This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The 16 playoff teams have been decided but there's still three division winners and playoff seeds to determine. That means some of the 15 games on Thursday's slate will still be meaningful. The only teams not in action are the Flames and Islanders, both of whom played their 82nd game Wednesday night.
Clinching scenarios:
Vegas can clinch the Pacific if they earn at least one point against Seattle.
Seattle can clinch third in the Pacific with a win and Los Angeles loses in regulation against Anaheim.
Colorado can clinch the Central with a win against Winnipeg and Dallas loses against St. Louis.
Florida can clinch the first wild card spot with a win against Carolina and avoid facing Boston in the first round.
Carolina can clinch the Metro with a win or if they earn a point and New Jersey loses.
New Jersey can clinch the Metro with a win and Carolina loses.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at NSH ($7,600): Neither team has anything to play for but Gustavsson's in great form and has not lost in regulation in six straight starts. The Wild's defense has been porous during that time and on three separate occasions Gustavsson was forced to make at least 40 saves.
Thatcher Demko, VAN at ARI ($8,400): Demko will be going for his fourth straight win after allowing only four goals in his past three games. While the Coyotes have generally been good at home, they have also not won in regulation since March 18 and scored more than three goals just twice during that span.
Jack Campbell, EDM vs. SJ ($9,000): The Oilers will be gunning for their ninth straight win and Campbell's getting into one his grooves with four straight wins and only nine goals allowed. The Sharks, meanwhile, have scored only nine goals in their past five games, all of which have been losses.
VALUE PLAYS
Andrew Copp, DET at TB ($4,400): Dylan Larkin is injured and his status is questionable, and Copp was promoted to Larkin's spot on the top line. Copp played over 20 minutes in his most recent game and has registered at least one shot in 10 straight games.
Travis Boyd, ARI vs. VAN ($4,200): Boyd is the newest top center between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. There's some familiarity since Boyd set a career-high 35 points playing in that spot last season, and in his previous game against the Canucks scored two goals.
Nils Aman, VAN at ARI ($3,500): The Canucks' re-shuffled lines with J.T. Miller now playing right wing on Elias Pettersson's line means Aman gets promoted to the second line. He'll play between Dakota Joshua and Brock Boeser.
Sean Kuraly, CBJ vs. PIT ($3,400): With Boone Jenner injured, Kuraly will be their top center between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. Though Kuraly doesn't profile as a No. 1 center, he's been productive with two points in his past three games.
LINE STACKS
Senators at Sabres
Tim Stutzle (C - $8,100), Claude Giroux (W - $7,200), Brady Tkachuk (W - $7,900)
All three players have multi-game point streaks going and the Sabres' goaltending has been very inconsistent. That's partly because they've been starting rookie Devon Levi, who has shown well despite making his NHL debut late in the season, but has also allowed three goals or more in half his games.
Stars vs. Blues
Roope Hintz (C - $7,600), Jason Robertson (W - $9,800), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,300)
The Stars dumped on the Blues on Wednesday, 5-2, in large part due to the play of their top line. They should have no problems doing it again in the second half of their back-to-back, home-and-home series. Hintz has scored in two consecutive games, Pavelski has failed to score in only two of his past 12 games, and Robertson has scored three points in two straight games.
Canucks at Coyotes
Elias Pettersson (C - $9,800), J.T. Miller (C - $7,400), Phil Di Giuseppe (W - $4,200)
The Canucks have elected to stack their top line playing Pettersson and Miller together, who also play on the top power play and kill penalties together. It's by far the Canucks' most dangerous scoring line, and Di Giuseppe keeps the cost of this stack low though he registered an assist in his previous game, providing a little offensive upside.
Devils vs. Capitals
Jack Hughes (C - $10,100), Ondrej Palat (W - $4,100), Jesper Bratt (W - $6,200)
Hughes is a on seven-game point streak and just set a new franchise record for points in a season, while Bratt has been similarly excellent with a six-game point streak. The Caps have just two wins in their past 12 games and allowed at least four goals in nine of those games.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WSH vs. NJ ($7,200): Carlson missed significant time after taking a puck to his head but upon his return has not missed a beat. He's scored five assists in his past five games and remains the Caps' best option on the blue line and on the power play. Not having Alex Ovechkin in the lineup, who has missed the past three games, does not seem to have hurt Carlson's production.
Quinn Hughes, VAN at ARI ($6,900): Getting one of the league's best playmakers on defense at this salary is a steal. Though Hughes has gone six games without a point, he remains a threat to score every night and he's averaging 27 minutes per game over the past month.
Akito Hirose, VAN at ARI ($3,700): Signed as an undrafted free agent from Minnesota-Mankato, Hirose logged an assist in his most recent game and has emerged as the quarterback on their second power play unit. He's a steady player but his calm playing style has been an excellent addition to a Canucks defense that lacks quality depth. In the season finale, Hirose might see increased minutes as his audition for a roster spot next season winds down.
Jackson LaCombe, ANH vs. LA ($3,500): LaCombe was a four-year standout at the University of Minnesota and played 18 minutes in his NHL debut, collecting zero points but three blocked shots. He's a potential value play with the amount of minutes he plays on a banged-up blueline and his role on PP2.
