This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Some teams are in the playoffs, some are officially eliminated, and a few are still fighting for the postseason. Through it all, we play daily fantasy hockey. Here are lineup recommendations from Thursday's six NHL contests starting at 8:00 PM ET.
GOALIE
Minnesota Wild, MIN vs. DAL ($16,300): The Wild are 25-6-8 at home, while the Stars have struggled down the stretch. Dallas is 2-6-2 in its last 10 contests. On top of that, the Stars have only scored 2.30 goals per game since the All-Star break, which is tied for fewest in the NHL. That won't threaten Minnesota's netminders, who have a 2.23 GAA at home.
CENTER
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at VAN ($11,300): Draisaitl has started 55.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest among Edmonton forwards. He's tallied 24 goals and 44 assists in 73 games, and he's notched six points in his last five contests. The Canucks, for their part, have a 3.18 GAA, which is bottom five in the NHL.
Bo Horvat, VAN vs. EDM ($9,800): Horvat has tallied 20 goals and 20 assists in 59 games which 12 of those points coming on the power play. He's also tallied 28 shots on net in his last nine contests. The Oilers have a 3.23 GAA and the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Horvat, who has averaged 2:44 per game with the extra man, should be able to take advantage of that.
WING
Artemi Panarin, CLM at CGY ($14,500): You could say that Panarin has been hot for a while. The Russian winger has notched 11 goals and 14 assists in his last 19 games. He's also started 64.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third highest on the Blue Jackets (and well above average for any player). The Flames have had issues in net for a little while, as they have a 3.54 GAA and .883 save percentage since the All-Star break.
Kyle Connor, WPG at CHI ($12,500): Connor was not a rookie with much hype heading into this season, but now he's sitting here with 29 goals in 70 games. He's been helped by the fact he has seven goals in his last seven outings. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have a 3.61 GAA since the All-Star break. That's highest in the league.
Dustin Brown, LOS vs. ARI ($11,800): Brown generated some buzz by being hot to start the season, but he's still going strong. In fact, over his last seven games he's tallied nine points (four with the extra man). The Coyotes are on the second night of a back-to-back, and Antti Raanta started Wednesday. That likely means Darcy Kuemper in net, and he has a 3.16 GAA and .897 save percentage since being traded from the Kings to the Yotes.
DEFENSEMEN
Alexander Edler, VAN vs. EDM ($10,200): Edler has tallied 30 shots on net in his last 10 games, a robust number for a defenseman. He's also averaged 2:50 per game on the power play and tallied 13 points with the extra man in 65 games. As previously noted, the Oilers have the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Additionally, Edler has blocked a whopping 187 shots, so he can add fantasy value defensively as well.
Dougie Hamilton, CGY vs. CLM ($9,900): Speaking of defensemen who have registered a lot of shots on goal recently, Hamilton has 39 of them in his last eight games. Overall he's put 258 shots on net in 77 contests. Away from home the Blue Jackets have a 3.13 GAA and the 30th-ranked penalty kill. Hamilton has averaged 2:40 per game on the power play and notched six goals and six assists with the extra man, which bodes well in this matchup.
