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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: High salaries forces creativity to stack Oilers

Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, October 18:

Line Stacks

  • LW Milan Lucic (49K), C Leon Draisaitl (44K), RW Jordan Eberle (60K), Oilers (vs. Hurricanes): It is not possible to include C Connor McDavid in a stack of his linemates, as the salaries are much too high even with a minimally priced goalie and defenseman. Draisaitl joins the top trio on the first power-play unit, and he avoids Hurricanes C Jordan Staal at 5v5.
  • LW Andre Burakovsky (70K), C Nicklas Backstrom (66K), D John Carlson (44K), Capitals (vs. Avalanche): The Avalanche have allowed eight goals through their opening two games of the season, while the Capitals have scored just four through their first two outings. Burakovsky has scored half of those goals, with Backstrom drawing the assists.
  • C Derick Brassard (54K), RW Bobby Ryan (55K), D Erik Karlsson (77K), Senators (vs. Coyotes): The Senators' second line will match up against a second line from Arizona totaling just 256 games of NHL experience. Ryan and Brassard have combined for five points through three games, while Karlsson has five of his own, tallying at least one in each outing.

Goalie Breakdown

  • Jake Allen (98K), Blues (at Canucks): The Canucks have registered 62 shots on goal through two games but have scored just five goals. The Blues rank eighth in the league with 3.67 goals per game through their first three. They'll drive possession all game. Allen has allowed just two goals in each of his first two starts of the season and has his best matchup yet.
  • Chad Johnson (96K), Flames (vs. Sabres): Johnson will receive a second consecutive start in net for the Flames, as G Brian Elliott is given an extra day of rest after his poor start to the season. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in his season debut, and he draws a Sabres team tallying just 27.5 SOG per game.
  • Pekka Rinne (90K), Predators (vs. Stars): Rinne stopped 22 of 24 shots in his season debut, but he'll face a much stronger offense. The Stars and Predators project to have two of the best offenses over the course of the season. They've scored a combined 15 goals through two games by each team and will play a high-paced game.
  • Ben Bishop (102K), Lightning (vs. Flames): The Flames have scored eight goals through three games but flashed their potential in the first two games of the season before a poor performance in their third. They'll offer Bishop a chance for a high save total, tallying 33.7 SOG per game. Bishop allowed four goals in his first start, after doing so just 10 times last season.

Bargain Plays

  • RW Brett Ritchie (26K), Stars (at Predators): Ritchie has two points through two games, and he has been rewarded by being bumped up to the second line with C Devin Shore. The two also stick together on the second power-play unit. They'll likely avoid the Predators' top defense pairing of P.K. Subban and Roman Josi.
  • C Tyler Motte (26K), Blackhawks (vs. Flyers): Motte recorded two assists in his first three games of the season while working in a bottom-six role. His strong play has been rewarded with a move to the top line, where he'll skate on the left side of C Jonathan Toews. He should be able to switch from a distributing role and take some more shots of his own.
  • D Alex Goligoski (26K), Coyotes (at Senators): Goligoski logged 24:57 of ice time in Arizona's season opener. If he can maintain the high usage, it will be his highest average ice time since his first 23 games with the Stars following a trade in the 2010-11 season. The Sens were torched by Detroit Red Wings D Mike Green Monday, and they remain exploitable by puck-moving defenders.

Top Fades

  • C John Tavares (75K), Islanders (vs. Sharks): The Sharks are allowing the eighth-fewest shots against per game through three games, While they've been outscored 10 to nine in those contests, Tavares has just one goal on nine shots of his own. It may take some more time for he and new LW Andrew Ladd to reach their true potential.
  • LW Alexander Steen (59K), Blues (at Canucks): The Canucks have over-performed to win their first two games of the season, doing so in the most boring fashion possible. They've scored just five goals while allowing only four. They won't win many games by season's end, but they are containing the production of their opponents thus far, limiting appeal.
  • D Drew Doughty (48K), Kings (at Wild): The Wild have allowed just 24 SOG per game through their first two outings, ranking third in the NHL. Doughty is logging an impressive 27:42 of ice time, but he has just five SOG in two games played.

Contrarian Options

  • C Evgeni Malkin (72K), Penguins (at Canadiens): Malkin may be faded by many with a matchup in the hostile environment of the Bell Centre in Montreal. It is also the Canadiens' home opener. Still, Malkin has three points in three games, and he's averaging his most ice time since the 2011-12 season. He'll continue to have a bigger role with C Sidney Crosby sidelined.
  • LW Johnny Gaudreau (66K), Flames (vs. Sabres): Gaudreau has been shut out through three games, tallying just one assist. After registering four SOG in each of his first two games, he fired just one in his third. The Sabres have allowed six goals thus far on just 57 shots.
  • RW Corey Perry (69K), Ducks (at Devils): The Devils' offseason moves to improve their offense have led to a much more wide-open style than that typically associated with the franchise. Their 34 shots against per game ranks fifth in the league. Perry has taken nine SOG over his past two outings.

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