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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Thursday picks

Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen plays against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen plays against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By Chris Morgan

It’s a typical Thursday in the NHL, with 10 games on the docket. Let’s look at some intriguing — and not so intriguing — options for your lineup today.

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GOALIE

Ben Bishop, TAM vs. VAN ($29):

Bishop’s price is still being driven down by his slow start. While his .910 save percentage is nothing to get excited about, he’s only let in one goal in his last two starts. This is a guy that hasn’t had a save percentage worse than .916 since becoming Tampa’s starter, so an improvement is very likely. Vancouver is 28th in the NHL in goals scored, averaging a paltry 2.19 per game. Things are setting up well for Bishop to put together a third straight impressive start.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Cam Talbot, EDM at PHI ($30):

The Flyers have gone on a tear, as they’ve won six games in a row. Even when they were winning with as much frequency, they were still scoring goals, and they are fourth in the league in goals per game. Talbot’s .914 save percentage on the season is adequate, but that won’t cut in with a matchup like this.

CENTER

Ryan Johansen, NAS at DAL ($19): The Stars have allowed the most goals in the league (based on average goals per game), and their goalies have a collective .893 save percentage, which is fairly dire. Johansen has a respectable 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 25 games, including nine on the power play. Dallas has the 27th-ranked penalty kill, so Johansen’s proficient play with the extra man is a bonus in this one.

CENTER TO AVOID

Nathan MacKinnon, COL at BOS ($23): The Bruins played Wednesday night, which means there is a slim chance the Avalanche will avoid Tuukka Rask, but that seems unlikely. Rask has played in 20 games this season, even though he missed three with an undisclosed issue. Boston is fourth in goals allowed and third on the penalty kill, whereas Colorado is scoring a meager 2.17 goals per game. MacKinnon has put a lot of shots on goal (88 in 24 games), but only six of them have gone in, and he’s averaging 7.3 fantasy points per game in Yahoo’s scoring. At $23, he feels a bit pricey in this matchup.

WING

Chris Kreider, NYR at WPG ($22): Kreider started the season hot before getting hurt, but he’s been in peak form again recently, notching four points and nine shots on goal in his last three games. That’s a small sample size, but Kreider has 56 shots on goal in 21 games, and his shooting percentage is the lowest since his rookie season, so he could be in for a little more shooting luck. The Jets are allowing 2.9 goals per game, and Connor Hellebuyck only has a .910 save percentage, which isn’t much of a threat to Kreider and the Rangers.

Jaden Schwartz, STL at NYI ($19): Schwartz, like Kreider, has spent a little time banged up this season, but he’s been outstanding when healthy. He’s only failed to register a point twice in his last 10 games, and has totaled nine shots on goal in the pointless contests so it’s not like he wasn’t involved. He’s also played more than three minutes per game on the power play in his last four contests, and he’s averaging 2:59 with the extra man in total.

WINGS TO AVOID

Jamie Benn, DAL vs. NAS ($26): As the fifth most expensive wing available Thursday, Benn would have to do quite a bit to earn his price point. Going up against Pekka Rinne, who has a 2.23 GAA and .926 save percentage, won’t make that easy. Additionally, Benn hasn’t been his usual self this season. He’s only on pace for 21 goals and 64 points, and he’s also on pace for under 200 shots for the first time in a full season since 2010-2011. Maybe he’ll turn it around, but with so many options Thursday there’s no need to bet on it being tonight.

Taylor Hall, NJD at MON ($25): Hall has been impressive since returning from injury, tallying five points in three games, although he’s put an unusually low five shots on net during that time. However, this is all about the matchup, and namely the man in net. Carey Price has a 1.82 GAA and s .942 save percentage, the latter of which is second best in the league. With so many players in better matchups, you don’t have to settle for betting on Hall being able to solve the former MVP.

DEFENSEMEN

Michael Del Zotto, PHI vs. EDM ($16): Del Zotto is a blueliner that contributes on both ends of the ice for a rather reasonable price. Since returning from an injury, Del Zotto has four points in six games. He’s also put 10 shots on net in those games, but just as notably he’s blocked 15 shots. He’s averaging over two shots on goal and two blocks per game this season, and that’s a good sign heading into a game against an Oilers team that is averaging 31.9 shots for and 29.9 shots against.

Dougie Hamilton, CGY at ARI ($14): The Coyotes are 29th in goals allowed, and even Mike Smith has a 2.77 GAA despite a .924 shooting percentage. Arizona also ranks 22nd in penalty kill percentage, which bodes well for Hamilton. Yes, he only has two points with the extra man, but he’s playing a career-high 2:31 per game, and has had at least 15 power-play points in his last two seasons. His 6.0 fantasy points per game is unusually high for a player that only costs $14, especially in a matchup like this.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Kris Letang, PIT at FLA ($29): It’s hard to bet against Letang, who plays a ton of minutes and has averaged less than four minutes on the power play only once in the last six seasons. His two goals may be a little disappointing, but that can be at least partially attributed to a particularly low shooting percentage. However, the Panthers rank in the top nine in both goals allowed and penalty kill percentage, and Roberto Luongo has a .926 save percentage and 2.14 GAA. Letang is the most expensive rearguard Thursday (tied with Shea Weber), so there are much better values out there in more favorable matchups.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. CGY ($20): The Flames’ overall numbers are bad, but a lot of that stems from early in the season when Brian Elliott was imploding. Chad Johnson, who has seized the starting job for Calgary, has a 2.04 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Ekman-Larsson, meanwhile, hasn’t played to his own standards — he hasn’t scored a goal in 18 games, but his 9.3 shooting percentage is actually the best in his career, which is evidence of his reduced shot total.