FantasyDraft NHL: Thursday Values

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Updated on December 28, 2017 12:06PM EST

Here are some recommendations for a seven-game slate Thursday…

GOALIE

Toronto Maple Leafs, TOR at ARI ($17,100): This presumes that Frederik Andersen and his .924 save percentage will be starting. However, even if it's Curtis McElhinney, this is still a rather favorable matchup. The Coyotes played on the road Wednesday, so they will be on the second night of a back-to-back. They have averaged the second fewest goals per game, so the odds of Toronto picking up a win in this one seem quite high.

CENTER

Sean Couturier, PHI at FLA ($13,600): Couturier's scoring has slowed down (though he has 32 points in 36 games), but his shooting has not. In his last five contests, he's put 21 shots on net. That's particularly enticing heading into this one. The Panthers have allowed 35.4 shots on goal per tilt, the most in the NHL. With Roberto Luongo out, they still have to rely on James Reimer (3.15 GAA, .908 save percentage) as well.

Tomas Hertl, SAN vs. CGY ($10,200): With Logan Couture dealing with a concussion, Hertl is in line for an even bigger role for the Sharks. He's also earned it with his play with eight points in his last eight games. Hertl has also notched seven points on the power play, and the Flames have the 25th-ranked penalty kill.

WING

Tyler Toffoli, LOS vs. VGK ($11,900): The Golden Knights will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and on the road they've been decidedly worse. Before Wednesday's matchup with the Ducks, Vegas had a team GAA of 3.56 away from home. Toffoli has notched 16 goals on 118 shots through 37 games/

Brandon Saad, CHI at VAN ($10,600): Saad has started 64.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most among Chicago's forwards. His scoring has been a little lackluster, as his one power-play point in 3:15 of average PP time will attest. The Canucks have a team GAA of 3.22, but in December that number is up to 4.09. Saad is bound to snap his slump sometime.

Evgenii Dadonov, FLA vs. PHI ($10,000): Injuries have hampered Dadonov a bit this year, but he's played 19:11 when healthy and has been particularly potent on the power play. He's averaged 3:26 per game with the extra man, tallying six power-play points through 28 contests. The Flyers have been decent overall defensively, but their penalty kill is ranked a lowly 29th. That bodes well for Dadonov.

DEFENSEMEN

Morgan Rielly, TOR at ARI ($11,000): Rielly already has 20 assists, and he's also scored four goals on 84 shots. The 23-year-old is also having a lot of power-play success, as he's notched 10 points with the extra man. The Coyotes have the second-worst team GAA in the NHL and will be playing their second game in as many days.

Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. MON ($9,900): The Russian rookie has started a whopping 70.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which is a ton — especially for a defenseman. It's paid off for the Lightning, as Sergachev has six points and 28 shots on goal in his last 10 contests. The Canadiens will be on the second night of a back-to-back, which won't help their 28th-ranked penalty kill. That bodes well for Sergachev, who has 10 power-play points.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.