Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Thursday picks

By Chris Morgan

Thursday brings with it eight games, and that includes the two teams that give up the most goals on average in the NHL. That should be enticing for your daily fantasy lineups, and we’re here to help you find solid value and avoid some less-enthusing matchups…

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GOALIE

Pekka Rinne, NAS at CGY ($32): Rinne has been quite strong in his last six outings, posting a 1.63 GAA and a .946 save percentage. That recent uptick in play has raised his overall save percentage to .921. The Flames are 20th in goals per game (2.60) and they also only take 28.9 shots on goal per contest. Rinne comes at a middle-of-the-road price, which gives him more upside in terms of value than some other netminders. If he continues to play as he has recently, he could end up being quite the steal.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Ben Bishop, TAM at SAN ($34): Yes, the Sharks will be on the second night of a back-to-back, but expected starter Aaron Dell has a 1.96 GAA. Bishop, meanwhile, has a 2.64 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Lightning are also 9-12-3 on the road, while San Jose is 15-6-1 at home.

CENTER

Mika Zibanejad, NYR at TOR ($20): Zibanejad returned with a vengeance from a lengthy absence, scoring two goals on seven shots in his first action in several weeks. Thanks to his hot start before his injury, Zibanejad is averaging 7.8 fantasy points per game. The Maple Leafs are giving up 32.6 shots on goal per contest, so Zibanejad should be able to keep busy when it comes to putting pucks on goal.

CENTER TO AVOID

Alexander Wennberg, CLM vs. OTT ($22): Almost all of Wennberg’s value has come from assists, as he’s only taken 57 shots in 43 games. Perhaps that’s partially why he is only averaging 6.6 fantasy points per game. That’s not a bad total, but you won’t find a player averaging less until you get to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who will only cost you $19. The Senators are 12th in goals allowed per game, so it’s not a great matchup, although it’s not a terrible one either. Mostly this is about opportunity cost, as it will be more difficult for Wennberg to provide value than many other similarly priced players, all of whom have been having better fantasy seasons.

WING

Jakob Silfverberg, ANA vs. COL ($22): We mentioned the two teams that give up the most goals in the league are in action Thursday, so we should probably recommend some players that are going to be able to take advantage of this fact. The Avalanche are giving up a whopping 3.38 goals per game, and they also allow 32.2 shots per contest. Silfverberg takes a lot of shots (128 in 47 games), and has scored 13 goals on those attempts. You won’t find a better matchup for a player with goal-scoring acumen, and Silfverberg certainly qualifies on that front.

Nino Niederreiter, MIN vs. ARI ($18): The Coyotes are the team chasing the Avalanche for the “honor” of having the worst GAA in the league. However, while the Coyotes’ 3.16 goals allowed per game only ranks 29th in the NHL, they do give up a league-worst 33.6 shots per tilt. Niederreiter has 12 goals, including four on the power play, and three of them have come in his last four games. He’s on the cheaper side, and given the matchup, could prove to be quite a nice value play.

WINGS TO AVOID

Jamie Benn, DAL at NYI ($27): Perhaps under the radar, Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss is having an impressive season. His save percentage (.925) is actually in the top five in the NHL. Benn is having a good year, but his 6.9 fantasy points per game isn’t at the elite level at wing. However, despite that he’s the fifth most expensive wing available Thursday. He should be fine, but Greiss is a tougher matchup based on his numbers than most forwards are facing, and he has to be more than “fine” to justify this price point.

Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. NAS ($24): The scoring has dried up for Gaudreau, as he only has one goal and two assists in his last 10 games. If you want to look at a slightly bigger picture, he only has three goals in his last 18 contests. Rinne’s .921 save percentage on the season has already been mentioned, so it seems unlikely that Gaudreau will bust out of his slump in this game.

DEFENSEMEN

Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. ARI ($19): Spurgeon also gets to go up against the Coyotes and their porous defense. He’s averaging a career high in minutes (23:49) and has recorded six goals and 15 assists in 39 games. Spurgeon is also averaging 2:19 a game with the extra man, and Arizona, on top of everything else, is 27th in penalty-kill percentage. Also, Spurgeon is blocking over two shots per game, so he may be able to add a little bit of fantasy value there as well.

Nick Leddy, NYI vs. DAL ($16): With all this talk about the Coyotes and Avalanche, let’s not forget how bad the Stars have been at goal prevention as well. They’re giving up 3.13 goals per game, and their penalty kill ranks 29th in the NHL. Leddy has averaged 3:08 a game with the extra man, and has tallied eight power-play points. Dallas also averages 30 shots on goal per contest, and Leddy has blocked 68 shots, so there should be opportunity for him on both ends of the ice.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Victor Hedman, TAM at SAN ($25): Hedman has missed Tampa’s last two games with an illness, and while it seems unlikely an illness will cost him three games, there’s still reason to be concerned about Hedman being at full strength. You should also be concerned about the fact the Sharks only allow 2.32 goals and 27 shots on net per game. Hedman is the third most expensive defenseman, and the gap between him and the next most expensive player is $3, so he’s a pricey option. Given all this, it’s probably best not to pony up for his lavish price and look elsewhere.

Kevin Shattenkirk, STL vs. WAS ($19): Yes, the Capitals played a crazy high-scoring game with the Penguins recently, but Washington still ranks first in goals allowed (2.05). They also rank third on the penalty kill, and 17 of Shattenkirk’s 30 points have come with the extra man. Shattenkirk also is playing the fewest minutes per game since his rookie year, and his shooting percentage is at career high. He’s been a little lucky, but it’s harder to be lucky against a team like Washington.

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