Daily Fantasy Hockey: Erik Karlsson leads Thursday picks

It's another busy daily fantasy Thursday in the NHL with 10 games on tap. The Hurricanes are the only tired team playing Thursday, as they host the Oilers after a 3-0 loss to the Panthers in Florida. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.

GOALIE

Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. NAS ($38): Georgiev has been everything the Avalanche could have asked for in net, after dealing for him in the offseason from the Rangers. Georgiev is 6-1-1 with a 2.61 GAA and a .925 save percentage this season. The Avalanche thought so highly of his play, they started him in both games last week in Finland, something most teams playing in Europe have never done. He faces the Predators who have struggled this season.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Juuse Saros, NAS at COL ($22): It has not been a great start to the season for Saros, who is 3-6-1 with a 3.47 GAA and .892 save percentage. His save percentage is 22 points lower than his worst season to date in the NHL, a .914 mark in 2019-20. Saros was horrible in his last start Tuesday, giving up four goals on six shots versus Seattle before being pulled just 16:25 into the first period. He faces the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche on the road in what should be another tough outing.

CENTER

Jack Eichel, VGK at BUF ($29): Eichel returns to Buffalo for the second time since his trade a year ago. He was held off the scoresheet the first time, but this time returns in full health as he was still feeling the effects of disk replacement surgery last season. Eichel is on a six-game point streak in which he has three goals and eight points, and he has six goals and 15 points in 14 games this season.

CENTER TO AVOID

Logan Couture, SJ at STL ($16): Couture has four goals and eight points in 14 games this season but has had only one breakout performance. He had a pair of goals and an assist against Toronto on Oct. 27. Outside of that contest, he has only two goals and five points in 13 games with only one assist in his last four games. Couture is 33 and while he still sees top-six minutes and plays on the first power play unit, he is not a good DFS option.

WING

Artemi Panarin, NYR at DET ($29): Panarin is off to another great start with five goals and 19 points in 14 games, tying him for fifth place in scoring. He had a goal and four assists against Detroit last season while scoring once and picking up two helpers in his only game in Motown. Panarin is averaging 4:22 of power play time per game this season, the highest of his eight-year career.  

Alex DeBrincat, OTT at NJ ($22): DeBrincat has not been scoring goals like he has in the past as he has only two in 12 games, but he has nine assists thus far. He had great success against the Devils last season while with Chicago, scoring once and adding three assists in just two games. DeBrincat has scored 41 goals in two of his five previous seasons and at the age of 24, he is quite capable of going on a scoring spree at any time.

WINGS TO AVOID

Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. SJ ($26): It has not been a great start to the season for Tarasenko and the Blues. St. Louis have lost eight games in a row after a perfect 3-0-0 start, while Tarasenko has two goals and an assist during the losing streak after starting the season with two goals and six points in the three wins. The Blues are not scoring as they have five goals in their last four games, and until they show that they are out of their slump, all St. Louis players should be considered risky.

Patrick Kane, CHI at LA ($25): While Kane is off to an okay start with two goals and 10 points in 12 games, the Kings held him off the scoresheet a week ago at home, and now he is L.A. for the rematch. Kane has been under a point-a-game only once in his last 10 seasons, but at the age of 33 and with the possibility of this being his last season in Chicago, this may not be the best time to have him in your lineup.

DEFENSE

Erik Karlsson, SJ at STL ($24): There is no defenseman in the NHL hotter than Karlsson, who is on a five-game point streak with seven goals and 13 points. He has been outstanding all season as he has 10 goals and 19 points in 14 games, good enough to be tied for fifth in the NHL scoring race. That's the whole league, not just among defensemen. Karlsson has returned to the form he had when he was with Ottawa, and the trade of Brent Burns to Carolina in the offseason is a big reason why as he is the undisputed top dog on defense for the Sharks this season.

Moritz Seider, DET vs. NYR ($19): Looking at Seider's stats would make you wonder why you should have him in your lineup. He has only five assists in 13 games, but he has been coming on of late with four in his last five games. Seider was the Calder Trophy winner last season with seven goals and 50 points, and he's showing signs of coming around.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Mattias Ekholm, NAS at COL ($18): Ekholm has only a goal and five points in 13 games. He is averaging only 1.77 shots on goal per game, which is down significantly over the last three seasons when he averaged 2.13 shots per contest. The Predators have not been very good this season, going 5-7-1 while scoring only 35 goals in 13 games. While he does see action on the second power play unit, he has not been a man-advantage specialist over the last four seasons with 12 assists since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

Hampus Lindholm, BOS vs. CGY ($19): While Lindholm has been great with four goals and 13 points in 13 games, including four helpers on the power play, he might be about to lose his premium spot as Charlie McAvoy could make his season debut Thursday. That move would push Lindholm down to the second power play unit, which would be a significant downgrade his upside. Fade him until his role becomes clearer.