Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Cats and dogs meet on sloped desert ice

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Monday, Jan. 23 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

• C Vincent Trocheck (58K) & RW Reilly Smith (44K), Panthers (at Coyotes): The Panthers first line of Trocheck, Smith and LW Jussi Jokinen own a Corsi For rating of 53.75 percent in over 150 minutes together at 5v5. Arizona ranks 29th in the NHL with 62.99 shot attempts allowed per 60 minutes. Smith has 11 shots on goal in his past three games.

• C Joe Pavelski (70K) & LW Patrick Marleau (41K), Sharks (at Avalanche): Pavelski is the clear target from the Sharks' top line with he and Joe Thornton listed at the same position. With Marleau rounding out the trio, they have a Corsi For rating of 53.76 percent and average 8.18 scoring chances per 60 minutes. Marleau has gone point-less in three games, but Colorado allows a pedestrian 7.52 scoring chances per 60.

• C Mark Scheifele (62K) & RW Nikolaj Ehlers (45K), Jets (vs. Ducks): While neither of the Ducks' top two lines, centered by Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, respectively, is ideal, the Jets will have the benefit of final change. If G John Gibson is forced to sit again due to a lower-body injury, Winnipeg will face Jonathan Bernier who allowed at least four goals in three of his past four starts.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET/BARGAIN - Martin Jones (75K), Sharks (at Avalanche): Jones has allowed multiple goals in 11 consecutive starts, though he has made 30-plus saves on five occasions. The Avalanche average the fewest scoring chances per 60 minutes while at home of all teams in the league. They also have a paltry expected goals per 60 rate of just 1.76.

• FADE - Jonathan Bernier (75K), Ducks (at Jets): Bernier has allowed at least three goals in four of his previous five starts, with a shutout over the Coyotes representing the lone quality start. He'll enter a hostile environment in Winnipeg, where the Jets average 8.89 scoring chances per 60 minutes, ranking 12th among all home teams.

• CONTRARIAN - Peter Budaj (75K), Kings (at Rangers): Budaj has lost three consecutive starts, allowing three goals in each of his past two. The Rangers rank third in scoring chances per 60, but they drop to eighth in expected goals per 60, and they rank just 24th in shot attempts per 60 minutes. They're excellent finishers, but they don't have sustainable chances.

Bargain Plays

• C Lars Eller (25K), Capitals (vs. Hurricanes): Eller is a part of a Capitals third line with a Corsi For rating of 61.86 percent. Even in the third-line role, he has played at least 13 minutes in five consecutive games, tallying a total of eight shots on goal. He also has two goals and an assist.

• LW Matthew Tkachuk (26K), Flames (at Maple Leafs): Tkachuk's playing time has been highly variable through January. He hit a 10-game low of 11:46 his last time out, but he did manage to score on one of two shots. The Flames have spread out LW Johnny Gaudreau and C Sean Monahan, splitting up the defensive attention.

• D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (25K), Sharks (at Avalanche): Vlasic hasn't been racking up the hits and blocked shots with the same consistency to which fantasy owners are accustomed, but he continues to log well over 20 minutes per game, including time on the second power-play unit. The matchup is too good to ignore at the minimum salary.

Top Fades

• C Mathieu Perreault (50K), Jets (vs. Ducks): Perreault has one goal and seven assists in January, and he has totaled 10 SOG in his past three games. Still, at this salary he is similarly priced to teammates Scheifele and C Bryan Little, both of whom have much more appeal.

• LW James van Riemsdyk (51K), Maple Leafs (vs. Kings): van Riemsdyk has three goals and 10 assists in January, totaling 25 SOG in nine games. He has twice gone without a single shot and his ice time fluctuates drastically. He played 18:08 in Saturday's shootout loss, his high for the month. He played a month-long high of 13:39 in the previous game.

• RW Radim Vrbata (64K), Coyotes (vs. Panthers): Vrbata has two goals and seven assists this month, and he's in the midst of a streak of five games with at least four SOG in each. The Panthers' 53.60 opponent shot attempts faced per 60 minutes ranks seventh in the league, lowering Vrbata's floor.

Contrarian Options

• C Sean Monahan (50K), Flames (at Maple Leafs): While Monahan's ceiling is lowered while playing separately from Gaudreau, he is on a five-game scoring streak with a total of 21 SOG. He's the one maintaining the higher ice time, making him the better target of the two.

• LW Chris Kreider (44K), Rangers (vs. Kings): Kreider has a tough matchup against the stingy Kings, but routinely finds ways to contribute up to his floor. He has multiple shots on goal in 12 consecutive games, with as many as five hits and three blocked shots for additional production.

• D Justin Faulk (41K), Hurricanes (at Capitals): No one likes to target Capitals G Braden Holtby, but Faulk's very reasonable salary makes him a contrarian option despite the tough matchup. He has at least one SOG in every game since Oct. 30, recording multiple shots in all but one of his past 14 games.