Again, this large slate has a few different contest options, including a two turbo slates (three games) and a late (two games) contest for daily players. Please note that DraftKings has brought back the $4 Forecheck. Four of the games have an over/under of six based on Vegas lines. Expected goals could be quite high tonight, but remember there are always duds. Los Angeles will get some higher ownership due to matchup, as well.

MORE: SN DFS | DFS Lineup Builder

As always, we caution to check out multiple avenues for your daily fantasy hockey research, not just this article. Because of the volatile nature of goalies (and other reasons), there will be more information on social media coming closer to roster lock. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are looking for even more advice and insight, please check me out on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. Let’s get into tonight’s value picks after a visit from the RotoQL optimizer.

Thursday NHL DFS Picks: Center values

William Karlsson, Vegas @ Boston (DraftKings $4,000, FanDuel $4,600)

Again, Thursday features a ton of higher profile options. Karlsson is a contrarian to a point. Boston’s depth keeps taking more and more hits. The Patrice Bergeron line will likely be more on the Perron-Eakin-Neal trio. This leaves Smith-Marchessault-Karlsson against what would be considered depth at times. This is not the only cheap stackable line on the night or for a mini-stack.

With the 12-game slate, there is a enough room to set up a few different lineups that are outside the limits of being safe. This can even be a nice one-off option if needed. Vegas can score goals, but they can give them up too (currently). Boston’s first line will be extremely chalky (some tournaments may see 25-plus percent ownership).

The good news is there are several other options as far as value on Thursday night. There are some solid value options, but keep in mind value has inherent danger. Even Brayden Point will be a nice shelter choice given his still reasonable DraftKings price. Tampa’s first line will be the other super chalk line with 25-plus percent ownership potential. Remember, extreme chalk can be used, just know what to expect.

Other Options: Steven Stamkos (Extreme chalk), Tyler Seguin (chalk), and Jack Eichel (chalk), Evgeni Malkin (DraftKings), Derrick Brassard, Mika Zibanejad (moderate risk), Derek Stepan (GPP only), Jack Eichel (uncertain ownership – Buffalo power play).

Crazy Value Possible: Radek Faksa (very risky), Christian Dvorak (contrarian value), Tyler Johnson (DraftKings only).

Thursday Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks: Winger values

Clayton Keller, Arizona vs Buffalo (DraftKings $6,000, FanDuel $6,400)

Watch to see how Buffalo tries to contain Keller, as he has been getting his shots in the early going. He has had at least three shots and scoring chances in most games. The risk is that he could be higher owned than expected again. That is quite possible. Keller is going to get his chances and Buffalo is allowing four goals a game on the road. This game has the makings of moderate to high scoring written all over it. However, it does have a propensity to be a dud also. The Sabres have played below average defensively to be quite blunt. Arizona has, as well. However, both have suffered from lower shooting percentages.

Mats Zuccarello, Jason Zucker, and Reilly Smith are all nice mid-price options on DraftKings tonight. With a wide open slate, even the chalk plays are a bit more spread out than usual. Some may ask why Zuccarello? Again, he is so depressed as far as ownership that it would not take as much for him to hit or exceed value. On a lineup or two, the forward may be worth a shot. Zuccarello has looked better in his last few games.

Other Options: Nikita Kucherov (hot fire chalk) Jamie Benn (chalk), Jonathan Huberdeau, Jeff Skinner, Nino Niederreiter (IF HE PLAYS), TJ Oshie (GPP only), Max Domi. Paul Byron (very risky), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg is a sneaky option Thursday night), Brayden Schenn.

Crazy Value Possible: Kenny Agostino (high risk), Tom Pyatt, Luke Kunin (high risk).

