This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 12 games on the NHL schedule Thursday. A tired Toronto team visits Boston, Carolina hosts Montreal, Philadelphia faces Florida, Edmonton is in Columbus, St. Louis takes on New Jersey, Pittsburgh hosts Washington, Calgary visits Tampa Bay, Winnipeg plays in Nashville, Minnesota travels to Arizona, Vegas hosts Vancouver, Ottawa plays in LA and San Jose hosts the Islanders. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM at CLS ($8,400): The Oilers have not announced their netminder at the time of this writing, so if Calvin Pickard is the choice, go with him. I'll assume Skinner is getting the start for now. Skinner is having a terrific season, as he is 29-13-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Considering Skinner got off to a 1-5-1 start, with a 3.87 GAA and an .854 save percentage, it is even better than most thought. Skinner is on a four-game winning streak, including a fabulous performance Tuesday in Boston, where he gave up one goal on 25 shots in a 2-1 overtime win.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. PHI ($8,600): Bobrovsky received the night off in New Jersey on Tuesday, so he is ready to take on the Flyers on Thursday. He is 31-11-2 with four shutouts, a 2.29 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He should garner plenty of Vezina Trophy support with his outstanding numbers. Bobrovsky has won his last three starts, and 10 of his last 11 games, as he has been the backbone of the Panthers this season. He should be a good play Thursday.
VALUE PLAYS
Johnny Gaudreau, CLS vs. EDM ($5,200): Gaudreau has only 10 goals and 35 assists in 62 games this season, but he has been coming on of late, with three goals and 13 assists in his last 15 appearances. Gaudreau has seen his scoring drop considerably since he signed a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets in July of 2022, but he could be rebounding with only a little over a month of the regular season still remaining.
Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at TB ($4,600): Huberdeau has turned his season around since Dec. 31, scoring five times while adding 18 assists in 25 games. The problem was that he got off to another slow start. He had four goals and 11 assists in his first 35 games this season. Huberdeau's play of late makes him a nice addition in your FanDuel lineup Thursday.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at SJ ($5,900): Palmieri has six points in his last three games, including a hat trick plus an assist Saturday in a 5-1 win over Boston. Palmieri has 19 goals and 38 points with 157 shots on goal in 61 games. He has been a stud on the power play, scoring eight times while adding nine assists. He has a good chance to break his career best 23 points with the man-advantage, something he has done on a pair of occasions. You can safely put Palmieri in your lineup while he remains hot.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Blue Jackets
Connor McDavid (C-$10,400), Leon Draisaitl (C-$9,300), Zach Hyman (W-$8,900)
Expensive, but well worth it. It's hard to believe that McDavid has only two goals in his last 14 games, but he has an eye-popping 29 assists, giving the superstar 23 goals and 99 points in 58 contests this season. Draisaitl has taken off lately, scoring both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over Boston on Tuesday. The streaking Draisaitl has eight goals and 12 helpers in his last 12 appearances, giving the German 32 goals and 80 points in 60 contests. He looks to be heading to his fifth 100-plus point season in his last six years – missing only during the 56-game COVID season of 2020-21. Hyman has been a revelation this season. He already has a career high 42 goals and has 61 points in 59 outings. This is a great line – and maybe the best in the NHL.
Hurricanes vs. Canadiens
Sebastian Aho (C - $8,500), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,700), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $5,200)
Aho has two goals and three points in his last two games, giving the 26-year-old pivot, 24 goals and 40 assists in 58 contests this season. He is on pace for a career best in points, as his record is 83, set in 2018-19. Svechnikov has two goals and seven points in his last eight appearances, as he has contributed with 13 goals and 37 points in 40 games this season. Svechnikov has been especially good with the man-advantage, finding the back of the net five times while chipping in with 10 assists. Teravainen is on a four-game point streak, and has 16 goals and 40 points in 61 games. The trio are well-priced as a line to give you a good second line, if you want to go with a pair stacks.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NAS vs. BUF ($8,000): Josi has been on a tear of late, racking up eight goals and 34 points in 29 games since Christmas. The star defenseman has 15 goals and 61 points in 63 games, bettering his total of last season when he had 59 points in 67 contests. Josi has 24 points with the man-advantage as the Nashville power play runs through him.
Brock Faber, MIN at ARI ($5,700): Faber has only one assist in his last 10 games, but the rookie blueliner managed four shots on goal in his last game Sunday, so it appears he is ready to break out again Faber has four goals and 34 points in 62 games and quarterbacks the Wild's first power play. Faber has also blocked 119 shots this season.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS at PIT ($4,400): Sandin should be extremely happy, as he inked a five-year, $23 million contract extension Wednesday. He has three goals and 20 points in 52 games this season, including assists in each of his last two games. If you are going with the McDavid line as part of your lineup, Sandin will provide an inexpensive choice on the blue line.
