This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday's NHL slate is a packed one, with 22 of the league's 31 teams in action. With so many options available, it's important to pinpoint the players that provide the best bang for the buck and which ones should be avoided. The below guide offers some recommendations…
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. DET ($32): It looks like the 23-year-old Vasilevskiy has taken his game to the next level this season. The Russian netminder has looked like an early-season Vezina candidate with an 8-1-0 record, 2.22 GAA and .936 save percentage through nine appearances, but remains priced at an affordable $32. Backed by an offense that's scoring 4.1 goals per game, Vasilevskiy should cruise to another victory against a Red Wings team that's been outscored 30-26 through 10 games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ben Bishop, DAL at EDM ($38): Bishop has allowed 10 goals on 77 shots for an .870 save percentage over his past three starts despite playing what most would consider an extremely easy schedule consisting of Arizona, Carolina and Colorado. His $38 price makes Bishop the second-most expensive player in this entire slate and he has almost no chance of living up to that valuation on the road against an Oilers offense that's much too talented to stay quiet much longer.
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CENTER
Kevin Hayes, NYR vs. ARI ($15): Hayes has topped 19:00 of ice time twice in the past three games after failing to reach that mark in any of the season's first seven. That increase in role has coincided with an offensive awakening from the fourth-year pivot, as Hayes has produced two goals and one assist in his past three appearances after coming in with only one goal and one assist. Hayes couldn't ask for a better opportunity to continue this hot streak, as his team draws a home matchup against a Coyotes team that's been outscored 39-21 en route to a 0-8-1 start.
CENTER TO AVOID
Claude Giroux, PHI at OTT ($21): Giroux's off to a hot start offensively, but maintaining that momentum will be difficult on the road against the defensively responsible Senators. Ottawa's league-best 92 percent penalty kill has helped the team hold opponents to 2.33 goals per game, which is the second-lowest mark in the league.
WINGS
Patric Hornqvist, PIT vs. WPG ($20): Hornqvist has made a living parking himself in front of the net and knocking home rebounds on the power play, scoring two of his three goals this season and 21 of his 46 since the start of the 2015-16 campaign with the extra man. The Swedish power forward is positioned to capitalize on this favorable matchup with a Jets penalty kill that's operating at just 72.0 percent, which is worse than every team except Florida. Despite all his power-play success, Hornqvist is easily the cheapest member of Pittsburgh's star-studded top power-play unit, which also features Sidney Crosby ($33), Evgeni Malkin ($29), Kris Letang ($27) and Phil Kessel ($24).
Rick Nash, NYR vs. ARI ($15): Nash has just one goal on 39 shots this season, but the snakebitten sniper should be able to turn things around against a Coyotes team that features what's easily the worst goaltending tandem in the league of Adin Hill and Louis Domingue with Antti Raanta (lower body) still sidelined. Considering Nash has scored over 20 goals in 12 of his past 13 campaigns, his price is unlikely to stay this low once he gets going.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Wayne Simmonds, PHI at OTT ($23): Simmonds is in here for the same reason as his teammate Giroux. The power forwards' six goals in nine games have helped raise his price to $23 and half of those have come with the extra man. Ottawa's penalty-killing prowess will likely limit that pivotal part of Simmonds' game and his minus-23 rating since the start of the 2015-16 season gives him a very low floor.
David Backes, BOS vs. SJ ($15): Backes hasn't exactly looked spry since being taken off injured reserve, with a total of 0.7 fantasy points and a minus-2 rating in two games. Until the 33-year-old forward shows he has something left in the tank, he's better off on the bench.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, ANH at FLA ($18): Montour has taken advantage of his move to the top power-play unit and a greater offensive role in general with Cam Fowler sidelined for the last game and all but 1:40 of the previous one due to a knee injury. The second-year blueliner has dished out a power-play helper while also lighting the lamp twice at even strength in that stretch. Montour's plus-14 rating in 35 NHL games gives him a high floor and he's got a great chance of finding power-play success against a Panthers club that's killing off penalties at a league-worst 69.7 percent rate.
John Klingberg, DAL at EDM ($20): With five double-digit fantasy-point performances and three over 15.0 through nine games, Klingberg has demonstrated one of the highest ceilings among defensemen across the entire league. Four of his nine points have come on the power play and the Swedish blueliner has a high probability of cashing in on such chances against Edmonton's fifth-worst 75.0 percent penalty kill. Klingberg also doesn't lack for secondary stats with an average of over three shots per game this season and a plus-2 rating that's raised his career mark to plus-29.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Michael Del Zotto, VAN vs. WAS ($18): Del Zotto's dished out five helpers already, but the career minus-29 defenseman clearly hasn't improved much in his own end with a minus-3 rating this season. Washington's high-powered offense is capable of exploiting Del Zotto's defensive deficiencies and star goaltender Braden Holtby will likely make it a tough night for the Canucks offensively, giving Del Zotto both a lower floor and ceiling.
Derek Forbort, LA at MTL ($16): Forbort's terrific defensively, but carries very little offensive upside. With no goals, just three assists and an average on only 1.0 shot on goal, Forbort simply doesn't possess the ceiling owners should be looking for at $16.
