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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Jets' offense to keep carrying woeful goalies

Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Wednesday, Jan. 18 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

  • C Mark Scheifele (64K) & RW Blake Wheeler (69K), Jets (vs. Coyotes): The Coyotes allow 62.57 opponent shot attempts per 60 minutes, the second-highest average in the league. Wheeler leads the Jets with 142 shots on goal through 47 games, while Scheifele ranks fifth on the team with 96. The two skate on separate power-play units, offering more exposure.
  • LW Tanner Pearson (53K) & C Jeff Carter (67K), Kings (vs. Sharks): Carter and C Anze Kopitar remain at the same price on Squad Up, despite Carter having compiled 19 more goals, 16 more points and an additional 56 shots on goal. Pearson ranks fifth on the team in SOG and second in goals. San Jose allows 55.88 shot attempts per 60 minutes.
  • LW Brad Marchand (62K) & RW David Pastrnak (58K), Bruins (at Red Wings): Detroit ranks 23rd in the NHL with a team save percentage of .905. It's unclear if starter Petr Mrazek or third-stringer Jared Coreau will make Wednesday's start. Coreau shut out the Montreal Canadiens in his most recent start, but he faced just 18 shots.

Goalie Breakdown

  • TARGET - Cam Talbot (93K), Oilers (vs. Panthers): The Panthers lost their first half of an Alberta doubleheader Tuesday, falling 5-2 to the Calgary Flames. Already tired, the Panthers rank 28th with an average shot distance of 36.72 feet. Talbot should be in for an easy night.
  • BARGAIN - Tuukka Rask (75K), Bruins (at Red Wings): Rask has allowed at least three goals in each of his past three starts and four of his past five. The other start was a 25-save shutout of the Panthers. His poor outings have come on no more than 25 shots faced, but his .923 save percentage on the season warrants more than the minimum salary.
  • FADE - Carey Price (104K), Canadiens (vs. Penguins): Pittsburgh leads the league with 10.82 scoring chances per 60 minutes. Price snapped a rough stretch of four games with at least three goals allowed his last time out, but he's in tough to reward owners with another top performance.
  • CONTRARIAN - Ondrej Pavelec (86K), Jets (vs. Coyotes): Pavelec's .907 career save percentage and .904 mark from last season will rightfully deter most owners, especially at a mid-level salary. He has performed adequately at the AHL level this season, posting a .917 SV% in 18 games. He has the right opponent to be eased back into the NHL.

Bargain Plays

  • RW Joel Armia (26K), Jets (vs. Coyotes): Armia has recently been put on Winnipeg's second line with C Bryan Little and LW Mathieu Perreault. He also plays on the second power play with Scheifele and RW Nicolas Petan. He went point-less in his past five games, but he played no less than 16 minutes each time out.
  • LW Connor Sheary (32K), Penguins (at Canadiens): Sheary remains under priced for someone who has spent so much time on the left side of C Sidney Crosby. Wednesday's matchup against Carey Price isn't the most ideal, but Sheary has four goals through five January games, and he has topped 17 minutes in each of his past two outings.
  • D Alex Goligoski (26K), Coyotes (at Jets): Goligoski has no points and just three shots on goal in January, but he continues to play well over 20 minutes every night. He also quarterbacks the second power-play unit, which will face a Jets penalty kill ranking just 26th in efficiency and allowing the second-most opportunities.

Top Fades

  • C Anze Kopitar (67K), Kings (vs. Sharks): Kopitar has been much less productive than the aforementioned Carter all season. He has one goal and seven assists in January, but he shoots far less. Carter is the safer option with a higher upside as well. If Kopitar was considerably cheaper, he could serve as a contrarian pivot, but not at the same salary.
  • LW Henrik Zetterberg (53K), Red Wings (vs. Bruins): Zetterberg has two goals and four assists in January, but he had just a single SOG in three of his past four games. Red Wings LWs Thomas Vanek and Tomas Tatar are similarly priced, with Zetterberg being the most expensive. Save money in tournaments, and avoid all three 50-50 contests.
  • RW Jaromir Jagr (48K), Panthers (at Oilers): The 22-year-old trapped in the 44-year-old's body has played in nine double headers this season, picking up just one goal and two assists in the nine second halves. He tallied just two SOG in Tuesday's loss to the Flames.

Contrarian Options

  • RW Anthony Mantha (31K), Red Wings (vs. Bruins): While Rask is one of the recommended goalie plays of the night, Mantha is the top play from Detroit for those looking for contrarian picks. He's among the cheapest of the Red Wings, and he has been one of the most productive skaters. He has four goals and five assists in January, and he has played at least 15 minutes every game since Dec. 13.
  • C Martin Hanzal (43K), Coyotes (at Jets): Hanzal has gone point-less for four consecutive games, but he totaled eight shots on goal in his past two outings, and he has played at least 17:56 in each of his past three. The Jets rank near the bottom of the league in most possession metrics, and Pavelec could very well have an all-too-familiar disastrous outing.
  • D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (48K), Coyotes (at Jets): Ekman-Larsson is continuously overlooked and viewed as over priced as a defenseman for the lowly Coyotes. The team's dismal overall offense limits his 50-50 appeal. He's a strong tournament play Wednesday, as the power-play leader for Arizona with a matchup against Winnipeg's 26th-rated penalty kill.

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