This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NBA has its trade deadline Thursday, but the NHL is doing its best to try and pull away some attention from that. There are 12 NHL games on the docket, so you have a myriad of options for your daily fantasy hockey lineup. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your lineup Thursday.
GOALIE
Carey Price, MON vs. ANA ($37): These days, Price doesn't always look like the guy who was once arguably the best goalie in the NHL, but he still has his moments. Those moments have been more frequent over the last 12 games, during which he's had a 2.00 GAA and .936 save percentage. The Ducks will be far from home, and they have only managed 2.49 goals per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Tristan Jarry, PIT at TAM ($28): Jarry has a 2.19 GAA, but in seven of his last eight starts he's allowed exactly three goals. That's not bad, but it's a bit of a drop from where he was. The Lightning have tallied 3.58 goals per game. While Jarry is rarely a bad option, you have so many other choices Thursday, and almost all of them have better matchups.
CENTER
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. NJD ($23): Couturier's shooting percentage has dropped to 9.5, and his power-play numbers have taken a tumble as well, but he's still taking care of business. The 27-year-old has notched 16 points in his last 13 games, though only three of them are goals. Meanwhile, the Devils have a 3.54 GAA, which is notably higher than any team in the NHL outside the Red Wings, a team in a class of its own.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mark Scheifele, WPG at STL ($25): Scheifele is having his typical season, but that means you have to pay a hefty price to have him on your roster. With so many options for your lineup, you can find a lot of potential values or players with better matchups instead given that he's facing a Blues team with a 2.31 GAA at home, top five in the NHL.
WING
Jaden Schwartz, STL vs. WPG ($19): Schwartz has notched 44 points in 54 games, and he's having his best-ever season on the power play. He's averaged 2:54 per game with the extra man and tallied 18 power-play points. Connor Hellebuyck has done his best for the Jets, but he's been stretched thin this year. Winnipeg has given up 33.0 shots on net per game, and it also has the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
Sam Reinhart, BUF vs. DET ($17): The Sabres are facing the Red Wings, the same Red Wings that have a 4.23 road GAA and the league's worst penalty kill. There is no better matchup a team can have. If that wasn't enough, Reinhart has 13 points over his last 12 contests.
WINGS TO AVOID
Evander Kane, SAN at EDM ($20): With both Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl out, Kane finds himself skating with Barclay Goodrow as his center. On top of that, 10 of his 20 goals have come on the power play. The Oilers have a top-five penalty kill, so with no Couture or Hertl to help out, I don't like Kane's chances of adding to his total.
Kyle Palmieri, NJD at PHI ($18): Palmieri is doing his best to keep the Devils' offense going sans Taylor Hall, and he has four points in four games since returning from injury. However, the Flyers have been shockingly good at home. They have a 2.04 GAA in their own arena, lowest in the NHL, and have only allowed 28.7 shots on net per game at home as well.
DEFENSE
Ryan Graves, COL at OTT ($18): Graves leads the NHL in plus/minus, and while that doesn't really matter for daily fantasy purposes it's a sign that things have been going well for him. He's been hot recently, as he has five points in his last six games. Graves is also always willing to sacrifice his body for the good of the defense, as he's blocked 110 shots in 50 contests.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. DET ($17): Since the Sabres are facing the Red Wings, why wouldn't you want a couple of guys from Buffalo in your lineup? I'd love to recommend another Rasmus, as in Rasmus Dahlin, but he missed his last game with an injury and is still considered day-to-day. Ristolainen is no slouch though, as he has 24 points and 100 shots on net. If Dahlin is still out, he'll probably have a bigger offensive responsibility as well.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT at TAM ($24): Letang has looked good when he's been healthy, but you know who else has been good? Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has a 1.92 GAA and .938 save percentage in his last 14 outings. Additionally, the Lightning have the fourth-ranked penalty kill, so Letang's usual power-play prowess could be kept in check.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR at ARI ($17): Slavin has a point in each of his last four games, and with Dougie Hamilton out he's finally getting power-play time. That being said, he doesn't really have a track record of success with the extra man, and the Coyotes have the eighth-ranked penalty kill. Arizona also has a 2.62 GAA, and it has looked good no matter who has been in net.
