As we get to the final 6-8 games, teams are starting to clinch playoff spots while certain divisional playoff races are really starting to tighten up and materialize.

Andre Burakovsky (46 percent owned on Yahoo) – In the three games since Mikko Rantanen has been out, Andre Burakovsky has completely taken advantage of his new role playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. He has two goals, three assists and six shots on goal. However, this trio has a pretty underwhelming 47.4 Corsi For percentage (CF%) in those three games. Obviously, there should be little concern about that as this line should dominate when on the ice with how good MacKinnon and Landeskog are. In addition to the premium even-strength opportunity for Burakovsky, he’s also on the top player play unit with his aforementioned linemates along with Nazam Kadri and Cale Makar. At a below-50-percent ownership in Yahoo, he could be a fantastic add for your final playoff stretch in head-to-head leagues and an extra boost to your roster in rotisserie leagues.

Alexis Lafrenière (29 percent) – I think we have been way too spoiled with 19 year olds coming into the league and being dominant, going back to the Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin rookie seasons. Since then, it seems like we expect 1st overall picks — and 19-year-old rookies in general — to come in and play like a veteran. However, there have been and are growing pains for these kids coming into a much bigger league. Laffy is no different as his 17 points in 49 games show, along with his hesitancy to shoot the puck with just 60 shots on goal. It doesn’t help that he has been playing 13:39 per game on average and moving up and down the lineup on what seems to be a nightly basis. Lately he has been lucky enough to have some spot-starts on the top line with Mika Zibanehad and Pavel Buchnevich. If he can get any sort of regular time here again as we hit the final couple weeks of the season, this could be a nice boost to your team.

Yegor Sharangovich (8 percent) – Yegor Sharangovich has been anchored to Jack Hughes of late in terms of line mates. After putting up just 12 points in his first 32 games of the season, he has almost matched that with 11 points in 14 games in the month of April. A good reason for this could be the 19 minutes per game he now plays compared to under 18 in March and under 15 through the first two months. He is averaging just over two shots per game and while his power-play contributions are non-existent — he has zero power-play points — he has still managed to produce as of late. The rotating winger with Hughes and Sharangovich has been plentiful, but as long as Sharangovich is playing with Hughes at even strength, there is certainly upside.

Tyler Bozak (3 percent) – Tyler Bozak has found himself in a very favourable situation right now on the St. Louis Blues. He has been centering Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, however this line has been getting trucked at even strength. Their CF% over these most recent three games has been a horrific 38.1 so if they keep struggling like this at even strength, they may end up being broken up. One other issue that does arise here is that the Blues have 5 of their remaining 10 games against the Minnesota Wild, a team that is sixth in the NHL in goals against. That certainly isn’t ideal, but this is still a great spot for Bozak to be in as he is a player that has historically thrived while playing with offensively oriented linemates.

Alex Barré-Boulet (2 percent) – What do we have here? Oh yes, another mediocre player playing premium minutes. Barré-Boulet has been lined up on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top line with Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point and this line has been quite successful. They have played 66:57 at even strength together and managed a fantastic 57.58 CF%. In addition to this, Barre-Boulet is playing on the top power play unit with his two aforementioned even-strength line mates, Alex Killorn and Victor Hedman. This is a must-add in my opinion in deeper leagues as this opportunity should last for the rest of the season with the Lightning injuries.

Rudolfs Balcers (1 percent) – Once again we find ourselves with a barely-owned player on Yahoo that is playing with very good linemates as Rudolfs Balcers has been spending time with Timo Meier and Logan Couture at even strength. I am not even sure how much it matters at this point as the Sharks just ended an eight-game losing streak and they’re struggling mightily. However, it still comes back to the fact that this line has a respectable 50 percent CF% over their last three games but they’re in for a tough schedule ahead. They take on the Arizona Coyotes, followed by a four-game series against the Avalanche and then end it off with two against Arizona again with one final game against the Vegas Golden Knights. This may be a tough sell on Balcers, but the opportunity is there for him to take advantage of it on this San Jose Sharks team that is technically not out of the playoff race but sitting in a tough spot.

Steven Lorentz (0 percent) – It may not last long, but as long as Steven Lorentz is playing with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov at even strength, he warrants add consideration. This is a former 7th round pick that has floundered around the AHL and ECHL since being drafted so let’s be honest, there is not too much to love here. However, as mentioned above, the opportunity at even strength is great and in deeper leagues his *checks notes* zero percent ownership doesn’t even register. There is not much else to say really here, it’s just a great opportunity for a player that has zero ownership on Yahoo.

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