Welcome to the penultimate day of the regular season. There are six games on the docket tonight, and lineup decisions will be made all the more complicated by playoff-bound teams resting veterans, so let's make things a little easier by highlighting some of tonight's top picks.
SLATE PREVIEW
All 12 teams are entering tonight's action rested, so the squads are on even footing in that regard. However, you might want to be particularly cautious with those teams that have not only secured a playoff berth but also have a firm position in the standings. For example, Dallas vs. Buffalo is a game in which neither team has anything left to play for, so don't expect either squad to put forth an optimal lineup. By contrast, the Golden Knights are still fighting for the top spot in the Pacific Division, so Vegas, likely, will be more reluctant to rest players.
GOALIES
Carter Hart, VGK vs. SEA ($8,000): Given that Vegas has something left to fight for, it wouldn't be shocking if Hart gets another start Wednesday. He's been phenomenal since returning from a lower-body injury, going 5-0-0 with a 1.80 GAA and a .925 save percentage in five starts. Seattle is tied for 26th in goals per game with 2.79 in 2025-26.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL vs. NYR ($7,800): It's possible that the Lightning will decide against starting Vasilevskiy with the playoffs around the corner, but he is just one win away from 40, so they might give him the assignment to give him a shot at the milestone. Vasilevskiy has won his past two starts while stopping 47 of 51 shots (.922 save percentage) to put him within range of the 40-win mark. Meanwhile, the Rangers have dropped their past three games, falling to 33-39-9 on the season, while being outscored 10-5 over that stretch.
VALUE PLAYS
Zach Benson, BUF vs. DAL ($4,700): While Buffalo is likely to rest veterans tonight, the 20-year-old Benson probably won't be one of them. The young forward might actually play a bigger role than usual if players higher on the depth charts spend the night in the press box. Benson is on a four-game scoring streak (two goals, five points), bringing him to 12 goals and 41 points in 64 appearances this season.
Ilya Mikheyev, CHI vs. SJS ($4,100): Mikheyev is poised to finish 2025-26 on a high note after supplying four goals and eight points across his past eight appearances. He's up to 18 goals and a career-high 36 points in 76 outings this season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sharks at Blackhawks
Macklin Celebrini (C - $8,300), Will Smith (W - $6,600), Igor Chernyshov (W - $4,300)
The Sharks fell short of the playoffs, so they'll aim to at least finish the season on a high note. Celebrini will be the best forward of 2025-26 who isn't going to the postseason. He has an incredible 44 goals and 112 points in 80 appearances in 2025-26, including nine goals and 16 points in his past 10 outings.
His linemates haven't been nearly as dominant, but Smith has been great in his own right, supplying 23 goals and 57 points in 67 appearances this campaign. Meanwhile, Chernyshov has shown some promise with eight goals and 18 points in 26 outings in 2025-26, including three goals and four points over his last two games.
Maple Leafs at Senators
John Tavares (C - $6,500), William Nylander (W - $7,200), Easton Cowan (W - $4,200)
This has been a rough campaign for the Maple Leafs, but Tavares has been one of the positive notes. Even at the age of 35, he's still been fantastic with 31 goals and 70 points in 81 appearances this season. Tavares has been especially good down the stretch, contributing eight goals and 16 points across his past 12 games.
Nylander has collected multiple points in each of his past two outings, totaling three goals and five points over that stretch. Despite being limited to 64 appearances this season, he needs just one more goal and two more points to hit the 30-goal and 80-point marks for 2025-26.
Cowan rounds out this unit as a good value play. Although he has an underwhelming 28 points (11 goals) in 65 appearances in 2025-26, he's been hot lately, providing two goals and six points in his last seven outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Moritz Seider, DET at FLA ($6,400): Rasmus Dahlin ($6,300) would be a better option if he plays, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Sabres blueliner is a healthy scratch ahead of the postseason. With that in mind, Seider is the safer choice tonight. He's set career highs this season with 10 goals and 60 points, including 28 with the man advantage, in 81 outings in 2025-26.
Rasmus Andersson, VGK vs. SEA ($5,700): As noted above, Vegas is still battling for playoff positioning, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Andersson in the lineup again tonight. The defenseman is red hot with five goals and nine points across his past 10 outings, bringing him up to 17 goals and 46 points in 80 appearances between Calgary and Vegas this season.
