This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are 15 games on the NHL schedule Thursday after 7:00 p.m. EDT, with just two more to follow Friday to round out the 2022-23 NHL regular season. Below, you'll find a breakdown of Thursday's action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Oilers are heavy home favorites against the Sharks as Edmonton's top players look to put exclamation points on their prolific seasons, while the historically good Bruins are favored in Montreal. The Lightning vs. Detroit and Stars vs. St. Louis are both clear favorites at home, while the Kings are road favorites against the Ducks, who could still finish with the highest odds of getting the No. 1 pick in the NHL Entry Draft with a loss and some help from the Blue Jackets, who are home underdogs against the Penguins.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at MON ($8,300): Swayman figures to start Boston's season finale while Vezina Trophy favorite Linus Ullmark (undisclosed) rests up in preparation for the playoffs. The league's best backup this season is 23-6-4 with a 2.21 GAA and .922 save percentage. Swayman's been even better recently, with an 8-2-0 record in his last 10 decisions along with a 1.96 GAA and .934 save percentage over that span. Meanwhile, Montreal's offense ranks in the bottom 10 with just 2.75 goals per game.
Jack Campbell, EDM vs. SJ ($8,200): Both Edmonton goalies have turned it up lately, so the team should feel comfortable rolling out Campbell against the lowly Sharks, who have the fourth-fewest standings points at 60. Edmonton can still climb to the top of the Pacific Division with a win and a regulation Vegas loss. Campbell has won each of his last four starts while allowing just one goal over his last two outings.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at NSH ($7,800): Gustavsson's putting the finishing touches on a breakout season that's seen him go 22-9-6 with a 2.05 GAA and .933 save percentage. He'll face a Nashville team that managed to hang around in the playoff race for a while but ultimately couldn't overcome its struggles on offense -- the Predators have scored the fifth-fewest goals per game (2.70).
Alex Lyon, FLA vs. CAR ($7,200): It will be interesting to see what the Panthers choose to do in net moving forward, as Sergei Bobrovsky ($7,200) is available after recovering from an illness, but Lyon's 6-0-1 run down the stretch is what got Florida into the playoffs. Both of these teams still have something to play for, as the Panthers would rather avoid facing the top-seeded Bruins in the first round while the Hurricanes can secure the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win. Carolina has been running on fumes down the stretch, though, as the Hurricanes are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games with just 22 goals scored over that span.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Owen Tippett, PHI at CHI ($6,100): Tippett has been hot down the stretch, oproducing a 3-1-4 line and 11 shots in his last two games. The top-10 selection in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft took a while to blossom into a top-six forward, but he's playing like one now and should finish strong against the lowly Blackhawks, who are one point out of last place in the league standings.
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. STL ($5,900): Pavelski has managed to light the lamp in 10 of his last 12 games, including Wednesday against the Blues. The veteran forward will look to stay hot in the rematch for a Stars team that still has something to play for, as a Dallas win and anything other than two wins in two games for the Avalanche would land the Stars atop the Central Division.
Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN at ARI ($5,100): Kuzmenko's a bargain at just $5,100 considering he will be hunting for his 40th goal of the season against an Arizona team that's allowing 3.58 goals per game. The former KHL star has added 33 assists for a total of 72 points in his maiden NHL season.
Casey Mittelstadt, BUF vs. OTT ($3,700): Buffalo's playoff drought has hit 12 years, but Mittelstadt did all he could to help the team stave off elimination down the stretch, as he comes into this one with a 3-3-6 line during his active four-game point streak. He's been working as the top-line center recently, which makes Mittelstadt a great value at just $3,700.
Tomas Tatar, NJ at WAS ($3,100): Some line shuffling has landed Tatar back on the top line, where he spent some time earlier this season. Tatar capitalized on that assignment with two goals and an assist against the Sabres in his previous game, and the affordable winger will look to replicate that performance against the Capitals. New Jersey can still win the Metropolitan Division and avoid a first-round date with the Rangers, so the team's top line should get plenty of run in this one.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Sharks
Connor McDavid (C - $10,200), Zach Hyman (W - $7,200), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $7,100)
Edmonton's top line should be worth paying up for against a Sharks team that's allowing 3.83 goals per game, as not only are all three of these players chasing new personal highs, but the Oilers as a team can still take the Pacific Division with a win and a Vegas regulation loss in Seattle. McDavid leads the league in goals, assists and points with a 64-88-152 line. Nugent-Hopkins has set personal bests across the board with a 37-66-103 line, and Hyman's in the same boat as RNH with a 36-47-83 line, as both wingers have benefited greatly from skating alongside the league's most productive player.
Kings at Ducks
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,300), Adrian Kempe (W - $6,400), Quinton Byfield (W - $3,400)
Heading into this meeting with the league-worst Ducks defense (4.07 goals allowed per game), Kopitar's tied for the team lead in points with a 27-45-72 line, while Kempe leads the Kings in both goals (38) and shots (241). The Ducks' organization wouldn't mind losing to their rivals in this instance so Anaheim can get a better shot at the top pick and avoid the Kings' fate in 2020, when LA landed the second overall pick and made an underwhelming selection in Byfield. The Kings are giving him every opportunity to succeed by playing Byfield on the top line, but he's been limited to 22 points. In fairness, that's an improvement over his 11 NHL points over the previous two seasons.
Penguins at Blue Jackets
Evgeny Malkin (C - $6,400), Rickard Rakell (W - $6,100), Jason Zucker (W - $5,200)
Pittsburgh's 16-year playoff streak ended with Tuesday's embarassing loss to Chicago coupled with an Islanders win Wednesday, but this line has a chance to finish the season strong against the Blue Jackets, who are leading the "bad for Bedard" race with only 57 standings points while giving up 4.03 goals per game. Malkin has a two-game goal streak rolling, which has raised his line to 27-56-83 heading into the season finale. Rakell has a 28-31-59 line, so he needs two goals to reach 30. Of Zucker's 27 goals, 12 have come in his last 23 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. STL ($6,500): Heiskanen's pair of helpers in St. Louis on Wednesday brought hid line up to 11-62-73, putting him in a tie for third in scoring among defensemen. He has 11 points in the past seven games and will look to close the regular season on a high note in a rematch with a Blues team that's giving up 3.67 goals per game.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. DET ($5,300): Sergachev's wrapping up a productive season in which he's posted a 10-52-62 line, including a goal, an assist and six shots in his previous game. He'll look to build some momentum heading into the playoffs by getting on the scoresheet against a Red Wings team that's been outscored 15-3 in its last three games.
Drew Doughty, LA at ANH ($4,600): Doughty's goal in the previous game got him to the 50-point mark for the fourth time in his career. He has a nice opportunity to add to that total against Anaheim's league-worst defense.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. SJ ($4,000): Bouchard continues to provide offense at an affordable valuation from Edmonton's blue line. He has a 3-6-9 line in his last nine games and is showing no signs of slowing down while sharing the ice with Edmonton's elite forwards both at even strength and on the power play.
