Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: The Devil’s in the details for Hall’s new line

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, Dec. 20 (all advanced stats courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Triple Threat

LW Taylor Hall (78K), C Travis Zajac (50K), RW Kyle Palmieri (57K), Devils (vs. Predators): Recently assembled, the Devils' new top line has played just 21.18 minutes together at 5v5. The team's first, second and fifth-leading point-getters have a Corsi For rating of just 44.44 while together, but they're expected to outscore their opponents 3.19 to 1.40 per 60 minutes.

LW Mike Hoffman (45K), C Kyle Turris (38K), RW Mark Stone (50K), Senators (at Blackhawks): Ottawa's top line should be reassembled with Hoffman returning from a two-game suspension. The trio has an expected goals for per 60 minutes of 3.84, ranking seventh among all trios to play at least 50 minutes together this season. Their combined low cost allows for the inclusion of D Erik Karlsson.

C David Krejci (55K), RW David Backes (49K), D Torey Krug (45K), Bruins (vs. Islanders): The Islanders rank 29th in the league with an expected goals against per 60 of 2.78. The Bruins' top line is still without RW David Pastrnak (elbow) and will likely have to face the Islanders' top line featuring C John Tavares. All three of these players also play on the top power-play unit.

Goalie Breakdown

TARGET - Tuukka Rask (88K), Bruins (vs. Islanders): Rask is coming off his fourth shutout of the season, stopping all 18 Los Angeles Kings shots he faced. He'll face an Islanders team with the 10th-highest xGF60, with over 30 SOG per 60 at 5v5. The potential for a high save total bolsters Rask's upside.

BARGAIN - Martin Jones (79K), Sharks (vs. Flames): Jones has gone 3-1-0 in his past four starts, allowing a total of 10 goals. He twice faced 31 shots on goal but never made 30 or more stops. The Flames average just 2.11 goals per road game, while still mustering 28.2 shots on goal.

FADE - Scott Darling (94K), Blackhawks (vs. Senators): Darling rebounded in his most recent start, after allowing four goals in back-to-back games. He stopped 33 of 34 shots faced last time out. He'll face the Senators with Hoffman back in the lineup, and they scored nine goals in two games without him.

CONTRARIAN - Connor Hellebuyck (75K), Jets (at Canucks): Hellebuyck has been miserable on the road this season, posting a .885 save percentage in 10 games. He has a measure of safety against a Canucks team scoring a paltry 2.41 goals per game.

Bargain Plays

C Cory Conacher (25K), Lightning (vs. Red Wings): A surprise addition to the Lightning's top line, Conacher has played on the left side of C Tyler Johnson at 5v5 and on the right side of C Vladislav Namestnikov on the top power-play unit. He has a goal and an assist in his past two games, though he did fail to record a SOG in just over 11 minutes of ice time last time out.

LW Mikkel Boedker (27K), Sharks (vs. Flames): While his first season with the Sharks has been wholly unimpressive, Boedker has picked up two assists in his past five games and seen a bit of an uptick in playing time. Likely Flames starter Chad Johnson has allowed four goals in each of his past two starts.

RW Nail Yakupov (25K), Blues (at Stars): Yakupov has been bumped up to the Blues' top line with LW Jaden Schwartz and C Paul Stastny. His ice time hasn't changed much, and he still doesn't much see time on the man advantage. The Stars' wide-open style and horrendous goaltending allow for plenty of opportunity at 5v5 when all he needs is a single assist to provide value.

Top Fades

D Brent Burns (69K), Sharks (vs. Flames): Priced well ahead of elite peers Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson, owners can do themselves a favor and pivot down to one of the other two and save some salary. The Sharks have scored two or fewer goals in three of eight games this month, failing to provide the consistency needed at this price.

C Nathan MacKinnon (63K), Avalanche (at Wild): MacKinnon notched just two SOG in two of his past three games, and he picked up just one assist in that stretch. The Avalanche take on the league's best goalie in Devan Dubnyk, and it has scored just one goal in each of the past two games.

RW Brendan Gallagher (57K), Canadiens (vs. Ducks): Gallagher's playing time has dropped since being demoted to the third line at 5v5. The move was a means to spread out the offense with Cs Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais injured. The move does no favors to Gallagher's personal production.

Contrarian Options

LW Jonathan Drouin (66K), Lightning (vs. Red Wings): Drouin has been jostled throughout the lineup of late, as the Lightning try to spark some offense. He has four goals and four assists in seven games this month. He has tallied 14 shots on goal in his past four games. Back on the second line at 5v5, he has topped 18 minutes in four straight games.

D Dustin Byfuglien (47K), Jets (at Canucks): Byfuglien is very modestly priced, coming in well below the likes of Burns, Karlsson and Hedman. He leads all defensemen in ice time at 27:38 per game, and ranks fourth among defenders in shots on goal. He totaled 14 in his past three games.

C Ryan O'Reilly (58K), Sabres (at Panthers): Largely an afterthought since teammate Jack Eichel returned from injury, O'Reilly has one goal and four assists in eight games this month. He has averaged nearly three SOG per game and is actually averaging more ice time than his more popular peer.

Canucks World