This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's one week from Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? Personally, I'm thankful for the 13 NHL games on the slate Thursday. Here are my recommendations for players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy hockey lineup.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. ANA ($26): Yes, Bobrovsky has been bad. He's also a goalie who has two Vezinas to his name. The Russian also isn't getting bombarded with shots either, as the Panthers have allowed a middling 31.0 shots on net per contest. Meanwhile, the Ducks have only managed 28.9 shots on goal. With all the offensive support Bobrovsky is getting -- Florida is tied for second in goals score per game -- Bob has a great chance to get another win.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. VAN ($38): Rinne was having another great season. Then, the last stretch of games happened. Over his last five starts the Finn has a 4.99 GAA and .821 save percentage. Even though Rinne is at home, the Canucks have put 33.5 shots on net per contest. It's not going to be an easy night for Rinne, and until he pulls out of this slump I can't trust him.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM vs. DET ($19): The Blue Jackets have struggled offensively, but Dubois is taking care of business. With three points in his last game, 2016's third overall pick has 15 points in 20 games. Besides, the Red Wings are the cure for what ails any offense. Detroit has a league-high 3.70 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, TOR at ARI ($29): Tavares has looked totally fine since returning from injury, so it's not about his performance. It's about the beast that is Arizona's goaltending tandem. The Coyotes have a 2.23 GAA, lowest in the NHL, thanks largely to a .930 team save percentage, best in the league by a decent margin.
WING
James Neal, EDM at LOS ($20): Neal has slowed down a bit after his hot start, but he still has 13 goals in 23 games. He's also averaged 3:16 per game with the extra man, and has nine power-play tallies to his name. Thursday he's facing a Kings team with a 3.57 GAA and the 29th-ranked penalty kill. Regression can wait.
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. TOR ($17): The Maple Leafs are struggling, but it's not because of their lack of offensive punch. No, it's because they have a 3.43 GAA, have allowed 33.3 shots on net per game, and have a bottom-five penalty kill. Keller has started 68.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Coyotes, and he's averaged 2:53 per game with the extra man. He'll be in position to take advantage of Toronto's struggles.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrik Laine, WPG at DAL ($25): Laine has made his name as a goal scorer, but this year he only has five goals through 20 games. Granted, he's been a good playmaker (14 assists), but no matter how you slice it this is a rough matchup for the Finn. The Stars have a 2.36 GAA, which is second lowest in the league.
Victor Olofsson, BUF at BOS ($19): Olofsson has continued to play well after his hot start, although he only has two power-play points, both assists, in his last 14 games. That pales in comparison to the six power-play goals he had in his first seven outings, although that was a clearly unsustainable level of production. The Bruins, meanwhile, have a 2.38 GAA, and Tuukka Rask has a 2.06 GAA.
DEFENSE
Alexander Edler, VAN at NAS ($21): Hey, Rinne is struggling, and the Predators have a 3.30 GAA, so why not try and strike while the iron is hot? Besides, Edler isn't exactly a slouch himself. He's notched 14 points in 22 games, and he's also active on both ends of the ice. The Swedish defenseman has 52 shots on goal and 61 blocked shots.
Nate Schmidt, VGK vs. SAN ($17): I'm not overreacting to Schmidt having four assists the other night, but he does have eight points in 10 games since returning to action. Last year, the Sharks were solid defensively at home, but really struggled to prevent goals on the road. This season, they are bad wherever they are playing, but their 3.90 road GAA is particularly rough. If you are afraid of San Jose's strangely top-ranked penalty kill, it's "only" seventh on the road.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR at ARI ($23): Rielly is producing again, though he doesn't have a goal in his last 11 games. However, this is a bad matchup for anybody, especially if Darcy Kuemper is in net. Kuemper has made himself arguably the early favorite for the Vezina, as he has an 1.85 GAA and .937 save percentage.
Erik Karlsson, SAN at VGK ($23): Karlsson seems weirdly inert offensively this season. Yes, he has 14 assists, but he also only has two goals on 31 shots through 21 games. Marc-Andre Fleury had a couple rough starts, but he's only allowed two goals over his last two outings, so that didn't start a trend. Also, the Golden Knights have the fifth-ranked penalty kill.
