Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Maple Leafs will have St. Louis feeling blue

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, Feb. 9 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

C Mitch Marner (48K) & LW James van Riemsdyk (51K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Marner leads all rookies in scoring, yet he comes at a bargain. He and JVR make for an affordable duo considering they play on such a high-powered offensive team. St. Louis' goaltending has vastly improved since Mike Yeo took over has head coach, but Jake Allen's road numbers are horrendous: .892 SV%, 3.11 GAA.

C Sidney Crosby (76K) & LW Chris Kunitz (33K), Penguins (at Avalanche): The Penguins are thin up front right now, but as we all know, Crosby has the ability to put the team on his back. Kunitz, 37, has jumped up to the top line and recorded five points in his last five games. His 145 hits give him a high floor in Squad Up relative to his low salary. Colorado allows more goals against per game than any other team.

LW Max Pacioretty (65K) & RW Alexander Radulov (52K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Pacioretty and Radulov have been Montreal's two most consistent offensive producers all season long. They could each easily record multi-point games against the Coyotes, who rank dead last in xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes) and SCA60 (scoring chances against per 60 minutes).

Goalie Breakdown

TARGET - Sergei Bobrovsky (91K), Blue Jackets (vs. Canucks): Bobrovsky has scuffled a bit lately, but expect him to bounce back on Thursday. The Canucks have the NHL's third-worst offense and are just 6-16-3 on the road.

BARGAIN - Carey Price (75K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Price has also endured some struggles lately, but it's nearly impossible to overlook the best goaltender on the planet at the minimum price with a matchup against the NHL's second-worst team. Just try to look past his disastrous outing against the league's worst team, Tuesday.

FADE - Calvin Pickard (120K), Avalanche (vs. Penguins): Pickard is coming off a shutout but forking up 120K for any goaltender will significantly handcuff the rest of your lineup, let alone a goalie who plays for the league's worst team.

CONTRARIAN - Peter Budaj (75K), Kings (at Panthers): Budaj has been shelled in back-to-back starts, so his ownership will be down, but he had back-to-back shutouts in the two starts prior. Five of his league-leading seven shutouts have come on the road.

Bargain Plays

RW Connor Brown (25K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Brown is fortunate enough to skate on a line with C Auston Matthews at both 5v5 and on the power play. He has been quiet offensively lately, but he could wake up at anytime. At 25K, he is worth the risk in tournament lineups.

LW Phillip Danault (25K), Canadiens (at Coyotes): Danault is also granted first-line real estate, centering the Canadiens' top two offensive players, LW Max Pacioretty and RW Alexander Radulov.

D Nikita Zaitsev (25K), Maple Leafs (vs. Blues): Zaitsev is averaging just a hair below 0.5 points per game. He has seven points in his last eight games, however. He can be drafted in both cash games and tournaments, since his willingness to throw hits (115) and block shots (90) give him a high floor.

Top Fades

C Martin Hanzal (55K), Coyotes (at Canadiens): Hanzal didn't practice Wednesday because of an illness, but even if he is able to suit up for Thursday's game, he isn't worth 55K against Carey Price.

LW Tomas Tatar (46K), Red Wings (at Capitals): Tatar has picked up his play a bit lately, but there are wiser ways to spend 46K than with a middling winger against the red-hot Capitals.

D Tyson Barrie (48K), Avalanche (vs. Penguins): Barrie has missed six of the last eight games with a lower-body injury. Even if he plays Thursday, he doesn't present much value at 48K.

Contrarian Options

C Tyler Toffoli (51K), Kings (at Panthers): Toffoli has failed to record a point in three games since returning from injury. It's a shame the right winger is listed as a center and can't be paired up with linemate Jeff Carter, but nonetheless, Toffoli, who scored 31 goals last year, will have little to no ownership.

RW James Neal (49K), Predators (at Rangers): Neal has a respectable 17 goals, but only seven assists this year. A reunion on Nashville's top line with C Ryan Johansen and LW Filip Forsberg should lead to a more consistent point total for the veteran sniper.

LW Evander Kane (46K), Sabres (vs. Ducks): Kane might be faded with a tough matchup, but the rugged winger has been placed on a line with C Jack Eichel and RW Sam Reinhart. His willingness to hit (77) provides an even higher ceiling.

(Photos courtesy of Action Images)

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