Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: Best NHL DFS DraftKings Lineup for April 5

The end of the NHL's regular season will come on Saturday. But until that time, the battle for the remaining playoff positions will be fought at a relentless pace.

There's a relatively short card on Sunday, with just five games, but each of them will have an impact on either the playoff race or playoff positions. The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues each had Saturday night off and will engage in a huge game at the United Center.

The Montreal Canadiens are also rested, and they will go to Florida to take on the Panthers, who were beaten by Tampa Bay on Saturday and eliminated from the playoff race. Washington and Detroit go after each other at Joe Louis Arena, while the hungry Ottawa Senators will try to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, who return home after losing in a shootout to the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

Here's a look at the DraftKings lineup we will use to try to get the edge. We will keep our roster within the $50,000 budget.

Pos.	Player	Opp.	FPPG	Salary
C	David Backes	at Chicago	3.4	$6,100
C	Nicklas Backstrom	at Detroit	3.4	$5,000
W	T.J. Oshie	at Chicago	3.3	$5,300
W	Brendan Gallagher	at Florida	3.3	$5,700
W	Mark Stone	at Toronto	3.0	$4,900
D	Alex Pietrangelo	at Chicago	3.4	$6,300
D	Johnny Oduya	vs. St. Louis	1.6	$3,100
G	Carey Price	at Florida	5.7	$9,200
U	Riley Sheahan	vs. Washington	2.0	$3,200

Centers: David Backes, St. Louis Blues ($6,100) and Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals ($5,000)

The Blues can move into first place in the Central Division with a win over the hard-charging Blackhawks. St. Louis should come with its best effort here, and Backes figures to play a key role. He has scored 25 goals and 31 assists this season, and he has been lighting it up with nine points in his last 10 games. Backes should be dangerous with the man advantage, as he has nine power-play goals this season.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Nicklas Backstrom is arguably the best passer in the NHL, and that should give him an opportunity to set up linemate Alex Ovechkin with at least a couple of prime scoring opportunities. Backstrom has scored 18 goals and 57 assists this season, and many of his passes are tape-to-tape beauties the majority of centers can only dream of making. Though Backstrom has not scored a goal in his last 20 games, he has 12 assists over that span and could punish the Red Wings.

Wingers: T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues ($5,300), Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens ($5,700), and Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators ($4,900)

LM Otero/Associated Press

T. J. Oshie may not have gotten off to the fastest start this year (one goal and two assists in his first 15 games), but he has picked it up to contribute 19 goals and 36 assists to the Blues cause this season. Oshie's accuracy and ability to get his shot off quickly are well known, and he has to be a factor in the Chicago zone if the Blues are going to steal this game. Oshie has a goal and eight assists in his last 10 games.

Brendan Gallagher (5'9" and 180 pounds) may be one of the feistiest and toughest players in the league on a pound-for-pound basis. Gallagher is never afraid to go to the front of the net, and that should be a key factor against the Panthers. Gallagher has 23 goals and 23 assists this season, and he has four goals and an assist in his last 10 games.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Mark Stone has been red hot for the streaking Senators, and he figures to get quite a bit of support for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. Stone goes to the front of the net and is willing to take a nasty hit if it creates a scoring opportunity. Stone scored his 21st goal of the season in the Senators' 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals on Saturday, and he also has 36 assists. Stone has scored four goals and eight assists in his last 11 games.

Defensemen: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues ($6,300) and Johnny Oduya, Chicago Blackhawks ($3,100)

When it comes to scoring from the back line, Alex Pietrangelo has been one of the most consistent point producers in the league. He has a dangerous slap shot that he can get away quickly, and that's what gives him the advantage over most of his peers.

Pietrangelo has scored seven goals and 37 assists this season, and he has been on a good roll for the Blues with a goal and seven helpers in his last 10 games. Pietrangelo averages 25.2 minutes of ice time per game, and he should get several chances against the Blackhawks.

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Johnny Oduya does not represent a high-end scorer, but given the strength in other areas of our roster, we have to take a chance with the low-cost blueliner. While Oduya has only scored 10 points this year, he has registered five assists in his last 10 games. We are gambling that he will come through against the Blues.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Goalie: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens ($9,200)

We went with the highest-priced goaltender on the board, and the second-highest-priced player behind Ovechkin in action on Sunday, in Carey Price. The Habs rested Price in favor of Dustin Tokarski for their shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, so he figures to get the call against the Panthers.

Price has a 41-16-6 record along with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. He also has nine shutouts, and since the Canadiens need this game badly, Price should be at his best here.

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and DraftKings.

Steve Silverman covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow and interact with him on Twitter.

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