This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Plenty of action with 14 games on the slate. This was supposed to be the last day of the regular season but… you know. With just a handful of games left for each team – unless you're the Canucks – all that matters now is playoff seeding. Look for non-playoff sides to give their young players a look and those heading into the playoffs resting their veterans. The early action begins at 3 p.m. EDT with the Rangers at Bruins and Sabres at Penguins, otherwise all games will be part of FanDuel's main slate. All player salaries quoted below are for the all-day contest.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. STL ($8,400): Fleury has a chance to extend his winning streak to eight while the Golden Knights have a clear advantage in net with Ville Husso likely to start at the other end of the ice. Fleury's 2.68 GAA against the Blues is the second-highest against teams he's faced this season, but it's kind of misleading because he's only allowed six even-strength goals over three games.
Maxime Lagace, PIT vs. BUF ($8,300): The Pens have little choice but to roll the dice with Lagace, a 28-year-old undrafted minor leaguer who will get his first start of the season with a career .868/3.92 split and the division title potentially on the line. Look for the Pens to put in a little extra effort on defense, but the goal support should be good with Michael Houser at the other end of the ice. It's a risky play, but Lagace should be able to pull off the W.
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. MON ($8,200): The Leafs' offense has run roughshod over the Habs all season and Montreal will be without top shutdown center Phillip Danault. Campbell has allowed two goals or fewer in four of his past five starts and won five of his past six, with the only loss coming in overtime.
Mike Smith, EDM vs. VAN ($8,000): Smith looked good – as he has all season – coming in relief for Mikko Koskinen last game and it's difficult to believe the Oilers will lose twice in a row to the Canucks. Coming into today, Smith has posted a .949 Sv% and 1.59 GAA against them this season.
Tuukka Rask, BOS vs. NYR ($7,900): The Rangers look like they're out of gas and the Bruins head into the playoffs with plenty of momentum and an excellent top-six. Rask hasn't been forced to do much, but he's won six of his past seven starts. Two of them were against the Sabres, but the Rangers haven't played much better and will be once again without many of their key players.
Jonathan Bernier, DET at CBJ ($6,600): All things considered, Bernier has been good this season and was brilliant in his last start against the Lightning with 40 saves. I like this matchup because it seems like the Blue Jackets are committed to starting Matiss Kivlenieks again for the second half of their back-to-back. The Red Wings also seem a little more motivated to finish the season on a high note than the Jackets, who can't seem to wait for the offseason.
VALUE PLAYS
Tyson Jost, COL at LA ($3,300): That's now two goals in two games for Jost, who centered the top line in Nathan MacKinnon's absence. He obviously doesn't have the same upside, but playing with Mikko Rantanen is a huge bonus.
Wade Allison, PHI at WSH ($3,300): Allison has been very impressive with three goals and four points in his past four outings. The fourth-line winger could be a good play against Caps' expected starter Craig Anderson, who has an .881 Sv% in three appearances this season.
Cole Caufield, MON at TOR ($3,400): Caufield's one of the Habs' few snipers and had been delivering on the hype with three goals in four, including a five-short effort against the Leafs last time out.
Trevor Zegras, ANH at MIN ($3,600): Zegras has looked solid in his second call-up with five points in six games. The Ducks have nothing to play for, so look for him to play a lot as he's already averaging more than 17 minutes a night.
Gabriel Vilardi, LA vs. COL ($3,600): It's going to be much easier to score on the Avs when Philipp Grubauer sits. The Avs are expected to start Jonas Johansson and may not have Samuel Girard or MacKinnon in the lineup.
LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Rangers
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,400), David Pastrnak (W - $7,400), Brad Marchand (W - $7,700)
The trio have combined for 20 points in seven games against the Rangers, who will have very few means to contain this line with multiple injuries up front and a very young blueline. Surprisingly, Pastrnak is the weak link in this stack with just five goals since Apr. 1, but hopefully the Rangers' weak PK will give him some good looks.
Flyers at Capitals
Sean Couturier (C - $7,300), Claude Giroux (W - $6,900), Travis Konecny (W - $5,400)
This should be a high-scoring affair. The Flyers are expected to start Alex Lyon and the Caps will likely go with Craig Anderson. Couturier and Giroux have been a very good duo all season while Konecny will get PP time with the second unit that's quarterbacked by Cam York, who also has considerable offensive upside.
Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens
Auston Matthews (C - $9,000), Mitch Marner (W - $7,500), Joe Thornton (W - $3,400)
It's hard to resist stacking the league's best goal scorer. Thornton keeps the cost of this stack low, but also doesn't need to play much to provide offense and is on a seven-game point streak. Marner and Matthews have also combined for 23 points against the Habs this season.
Oilers vs. Canucks
Connor McDavid ($9,200), Dominik Kahun (W - $3,500), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $4,400)
There's some bad blood brewing after a few controversial plays last game, and if the penalties start racking up… bah gawd, that's McDavid's music! Having two hanger-ons keeps the cost of this stack low, making it a decent option against a Canucks team that doesn't defend very well.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. VAN ($6,300): Another helper extended Barrie's point streak to four and he now has 11 shots and three points in three matchups against the Canucks. He also shares the ice with McDavid a lot, so that helps.
Jakob Chychrun, ARI at SJ ($5,800): Neither team has much to play for, but the Arizona blueline doesn't offer many guys who can contribute on offense like Chychrun. He's on a four-game point streak with 21 (!) shots during that span.
Cale Makar, COL at LA ($5,600): Makar continues to be an excellent value play with a salary in this range. The Avs may not have MacKinnon in the lineup, but that didn't deter Makar from producing two points and seven shots on Friday. In fact, not having MacKinnon could mean the puck stays on Makar's stick more often.
