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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Taylor Hall to play bad guy in Edmonton return

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, Jan. 12 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

  • LW Taylor Hall (60K) & C Travis Zajac (39K), Devils (at Oilers): The Oilers have stacked their top line with both C Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, allowing Zajac and Hall to attack a second line allowing 9.08 scoring chances per 60 minutes. The two second lines are near equals in Corsi For percentage, with Hall's line expected to score 2.46 goals per 60.
  • LW Henrik Zetterberg (50K) & RW Anthony Mantha (32K), Red Wings (at Stars): While still technically a winger, Zetterberg has been centering RWs Gustav Nyquist and Mantha for some time, with the unit having played over 210 minutes together at 5v5. The main draw is Mantha, who has seven goals and 10 points in his past nine games. The Stars have the fourth-highest xGA60 in the league.
  • C Rickard Rakell (40K) & RW Corey Perry (64K), Ducks (at Avalanche): The Avalanche finish just 46.96 percent of its shifts in the offensive zone. While Anaheim is at only 48.15 percent, it's still a marked improvement. Colorado's 46.45 Corsi For percentage ranks fourth last in the league.

Goalie Breakdown

  • TARGET - Devan Dubnyk (99K), Wild (vs. Canadiens): The Canadiens were 7-4 victors on the road in Winnipeg Wednesday night. Backup G Al Montoya allowed four goals on just 27 shots. Montreal will turn back to starter Carey Price for Thursday's matchup, but Dubnyk is in position to continue his success against a tired opponent.
  • BARGAIN - Carey Price (76K), Canadiens (at Wild): Price was shelled for four goals against the Washington Capitals Monday and had the night off in the first half of the back-to-back. He never deserves to have a salary this low, and he could face more shots with his teammates likely to be tired. His upside is near the highest level.
  • FADE - Mike Condon (116K), Senators (vs. Penguins): Contrarily to Price, Condon's salary should never be this high, even against a team coming off a loss in the second half of a back-to-back.
  • CONTRARIAN - Petr Mrazek (84K), Red Wings (at Stars): The Stars remain without LW Jamie Benn, depleting their top two lines which have been responsible for nearly all of their scoring this season. Cs Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin need to be feared when playing together on the first line, but Mrazek will have an excellent chance for the win if he can fare better than Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi.

Bargain Plays

  • LW Marcus Foligno (25K), Sabres (at Lightning): Foligno has scored in three consecutive games, totaling eight shots on goal along the way. This level of success is clearly unsustainable, but he is benefiting from playing on the Sabres' top line with C Jack Eichel and RW Brian Gionta. He also totaled seven hits and five blocked shots in those three games, providing a fall-back floor.
  • C Frank Vatrano (25K), Bruins (at Predators): Vatrano is skating on the left side of the Bruins' second line with C David Krejci and RW David Backes. He played 14:56 in his first game in the role and picked up a goal and an assist on three shots, while also being credited with two hits and a blocked shot. His floor is above his salary.
  • D Jared Spurgeon (25K), Wild (vs. Canadiens): Spurgeon has averaged 25:06 of ice time over his past eight games, playing no less than 22:43 in a single game. His salary isn't indicative of this type of usage while skating beside D Ryan Suter on the Wild's top pairing. His upside comes in his four goals and six points in those eight games.

Top Fades

  • C Ryan Johansen (68K), Predators (vs. Bruins): Johansen is point-less in three game, and he hasn't scored since Dec. 20. He has recorded three shots on goal in two of his past three games, but he has been providing next to nothing in hits or blocked shots. He isn't worth the salary with Bruins C Patrice Bergeron likely to take away his upside.
  • LW Zach Parise (61K), Wild (vs. Canadiens): The Canadiens rested starting G Carey Price in the first half of their back-to-back in order to preserve him for Thursday's matchup. The Wild are still favored at home, but Parise is unlikely to provide the multiple points he needs at this salary.
  • D John Klingberg (50K), Stars (vs. Red Wings): Klingberg has gone without a point in two games since back-to-back multi-point games. He still isn't shooting with enough consistency to warrant his top-tier salary, and he had just three hits and four blocked shots in his past four games.

Contrarian Options

  • C Matt Duchene (58K), Avalanche (vs. Ducks): Duchene should be able to avoid the Ducks' top line which is currently being centered by C Ryan Kesler with C Ryan Getzlaf still out of the lineup. Duchene has gone point-less in four consecutive games, but he still plays between 18 and 20 minutes every night.
  • D Erik Karlsson (54K), Senators (vs. Penguins): Karlsson has just one assist in his past six games and has had multiple shots on goal in just one of the six contests. His ice time and usage remain at their normal rates, and he will be facing a tired Penguins team. Don't shy away from the still-high salary.
  • RW Jiri Hudler (27K), Stars (vs. Red Wings): There should be plenty of scoring between the Stars and Red Wings, with both teams having been victimized by horrible goaltending for large portions of the season. Daily fantasy owners like the Stars' top duo of Seguin and Spezza, but Hudler offers a cheap alternative while skating as the third member of the trio.

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