The NHL deadline passed yesterday without reaching anywhere close to the hype that usually comes with it.

Only a handful of moves were made, with most teams deciding to stand pat to make a push for the postseason with the players on their current rosters.

Regardless, there were a couple surprising moves. Both the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils appeared to be sellers just a week after each team seemed to be in position to battle for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Flames sold off players seeing regular playing time such as David Jones and Kris Russell, and the only bubble team to make a move of any significance was the Colorado Avalanche in acquiring Mikkel Boedker from the Coyotes.

Last night’s games featured a couple of high-scoring efforts, which was to be expected on deadline day. The teams doing the scoring (Penguins, Flyers and Sharks) were playing against teams who had just sold off assets (Coyotes, Flames and Canadiens) and were essentially playing without a complete roster.

Which brings us to today. There are now 5 and a half weeks left in the NHL season. We’re officially into the stretch run. This is where game selection for your targets is of the utmost importance.

As always, before finding your target players, you want to first target the games that they will be playing in. In order to do that, we want to look for a couple of key factors:

meaningful games motivated players recent play history

The most underrated factor listed above is No. 2 – motivated players. A game does not need to carry weight in the standings for players to be motivated. Some teams are motivated by playing the spoiler and knocking off a team gunning for a playoff spot or a division title. Some players simply get motivated for individual statistics and want to finish off a good year.

These are important things to consider when trying to get an edge on the field. Can you find the player or line that nobody else is looking at because of their place in the standings?

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Let’s start with tonight in preparation for the rest of the year.

7 p.m. Calgary Flames at Boston Bruins

The Bruins still have everything left to play for. They’re still hanging onto the first wild card position and are 6-4 in their last 10. They look like a team built for the playoffs, with three lines that can score consistently, and the addition of Lee Stempniak will only add to that.

Stempniak is used to this. He’s a walking suit case that has been dealt at the deadline 4 times throughout his career. Boston immediately placed him on the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, and he should be a more consistent upgrade on the right wing from Brett Connolly. This line is a solid play in all formats, especially getting the broken down Flames on the road on the second half of a back-to-back.

Boston also kept Loui Eriksson. A smart decision, as many speculated he would be dealt. He’s staying on the second line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak. This is a line worth playing tonight in both cash and GPP. Eriksson and Krejci also see PP1 minutes together.

Torey Krug anchors the PP1 and is also a smart play.

For Calgary, there are a couple players putting together strong individual seasons who still have some fight left in them.

For one, Johnny Gaudreau is 6th in the NHL with 63 points. He will be looking to close out his sophomore season by staying the NHL’s top 10. I would project him to end the season with about 85 points so about a point per game down the stretch is what I would expect. His line lost a bit of scoring touch when Calgary shipped Jiri Hudler out of town, so Gaudreau is probably best as a standalone play at this point, but he could be stacked with center Sean Monahan and defenseman Mark Giordano for a GPP poweplay stack.

Giordano has a career best 15 goals this season with 20 games left to play.

7 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

Both of these teams are still within striking distance of the final wildcard spot, with the Devils 5 points back and Carolina 6. But each of these teams sold off players that see significant minutes, which will make this season’s playoff push difficult.

The winner of this game will probably rethink their postseason aspirations, while the loser will become an official longshot.

My money’s on the Devils here.

The reasoning is simple. New Jersey relies less on their offense than the Hurricanes do. The Devils dealt Stempniak, who was their top scorer with 43 points. Carolina dealt top line center Eric Staal.

But the strength of the Devils is still in their defense and goaltender Corey Schneider. Schneider is a solid play tonight in all formats.

It’s worth mentioning that Jordan Staal was playing his best hockey of the year for the Hurricanes before hitting a 3-game skid that essentially pulled the Canes out of the playoff picture.

He has 0 points and is a -5 over that span. And with the Canes also still missing defenseman Justin Faulk, the Devils figure to be able to key in on Staal and eliminate the scoring chances.

