This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. COL ($8,700) – The Blues narrowly escaped with a 5-4 shootout win against Carolina last night, so Mike Yeo will want to fine tune some things before heading into the playoffs. That will involve giving Allen the final start of the season, and not only should the Blues register a win, they should register a convincing win. Given their past playoff meltdowns and Minnesota's struggles over the past few months, the Blues can't — and won't — be taking this game lightly. The Blues are 3-0-1 this season against Colorado.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. COL ($8,100) – There's no real reason the Blues will choose to rest their top player, even if it'll be difficult to catch Sidney Crosby for the lead in goals. He will, however, play in his 82nd game, the first time he's managed to play a full schedule. The Blues were too careless last night against the Hurricanes to take their foot off the pedal any further, and in fact should be looking to win in convincing fashion to generate some momentum as they head into the playoffs.
Jeff Skinner, CAR at PHI ($7,200) – Skinner has scored five goals in his past four games, including two goals on seven shots against the Blues last night, to give him a career-high 37 goals this season. His production has improved vastly over the past two seasons with his concussion problems seemingly behind him, and he gets another plus matchup against the Flyers to finish the campaign.
Milan Lucic, EDM vs. VAN ($5,300) – There's simply no one big enough or strong enough to contain Lucic, who now heads into the final game of the season with a four-game point streak after being criticized for his mediocre offensive production for much of the year. There's always added motivation for him playing in his hometown, as well.
Jake Guentzel, PIT at NYR ($5,000) – He scored a goal and an assist against the Leafs on Friday, giving him two points for the third game in a row, and also extended his goal streak to five games. He's been the winger the Pens have been looking for, a player who can consistently finish plays set up by his creative centers, and Antti Raanta has already been confirmed as the starter, making it a little less daunting than having to face Henrik Lundqvist.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM vs.VAN ($9,100) – His speed is devastating, especially against the Canucks, who have consistently been unable to keep up with fast teams. He's terrorized opposing defenses all season as the league's leading scorer, and seeing how he managed to cut through Vancouver's defense multiple times last night, he shouldn't have any problems doing it again.
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. CLS ($7,400) – He scored his 40th goal of the season against Pittsburgh, and also finished the night with five shots on goal. The Jackets have been something of a mess recently, losing five straight and heading into the playoffs with a date against the defending Cup champions. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski may be able to keep up with the young Leafs' speed, but Jack Johnson and David Savard may find it more difficult, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for Matthews and a balanced Leafs attack to take advantage of the matchups.
DEFENSE
Kevin Shattenkirk, WAS vs. FLA ($5,700) – He's scored two goals in his past three games and seems to be fitting in nicely with the Caps with 13 points in 17 games, six of which have come at even strength. The Panthers, on the other hand, are closing out their season on a sour note, failing to live up to expectations, losing three of their past 10 games. One bright spot has been their penalty kill, which ranks second in the league, but has also allowed three power-play goals in their past two games.
Brady Skjei, PIT at NYR ($4,200) – Neither team will have anything to play for with their opponents already determined, which means there's a pretty good chance both teams will give their players a light rest by spreading the minutes around. That means Skjei, who has played at least 20 minutes in four of his past five games, will likely log a lot of minutes. He is one point shy of 40 in his rookie season, and should see plenty of time on the power play as well.
