Seven games are on tap for Thursday night. Montreal is the only club that played the night before, while Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago and Winnipeg will skate in the first games of their respective back-to-back sets. The Canadiens have a three-game losing skid going into Detroit, while Calgary will look to extend their winning streak to four straight games when they host the Buffalo Sabres.
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Remember to come back later in the day to check for confirmation on the starting goaltenders and keep an eye on the injured players list.
Brandon Saad RW (Columbus) - $6,600
Saad hasn't scored a goal in 10 consecutive games. He spent a couple of outings on the fourth line, but he's back on the top unit now. He has been hot and cold this season, so he's worth keeping an eye on, but his current cold streak doesn't make him a desirable selection at this time. There are plenty of right wingers available, who cost much less, who I would deem much more reliable as well.
Filip Forsberg LW (Nashville) - $7,700
Forsberg was quiet in Chicago on Tuesday night with no points and five shots in a 4-1 loss. He ended up with zero fantasy points because of his minus-2 rating. Forsberg has a troubling minus-6 rating in his last three outings, which has worked against whatever positive gains he has made offensively. He is also a pricey player for Thursday night and there are plenty of bargains to be had at left wing.
Evander Kane LW (Buffalo) - $6,600
Kane is projected to be back with Jack Eichel and Brian Gionta Thursday night. The trio generated plenty of chances without much success on the scoresheet when they played together earlier this season. Kane was clicking with Ryan O'Reilly before the line change and I'm not a fan of the move.
Tomas Fleischmann LW (Montreal) - $6,200
Fleischmann's FanDuel price remains the same even though he hasn't earned a point seven straight games. The third line of the Canadiens hasn't been churning out points like it was earlier in the season. He's also a far more expensive player than Dylan Larkin, Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Huberdeau, who I would argue are far better options.
Mika Zibanejad C (Ottawa) - $5,700
Zibanejad isn't much of a bargain for Thursday night when you see that Ryan O'Reilly, Paul Stastny, Aleksander Barkov, Artem Anisimov and Alex Galchenyuk are all cheaper options. He also has just one assist in his last five appearances.
Curtis McElhinney G (Columbus) - $7,000
McElhinney will get the call for the Blue Jackets on Thursday because Sergei Bobrovsky is sidelined with a lower-body injury. The Columbus backup owns a 0-4-1 record this season along with a .905 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average. He also has a difficult matchup in front of him on the road against Winnipeg.
Dustin Tokarski G (Montreal) - $7,900
Tokarski may be looked at as another opportunity to save some money in the crease, but I wouldn't gamble on him. The third-string goalie will be making his first start of the season after an inconsistent 2014-15 campaign. Detroit's offense has been clicking lately and Montreal has been struggling. The Canadiens also played last night and lost to Boston. Brian Elliott and/or Connor Hellebuyck (if he gets the start) are good bargain goalies if you are looking to go down that route.
Goaltenders
Montreal (Dustin Tokarski) confirmed @ Detroit (Petr Mrazek) confirmed
Ottawa (Craig Anderson) confirmed @ Tampa Bay (Ben Bishop) confirmed
Washington (Philipp Grubauer) confirmed @ Florida (Al Montoya) confirmed
Philadelphia (Michal Neuvirth) confirmed @ St. Louis (Brian Elliott) confirmed
Chicago (Scott Darling) confirmed @ Nashville (Pekka Rinne) confirmed
Columbus (Curtis McElhinney) confirmed @ Winnipeg (Connor Hellebuyck) confirmed
Buffalo (Chad Johnson) confirmed @ Calgary (Karri Ramo) confirmed