This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's NHL slate is a busy one, with 12 games on tap beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Exploiting favorable matchups and avoiding tough ones is the key to finding fantasy success in this slate, and the recommendations below should help owners do just that.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, VAN vs. ARI ($32): While opposing netminder Antti Raanta has been on fire recently, Markstrom's been no slouch himself. The Swedish netminder has won four of his past five starts while holding three of those opponents to a single goal, and his lone loss in that stretch came at the hands of a terrific Vegas team. Arizona's 2.54 goals per game this season are third-fewest in the NHL, making this a favorable home tilt for the rolling Markstrom.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Antti Niemi, MON at DET ($34): A favorable matchup with Detroit's 28th-ranked offense isn't enough to justify dropping $34 on Niemi. After allowing five goals in his last start, the washed-up netminder is now 6-9-4 with a 3.12 GAA and .912 save percentage this season.
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CENTER
Erik Haula, VGK at EDM ($18): Haula leads the Golden Knights with 19 power-play points and 12 power-play goals, so he's more likely than anyone else on the team to exploit an Edmonton penalty kill that ranks fifth from the bottom at 76.1 percent. Pay no mind to his absence Tuesday, as all signs point to that DNP being rest-related.
CENTER TO AVOID
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. VGK ($32): McDavid's capable of overcoming even the most difficult opponents, but the subpar talent around him is likely to lead to a disappointing performance in this tough matchup. The young center's rating over Edmonton's five-game losing streak is an ugly minus-6, including a minus-5 mark with no points in the last two. Vegas has outscored opponents 3.30 to 2.67 on average, so things could once again get ugly for McDavid here.
WINGS
Vladislav Namestnikov, NYR at NYI ($10): Namestnikov's first taste of this intrastate rivalry provides a nice buy-low opportunity on the Russian forward. While he's been a disappointment since coming over from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, Namestnikov continues to skate on the top line and first power-play unit. That massive offensive exposure makes him a low-risk, high-reward choice at $10 against an Islanders team that allows the most goals per game (3.61) and kills penalties at the league's lowest rate (73.5 percent).
Wayne Simmonds, PHI vs. CAR ($17): Simmonds is just the seventh-most expensive skater on the Flyers, but his team-leading 11 goals with the extra man suggest that the power forward has a great chance of ending up much better than the seventh-most productive player on his team in this favorable matchup. Carolina's 77.4 percent penalty kill is eighth-worst in the league, and the team's 23rd-ranked offense (2.74 goals per game) poses little threat to Simmonds' greatest weakness -- a minus-16 rating.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Mikko Rantanen, COL at SJ ($25): Power-play production has been a major component of Rantanen's success, as his team-leading 33 points in extra-man situations are even two more than standout teammate Nathan MacKinnon's total. Adding to that total will be extremely difficult against a Sharks penalty kill that leads the league at 85.1 percent, so this isn' the right time to pay up for the talented youngster.
Jason Zucker, MIN at LA ($21): Zucker's stuck in a late-season rut, as he's topped 2.7 fantasy points only once in his past five appearances. Getting back on track won't be easy against a Kings team that's allowing 2.42 goals per game -- fewest in the league. If you insist on using a Wild winger in this difficult matchup, Zach Parise outclasses Zucker, as Parise remains $3 cheaper even though he's riding a seven-game point streak and has five goals in his last three games.
DEFENSEMEN
Niklas Kronwall, DET vs. MON ($15): Kronwall's excelled with greater offensive responsibilities since Mike Green (neck) went down, getting on the scoresheet in five of his last six games. Look for the hard-hitting defenseman to keep the good times rolling against Niemi, whose struggles have already been outlined.
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG vs. CGY ($23): Byfuglien's been an all-around beast over the past five games, averaging 11.7 fantasy points while never slipping below 8.6. Maintaining that momentum shouldn't prove difficult against an injury-riddled Flames team that's lost eight of its last nine games while getting outscored 39-12 over that stretch. Byfuglien's home/road splits also point to him finding success here, as he has 26 points and a plus-19 rating in 34 appearances at Bell MTS Place compared to just 17 points and a minus-7 mark in 33 road contests.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kevin Connauton, ARI at VAN ($17): Connauton has raised his price thanks to a torrid offensive stretch, which has featured four goals and two assists over the past five games. However, it's prudent to remain skeptical of Connauton's ability to maintain that hot streak here, as he still doesn't feature on the power play and is averaging a mere 3.7 fantasy points per game this season. His career rate of just .26 points per game (68/259) also raises a major red flag.
Brent Burns, SJ vs. COL ($29): San Jose may have the league's best penalty kill, but Colorado isn't far behind at a third-ranked 83.8 percent. Burns' 27 power-play points easily lead the Sharks, so his value suffers the greatest hit from this tough matchup. Additionally, the expensive defenseman has just one goal since Feb. 15, and the ninth-ranked Avalanche offense (3.10 goals per game) is capable of putting some serious hurt on his minus-18 rating, which is twice as bad as that of Burns' next-worst teammate.
