This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL will be taking a couple days off soon for the holidays, but that's not the case Thursday. There are 10 games on the slate, giving you a ton of options to choose from for your daily fantasy lineup. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, when making your decisions.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. DAL ($31): Vasilevskiy has not been the goalie that he's been… well, in basically every other season of his career. As such, a rebound is to be expected. It may be happening right now to some degree, as he has a 2.66 GAA and .915 save percentage over his last 12 games. The Stars have only scored 2.57 goals per game, so there's a good chance the Russian goalie can keep the turnaround going.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ben Bishop, DAL at TAM ($36): Let's flip this matchup around here. Bishop has been exactly the goalie he was last season, and he's an early favorite for the Vezina. Of course, he's also not getting a ton of goal support, which obviously hurts his chances of winning. He will probably need that goal support to get a victory in this game. The Lightning have scored 3.88 goals per game at home while putting 35.6 shots on net per contest in those matchups.
CENTER
Christian Dvorak, ARI vs. MIN ($16): If anybody is primed to benefit from Arizona's attempt to boost its offense, it's Dvorak. Right now, he's centering the Coyotes' top line with Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall on his wings. That's a good place to be. It's also good to be facing a Wild team with a 3.26 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mathew Barzal, NYI at BOS ($25): Barzal has 13 goals in 32 games, but with 19.4 percent shooting that would be a new career high by a wide margin if he can keep it up. I think a road game against the Bruins is the kind of matchup that will drop that percentage a bit. Boston has a 2.46 GAA, which is top three in the NHL.
WING
Cam Atkinson, CLM vs. LOS ($18): Atkinson only has nine goals, but his 8.0 percent shooting is likely to improve. That's already happening, as he has five goals in his last seven games. Atkinson also has eight power-play points, and the Kings have the 29th-ranked penalty kill.
Jack Roslovic, WPG vs. CHI ($12): Roslovic is the unknown name among Winnipeg's top-six forwards. However, getting to play on a line with Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers is a good thing, especially for a cheap forward. Also, the 22-year-old has a point in back-to-back games. The Blackhawks have allowed the most shots on net per contest in the NHL, and on the road that number is a whopping 38.0 shots on goal. On top of that, Chicago is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
WINGS TO AVOID
Gabriel Landeskog, COL vs. CAR ($24): Landeskog has been solid since returning from injury (five points in seven games), but the Avalanche are playing the second leg of a back-to-back here. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are in the top five in GAA, shots allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. Last season Landeskog had 27 of his 75 points with the extra man, so this could be a tough matchup for him.
Jeff Skinner, BUF at PHI ($13): Skinner is in a bit of a weird rut. He has zero points in his last five games, and the usually prolific shooter has only five shots on net in those contests as well. The Flyers have only allowed 29.0 shots on goal per contest, and Carter Hart is sporting a 2.40 GAA in part because of that.
DEFENSE
Mattias Ekholm, NAS at OTT ($17): Ekholm has picked up his play recently, as he has six points in his last six games. Things have been going, shall we say, in the opposite direction for Ottawa's Anders Nilsson. Over his last eight games he has a 4.04 GAA and .872 save percentage.
Neal Pionk, WPG vs. CHI ($17): Pionk has been even hotter than Ekholm, as he has nine points in his last 10 games. He's also been putting the puck on net, as he has 76 shots on goal in 34 games to lead Winnipeg's defensemen. The Blackhawks have allowed more shots per game than any team in the NHL, and on top of that they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Shea Weber, MON at CGY ($25): David Rittich got off to a bit of a slow start for the Flames, but over his last 18 games he has a 2.57 GAA and .920 save percentage. On top of that, Calgary has a top seven penalty kill. Weber is playing his fewest power-play minutes in over a decade (2:18 per game) but he still has seven of his 28 points with the extra man. That total will be difficult to add to here.
Ryan Suter, MIN at ARI ($17): I've reunited Weber and Suter in some weird way, but not in a way they will be happy about. Suter has been racking up assists, but his four-game point streak is likely to end Thursday. Darcy Kuemper has been a behemoth, as he has a 1.97 GAA and .935 save percentage.
