This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
You will not be bereft of choice for your daily fantasy hockey lineup Thursday, as a whopping 28 teams are going to be in action. To try and make your decisions easier, here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Carter Hart, PHI vs. LOS ($8,700): I don't know if Hart will be able to keep this up, even if the rookie netminder was the best goaltending prospect in hockey before he got called up. However, so far, he's lived up to the hype with a 2.48 GAA and .925 save percentage. Even if he does regress, it likely won't come in this matchup. The Kings are 30th in goals per game.
CENTER
Eric Staal, MIN vs. EDM ($6,500): If you don't hold Staal to the standards of his 42-goal season last year, he's having a fine season. The veteran center has 17 goals and 20 assists through 52 games. Things have not been going well in net for the Oilers recently. Cam Talbot has struggled all season, but even Mikko Koskinen has a 3.63 GAA and .882 save percentage over his last 11 outings.
Bo Horvat, VAN at CHI ($5,400): Lost in Elias Pettersson Fever is the fact that Horvat has 42 points in 54 games, including 11 points with the extra man. The Blackhawks have a 3.65 GAA, which is bad, and a lot of that is because of their issues killing penalties. Chicago ranks last on that front.
WING
Elias Lindholm, CGY vs. SAN ($7,100): Lindholm is having a stunning season playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan on Calgary's top line. He's showing no sign of slowing down either, as the Swede has a 10-game point streak. The Sharks have had some major struggles on the road. Away from home, they have a 3.79 GAA, bottom five in the NHL.
Jakub Vrana, WAS vs. COL ($4,500): Vrana is one of the young players helping to give the Capitals some depth beyond Alex Ovechkin at wing. The 22-year-old is having something of a breakout sophomore campaign, as he has 16 goals and 15 assists. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have a 3.31 GAA, but they've been worse the last couple months due to issues in net. In fact, Semyon Varlamov has a 3.54 GAA and .875 save percentage since the start of December.
Nick Bjugstad, PIT at FLA ($4,400): Bjugstad's role with the Penguins since being traded has not been completely solidified, but he has recently skated on the wing of Pittsburgh's top line alongside Sidney Crosby. He's also seeing power-play time already. Now Bjugstad is getting a chance to face off with his old team, and the Panthers happen to have a 3.41 GAA.
DEFENSE
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. EDM ($5,600): Spurgeon has helped the Wild deal without Mathew Dumba, especially recently. He has five points in his last five games, and 32 points overall. The Oilers' GAA has risen to 3.36, while not coincidentally they now rank 30th in penalty-kill percentage as well.
Ryan Pulock, NYI at NJD ($4,100): Pulock has notched 22 points this season, even though his shooting percentage has fallen to 2.8. However, his minutes have increased this year, as he's averaged 22:23 per game in ice time. This is a good matchup for the New York defenseman, as the Devils rank in the bottom five in GAA and save percentage.
