in four games versus the Coyotes last season.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at WPG ($23): Bouchard is on a seven-game points streak and has five goals and 21 points in 21 games. Quarterbacking the vaunted Edmonton power play has done wonders for his fantasy value as he already has 11 PP points this season, only two off his total of last year when he set a career high.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Gustav Forsling, FLA at MON ($16): Forsling had a golden opportunity this season to establish himself as the Panthers top defenseman, as Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad missed the first 16 games after offseason surgeries. Forsling managed only two goals and five points in their absence and has lost all his power-play time since their return. Forsling has a solitary assist in the last six games.
Brent Burns, CAR vs. NYI ($17): Burns has five goals and four assists in 21 games, but he has been held off the scoresheet the past three games. Burns is still capable of some big games, but at the age of 38, his best days are behind him.
