This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The NHL gave us a somewhat small rollout to the new season with four games Wednesday. Now, we're kicking it up another notch, as there are 10 games Thursday. You'll have plenty of options to mull over, so here are some recommendations…
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NAS at NYR ($8,600): Hey, why not start with the reigning Vezina winner? The big Finn had a 2.31 GAA and .927 save percentage last year, and he plays behind a Nashville team that is one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. On the other hand, the Rangers are a rebuilding team that tied for 21st in goals per game last year and is not heading in the right direction on paper.
CENTER
Jonathan Toews, CHI at OTT ($6,900): Toews is coming off a down year where he had "only" 20 goals and 32 assists in 74 games. However, he also had a 9.5 shooting percentage, which was well below his career average. Maybe he will start the year with better puck luck. He is starting the year against a Senators team that had a 3.46 GAA last season, and Craig Anderson is now 37.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM at DET ($6,100) : Dubois impressed as a rookie, tallying 20 goals and 28 assists as a 19-year-old. He was helped by starting 65.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Blue Jackets. Jimmy Howard had a .910 save percentage last season, and the Wings are banged up on defense and no longer have Henrik Zetterberg.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. PHI ($7,300): Two years ago, Marchessault broke out with 30 goals for the Panthers. Last year, he was one of the leaders for the Golden Knights, notching 27 goals on a whopping 268 shots, proving he was no one-year wonder. Meanwhile, last season Brian Elliott had a .909 save percentage.
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. NYI ($5,900): It's early to overlook somebody playing in Carolina, but Teravainen had 23 goals and 64 points last year. That includes 20 points with the extra man. The Islanders were truly atrocious on defense last season, as they had a league-high 3.57 team GAA and averaged a whopping 35.6 shots against. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they also had the league's worst penalty kill.
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. BOS ($5,700): We're only on the second day of the season, and the Bruins are already on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. They also got destroyed by the Capitals in their opener, giving up seven goals. Jaroslav Halak, who had a .908 save percentage last year, is in line to start Thursday for the Bruins. Okposo only had 15 goals last year, but his 9.3 shooting percentage seems likely to increase, and he's averaged more than three minutes per game on the power play since joining the Sabres.
DEFENSEMEN
Duncan Keith, CHI at OTT ($5,300): If anybody is in line for more puck luck, it's Keith. Only two of his 187 shots on net went in last year, which is not likely to be replicated. Plus, he still managed to have fantasy value thanks to his 30 assists and 165 blocked shots. You don't need that much luck to have success against Craig Anderson, who had a 3.32 GAA and .898 save percentage last season.
Ryan Ellis, NAS at NYR ($5,200): Don't overlook Ellis just because P.K. Subban and Roman Josi are around. Ellis only played in 44 games last year, but he managed nine goals and 32 points anyway. Henrik Lundqvist had a 2.98 GAA last year, and it's partially because the Rangers gave up 35.3 shots on goal per game.