If you’re looking for a fantasy play in this game other than Schneider, the Devils second line of Reid Boucher, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri is a solid and cheap GPP option.

7:30 p.m. Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres

Two teams that are completely out of it. This is the kind of game worth a second look a this time of year.

Since neither of these teams will care too much about the points in the standings here, they will be more inclined to play a free-wheeling game that can lead to lots of scoring chances on each side. And since each team features some aggressive young talent, you can bet that some of those chances will find the back of the net.

Look for Oilers center Connor McDavid to make his mark in this one. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, he will be playing against No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel for the first time.

McDavid is competitive. And he comes to play full speed every night. He will be looking to prove something here, and you would be wise to have him on your roster. He’s a good play in all formats, and he’s playing on a line with Bonoit Pouliout and Jordan Eberle.

Buffalo is more of a GPP option, but the ceiling is high with the top line of Eichel, Matt Moulson and Zemgus Girgensons. I also especially like Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has done a tremendous job of leading the Sabres blue line all year, and is third on the team with 35 points. He’s the PP1 QB and has a high upside tonight.

Do not touch the goalies in the one, but feel free to explore some under owned players for your GPP options that could make a difference.

7:30 p.m. St. Louis Blues at Ottawa Senators

The Blues haven’t managed to stay healthy all year, yet they still find themselves in a solid playoff position while still dealing with injuries to key players such as Alex Steen and Jori Lehtera.

The lines that are healthy, continue to produce. Vlad Tarasenko is sixth in the league with 29 goals. It’s no coincidence that he’s also 6th in the league with 228 shots on goal. He’s a strong play in all formats tonight, especially against this Senators who have allowed the second most goals in the league at 196.

Tarasenko is playing on a line with Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz.

St. Louis goalie Jake Allen is also a strong play tonight as he has a good chance to get the win against an Ottawa team that’s offense is depleted after losing top center Kyle Turris to injury.

7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals

These two teams seem to find each other for big games every year for the past decade.

The Penguins showed what they’re capable of with a healthy team in last night’s 6-0 dismantling of the Coyotes.

Sidney Crosby is back on his grind and into 7th place in the NHL with 59 points through 60 games. He will finish above a point per game this year, so expect him to continue picking up points the rest of the way, but tonight might not be the best night to spend up on his astronomical salary. But if you want to take the GPP risk, you can stack him with line mates Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist and hope for another productive night like last night when Hornqvist notched a hat trick.

The Capitals have two players in the top 10 in scoring, Evgeny Kuznetsov is 5th with 64, and Alex Ovechkin is 8th with 58.

Ovechkin also leads the league with 40 goals, and is on pace to hit the 50 goal plateau again.

Ovechkin is back with TJ Oshie and Nick Backstrom. They’re always a play in every format because of Ovechkins scoring prowess and Washington’s status as the top team in the league.

Also garnering consideration should be Kuznetsov reunited with his line mates Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky. They’re the best second line in the league and can put up numbers on any given night as Ovechkin’s line will always draw the top coverage from opponents.

8 p.m. Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators

There’s something left to be desired with this Dallas Stars team. At times they look like a contender. Other times they are the portrait of mediocrity. They’re 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, and they are starting to look like a team that disappoints with a first round playoff elimination.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are always in play. They’re still 2 and 3 in the league in scoring respectively. But the Stars have struggled to find secondary scoring, or a stable winger on the top line for that matter.

Right now they’re rolling with Patrick Sharp. The experiment didn’t go exactly as planned last night as Dallas lost 3-2 in overtime to Detroit and the top line failed to notch a point. Make sure to check the lines throughout the day as the Stars are known to pivot the winger on this line between Val Nichuskin and Jason Spezza as well.

The Predators are the dangerous team in this matchup. They’re playing their best hockey of the year, picking up points almost every time they play. They’re 6-1-3 in their last 10 and have won 4 straight. Look for them to take advantage of Dallas’ shaky defense. The Stars have allowed 184 goals so far, the most out of any team in playoff position.