Thursday NHL DFS Advice: Defensemen picks, values

Marco Scandella, Buffalo @ Arizona (DraftKings $3,200, FanDuel $3,600)

Choices are abundant among defensemen on Thursday night. Scandella is logging right around 26 minutes a night over the past five games. Buffalo is relying on him more and more. The points have not been there, which makes this quite risky. However, his price is good compared to his shots and blocked shots per night (both have exceeded value lately). Arizona’s penalty kill is at 67.7 percent right now. It has to be picked on until they can stop somebody. This makes a good one-off or part of a cheaper stack.

The defensemen position has lots of possibilities. Kevin Shattenkirk could be a fun choice because Tampa Bay will allow their share of chances. Josh Morrissey is intriguing against Dallas due to value potential. Drew Doughty is a mid-priced option that could deliver against a “tired” Toronto team.

Aaron Ekblad is a different kind of pick here. He hits value often because of his shot volume. He also has been moved up to the top power play unit. The fact that Ekblad hits the net more than any other defenseman on his team should help. Florida plays a more high event pace at home and it does not seem to matter as to who the opposition is.

Other Options: John Klingberg (not as chalky), Alex Pietrangelo (chalky), Shea Weber (moderate risk), Alec Martinez/Jake Muzzin (moderate risk), Jared Spurgeon/Ryan Suter.

Crazy Value Possible: Olli Maatta (extreme risk), Jason Demers, Brady Skjei.

Thursday Daily Fantasy Hockey Advice: Goalie picks, values

Scott Darling, Carolina @ Colorado (DraftKings $7,100, FanDuel $7,600)

Darling could face a higher amount of shots on Thursday in what could be a game with some decent pace. Carolina has shown an ability to play better on the road in the early going (only allowing 2.6 goals per game). The goalie was brought in to be the No. 1, and his start has been middling to say the least with only an .897 save percentage so far.

Darling is a GPP-only option on DraftKings and FanDuel. That leaves the dilemma of who else to play. There is a good bit of uncertainty in the slate with some high over/unders (at least four at 6-plus goals).

The emphasis will be to wait until closer to lock (7 p.m. ET) for any line shifts and goalie changes, etc. Tuukka Rask may play tonight even (though that’s about as risky as it can get). Michal Neuvirth is in for Philadelphia and could be an intriguing option. There is some reasonably priced chalk, too.

Other Options: Ben Bishop, Braden Holtby (cash), Andrei Vasilevskiy (chalk), Sergei Bobrovsky (GPP but dangerous), Jonathan Quick (chasing the win potential).

NHL DFS Picks for Thursday: Top Lines to Stack

Again, these are based on RotoQL optimizer projections. In the coming weeks, this will be a space where we dive into some of what the optimizer spits out.

TBL 1 (Super Chalk)

BOS 1 (Super Chalk)

DAL 1 (Nearly Chalk – even with Hellebuyck’s start)

LAK 2 (Some think LAK 1 will be too chalky – can use parts)

ARZ 1

BUF PP 1

FLA 1

CLB PP 1 (Risky but could work once)

NYI 2 (Many will try NYI1)

Again, these are just a few. As updates become more available, there will be more on social media. This is one of those nights where even one or two scoops can mean a huge difference.

NHL DFS Strategy: Reviewing what went wrong

This is always going to be a section full of “hindsight is 20/20”. However, some results could be seen from a mile away. For example, there were a total of 19 goals scored on Wednesday night. That is a bit of a correction. It is also less than four per game combined. Each game had its own unique look, but some things remained the same.

The rather unexpected was the New Jersey shutout of Vancouver. Cory Schneider stonewalled his former team with 37 saves as New Jersey. Taylor Hall made two nice passes that Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford deposited into the net. New Jersey was low event. However, so were Nashville and San Jose. It was somewhat expected, as this was a grudge match from the playoffs. Ryan Johansen and Joe Pavelski fought each other. That does not happen often.

Pittsburgh and Edmonton played a similar game in their previous meeting. The goalies were good again in this one. Frederik Andersen realized it was November and allowed just one goal. Toronto’s first line was not in the scoring and Anaheim’s depth provided their only scoring. Shots were right near 30 for both sides, which was about five off from projections.