Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Take advantage of tired teams from Friday

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Saturday, December 31:

Triple Threat

C Tyler Johnson (58K), Ondrej Palat (54K), Nikita Kucherov (61K), Lightning (vs. Hurricanes): The "Triplets" get a potentially tired Hurricanes who played Friday against the Blackhawks. Kucherov has been the only unequivocal success with 33 points in 30 games, but the more they skate together, the better Palat's and Johnson's chances become.

C Connor McDavid (80K), LW Milan Lucic (51K), RW Jordan Eberle (57K), Oilers (vs. Canucks): McDavid's linemates are relatively affordable Saturday, so you don't have to scrimp at goalie or defense too aggressively. The Canucks have only allowed three goals over two games, but allowed eight in the two prior and have performed hideously on the road (4-12-1).

C Jeff Carter (68K), LW Tanner Pearson (52K), D Drew Doughty (49K), Kings (vs. Sharks): Carter is tied for second in the NHL with 19 goals and his 16.7 shooting percentage isn't even that crazy. Pearson and Doughty are mid-range dice-rolls who hopefully benefit from a Carter goal or two. Sharks G Martin Jones sat Friday, so he should be fresh. Consider this the contrarian stack of the day.

Goalie Breakdown

TARGET/Bargain - Braden Holtby (75K), Capitals (at Devils): Holtby's a no-brainer. He's one of the best goalies in the game and comes in at a price too low to pass up, against a team that has struggled to score consistently all season. The road match shouldn't matter as his splits don't differ too wildly in terms of save percentage.

FADE - Cory Schneider (103K), Devils (vs. Capitals): Salaries should be reversed, no? In no circumstance should Schneider be priced this highly. LW Alex Ovechkin may not be scoring at his career pace, but he's still Ovechkin. Do not roster Schneider.

CONTRARIAN - Marc-Andre Fleury (106K), Penguins (vs. Canadiens): Fleury's the most expensive goalie on the slate for some reason. In his three-game win streak, he does have a .955 save percentage, though two of those games came against the anemic Devils. He won't be rostered by many, because he'll force bargain hunting, but a win would be huge in tournament play.

Bargain Plays

LW Jimmy Vesey (28K), Rangers (at Avalanche): Vesey saw a horrific seven-game point-less streak end when he tallied an assist on Wednesday. Fortunately, the Rangers are in Colorado. The Avalanche have the worst home record in hockey (4-12-1) and have allowed more goals than any team other than the Arizona Coyotes.

LW Artturi Lehkonen (28K), Canadiens (at Penguins): The rookie Lehkonen has received some time on the Habs' power play of late, and recently saw a three-game point streak come to an end. After a rough stretch to start, Lehkonen has been better in December, though there's enough uncertainty to keep his salary low.

RW Devin Setoguchi (25K), Kings (vs. Sharks): Setoguchi has been far less productive than his linemates, or he would have been included in the above Kings stack. He could still benefit from the association, but he is more likely to come up empty. He does have two points in four games, but he's a big risk. The price is right in a pinch.

Top Fades

LW Zach Parise (60K), Wild (vs. Blue Jackets): The two hottest goaltenders in the NHL are facing off in Minnesota. Spending on any forward is not advisable in this context, though Parise draws the shortest straw. He's been on a hot streak with four points in five games, but he's too inconsistent overall to trust daily, especially against Sergei Bobrovsky.

RW Kyle Palmieri (59K), Devils (vs. Capitals): Palmieri remaining anywhere close to the most expensive RWs is a bit much. He's been a far cry from the player he was in 2015-16, though his 63 hits have been his saving grace in fantasy.

C Nathan MacKinnon (69K), Avalanche (vs. Rangers): MacKinnon's splits help explain why the Avalanche have been terrible on home ice. He has nine points in 17 home games compared to 16 points in 18 games on the road. With G Henrik Lundqvist likely protecting the Rangers' net, he's not a lock to improve his numbers on Saturday.

Contrarian Options

C Joe Pavelski (75K), Sharks (at Kings): Pavelski is mostly matchup-proof, though instinct may lead some to steer clear after playing Friday. While his salary is high, he's averaged a point per game since the middle of November and had three multi-point efforts in December alone.

RW Jaromir Jagr (53K), Panthers (at Stars): The loss of C Aleksander Barkov hurts Jagr's daily potential as the two were both hitting a solid stride together. The saving grace on Saturday is the ineffectiveness of Dallas' goaltending. Bet on Jagr despite his inconsistencies and less than appealing linemates.

D Ryan Suter (36K), Wild (vs. Blue Jackets): Anticipating plenty of shots on goal, Suter may get busy in front of the net, blocking more than he usually does. This would enhance his value slightly even if he doesn't find his way into the box score otherwise. He's cheap enough, too, that he's a fine pick in a tournament while in a difficult matchup.

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