Flip Forsberg has really develop into a phenomenal player. He leads the Preds with 26 goals and 46 points this season. He has hat tricks in two of his last 3 games. The addition of Ryan Johansen as a number 1 center has opened up Forsberg’s second line to less pressure and really allowed him to thrive. Make sure to key in on Forsberg and line mates Craig Smith and Mike Ribeiro tonight. They’re a play in all formats, and each of them sees PP1 minutes together.

The first team power play QB is Roman Josi, who is second on the Preds with 45 points. He’s a play in all formats as well on the blue line.

8 p.m. Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild

The Western Conference wild care race has really come down to just these two teams.

Colorado is currently holding onto the final position with 68 points, and the Wild are right behind them with 66.

This will be a hard fought game that’s actually worth 4 points in the standings, because a win will also take 2 potential points away from the opponent.

These are teams that you can usually target for higher scores because of the offensive talent they each possess, but this will be a tight low-scoring game because of the position in the standings. Each team also boasts a goaltender who can thrive in a game like this. Devan Dubnyk for the Wild and Semyon Varlamov for the Avs.

If you’re looking to cash in on Boedker for his first game with the Avs, he’s playing on a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. They can be viewed as a GPP option.

Boedker will be a good fit on this Avalanche team. They’re a squad that can score goals off of transition, which is where Boedker is at his best. He’s an open ice talent that can wheel from end-to-end as well as finish off the rush. Look for him to finish strong with this team, and playing on a talented line as well.

8 p.m. Florida Panthers at Winnipeg Jets

The Panthers are still in control of the Atlantic Division even though the Lightning are right on their heels having won 8 straight.

Florida should come away with a win tonight, and there are several players on the team that you can feel comfortable targeting.

The safest play is the top line duo of Jaromir Jagr and Alex Barkov. Right now Quinton Howden is slotted in on their left wing, but should Jonathan Huberdeau return from injury he will file back in on the top line.

The most intriguing GPP play on the Panthers tonight is the third line of Teddy Purcell, Nick Bjugstad, and Jiri Hudler.

Bjugstad is an impressive talent who has size and skill. He’s built in the Keith Primeau mold at 6 foot 6, but plays with softer hands. The Panthers have been trying to find him sufficient line mates al year as they’re pretty deep down the middle. It seems like Hudler and Purcell are exactly what they’ve been looking for. This line will have a high ceiling going forward, and tonight will be a good first test for their chemistry.

Also a solid play in all formats is Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo. He’s been the backbone of this team and will play an integral role down the stretch as the Panthers will need to keep winning to hold off Tampa for a division title.

10 p.m. New York Islanders at Vancouver Canucks

The Islanders are a good team. They have complete balance in their scoring and are 7-2-1 in their last 10. Tonight they get the Canucks who are 4-6 in their last 10 and 8 points out of a playoff spot.

Tonight should put an end to any playoff hope Vancouver had left as the Isles continue their march towards a post season berth.

The best best for multiple points in this game is with John Tavares who has come alive. He has 21 points over the last 18 games and yet he remains under the radar in the discussion of top players in the league this season.

The Islanders are getting exactly what they hoped for when they made him the number 1 overall selection in the 2009 draft. And he’s still getting better.

Right now Tavares is playing even strength minutes with Ryan Strome and Josh Bailey. Tavares is a play in all formats tonight as either a standalone or a line stack.

A good GPP play from the Islanders also could be Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen who see second line minute together as well as first power play minutes. The ceiling is high for them to contribute offensively as well.

The Isles continue to roll with defenseman Nick Leddy as their power play QB. and he continues to produce. 10 points in the last 11 games is pretty good for a defenseman who won’t cost you as much as Kris Letang and other puck moving defensemen.

As always, check the practice reports for the latest on line combinations and starting goalies. Getting the correct line mates is key when using a stack in your lineup.

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