This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 12 games on the NHL schedule Thursday. Vegas visits Boston, Florida hosts Montreal, Carolina faces a tired Columbus team, the Islanders are in Detroit, Arizona takes on Toronto, Tampa Bay hosts Buffalo, Winnipeg visits Dallas, Minnesota plays in Nashville, Colorado travels to Chicago, Seattle hosts Pittsburgh, LA plays in Vancouver and San Jose hosts Anaheim. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at CLS ($8,200): Kochetkov hasn't allowed more than three goals since Dec. 23, a span of 13 games. The 23-year-old netminder is 9-3-0 with a 1.89 GAA and a .932 save percentage, as he has starred for the Hurricanes. Overall, Kochetkov is 16-103 with a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season. He gave up two goals on 23 shots in a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets on Nov. 26 – his only action against Thursday's opponents this season, who dropped a 4-1 decision to the Rangers on Wednesday.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at CHI ($8,400): Georgiev has won four of his last five starts, giving him a 31-14-3 mark with two shutouts this season. His GAA of 2.88 and .900 save percentage are nothing to write home about, but the Bulgarian netminder has been a constant source of wins this season for poolies. He had 40 victories last season as he has established himself as the Avalanche's No. 1 netminder. Georgiev is 1-1-0 against the Blackhawks this season, allowing three goals on 40 shots. The Blackhawks are the lowest scoring team in the NHL this season, averaging 2.07 goals.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Cozens, BUF at TB ($6,000): Cozens has points in five of his last six games, scoring twice and adding four assists. He is once again beginning to look like the player he was last season, when he struck for 31 goals and 37 assists in 81 games. While the 23-year-old has only 12 goals and 24 assists in 56 outings in 2023-24, he has the makings of a solid offensive threat who could approach the 75-80 point mark in the next couple of seasons.
Jonathan Drouin, COL at CHI ($4,600): Drouin has lost his spot on the top line to Artturi Lehkonen, but is still seeing second line action, as well as playing on the top power-play unit. Drouin snapped a three-game pointless drought Tuesday with a power-play assist, giving him 10 goals and 33 points in 58 games this season.
Tyler Bertuzzi, TOR vs. ARI ($4,400): Bertuzzi has busted loose over the last two games, scoring four times, including a hat trick on his 29th birthday Saturday. He has a three-game point streak, as he had an assist versus the Golden Knights a week ago. It has mostly been a tough season for Bertuzzi, who has 11 goals and 27 points in 57 contests, but he is back on the second line with William Nylander and Max Domi, as well as the top power play, which can only boost his fantasy value.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Blackhawks
Nathan MacKinnon (C-$10,900), Mikko Rantanen (W-$9,200), Artturi Lehkonen (W-$5,300)
The Avalanche have moved Lehkonen back to the top line, moving Jonathan Drouin down to the second unit. The line is led by MacKinnon, who has 35 goals and 98 points in just 60 games. He is well on his way to smashing his career mark in points, as he had 111 last season. MacKinnon has a seven-game point streak, scoring three times and adding 10 assists. Rantanen is also having another great season with 31 goals and 76 points in 60 games. He has a four-game point streak on the line and has 32 points with the man-advantage. Lehkonen has six goals and 10 points in his last seven games, including three goals and four points with the man-advantage. Lehkonen has nine goals and 19 points in only 29 games as he missed 35 games with neck injury. The line is one of the best in the NHL.
Red Wings vs. Islanders
Dylan Larkin (C - $8,400), Alex DeBrincat (W - $7,100), Patrick Kane (W - $6,900)
It's a good time to be all in on the Red Wings, who come into Thursday's tilt on a six-game winning streak, finding the back of the net 28 times during the streak. Larkin has three goals and six points in the last six outings, giving him 26 goals and 53 points in 53 contests. Kane is on a nine-game point streak since returning from a seven-game absence due to a lower-body injury. The five goals and 14 points have thrusted the 35-year-old point total to 30 in just 28 games. DeBrincat has four goals and six points I his last three outings, boosting his totals to 23 goals and 30 assists in 59 games during his first season with the Red Wings. All-in-all, this is a good line to take Thursday.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. MON ($5,900): Montour has been white-hot of late with three goals and 10 points in his last five games. He seems to have fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery that cost him the first 16 games of the season. Montour had 73 points in 80 games last season and while his 22 points in 43 games in 2023-24 don't look good in comparison, he has been on fire – as noted earlier – of late.
Cam Fowler, ANA at SJ ($4,400): Fowler has two goals and six points in his last eight games, although he has been held scoreless in four of his last five games. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old blueliner has four goals and 28 points in 58 games, including 14 points on the power play. Fowler is worth a selection if you need an inexpensive blueliner to fill out your roster.
Bowen Byram, COL at CHI ($3,600): Byram has two goals and seven points in his last seven contests, giving the fourth pick from the 2019 Draft, eight goals and 20 points in 52 games. He sees second unit power-play time, but has yet to get a point with the man-advantage. Nevertheless, Byram is capable of a big game at any time and has quite a low price in FanDuel on Thursday.
