Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Pens are mighty at home

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, April 14:

Dynamic Duos

C Sidney Crosby (78K) and LW Conor Sheary (48K), Penguins (vs. Blue Jackets): The Penguins are an incredible offensive force at home, averaging 3.8 goals per game there during the regular season. They potted three in their series opener against the Blue Jackets and easily could have had several more. Crosby and Sheary are the most cost-effective forward pairing among several options.

C Connor McDavid (77K) and LW Milan Lucic (50K), Oilers (vs. Sharks): If the Oilers can reclaim the early magic they showed in their Game 1 loss to the Sharks, they should rebound to even the series. McDavid will be critical, as always, to Edmonton's success, and is the most dangerous player on either end of the ice. Lucic is more of a risky play, but his Squad Up upside is immense.

Goalie Breakdown

TARGET - Carey Price (116K), Canadiens (vs. Rangers): Price put together a solid performance in the opener with 29 saves, but was overshadowed by the brilliance of Henrik Lundqvist. Both goalies are as elite as they come, and with the Canadiens in immediate must-win mode, look for Price to be at his best Friday night. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to see his teammates give him some offense this time.

BARGAIN - Henrik Lundqvist (87K), Rangers (at Canadiens): It boggles the mind to see King Henrik's price remain so low given how well he performed in Game 1. The Canadiens boasted a league-average offense this year, and while Montreal had Lundqvist's number during the regular season (4.04 GAA, .871 SV%), none of that matters now. Take a chance on an encore performance and save some bucks.

FADE - Marc-Andre Fleury (131K), Penguins (vs. Blue Jackets): While the Penguins have the second-highest win probability on Friday's slate, the game's over/under of 5.5 is also the highest on the schedule. The Blue Jackets will come in waves, and Fleury - coming off a 31-save effort in Game 1 - will be in tough to duplicate that performance. At this price, he's virtually unplayable.

CONTRARIAN - Jake Allen (75K), Blues (at Wild): Why not? After putting up a sensational 51-save showing in a stunning Game 1 win, Allen represents a terrific contrarian/bargain double against the reeling Wild. This isn't the safest way to anchor your lineup, but if you're looking to make a major splash, rostering Allen will allow you to maximize the amount of salary you spend at forward and on defense.

Bargain Plays

C Brandon Dubinsky (37K), Blue Jackets (at Penguins): Dubinsky had a quiet Game 1 against the Penguins, held without a point while registering just two shots on goal - his first in four games. But Dubinsky sees enough high-leverage ice time to be worth a gamble, particularly if the Blue Jackets come out more assertive on offense. It's a major risk on a slate full of quality centers - but if it works, you'll be in great shape.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (28K), Sharks (at Oilers): Vlasic's primary goal in this series is to prevent McDavid from looking like Wayne Gretzky - but Vlasic has been a valuable Squad Up contributor of late, averaging better than 20 fantasy points over his previous five games. That includes a 35-point effort in Game 1 - and a similar result Friday would make him one of the top value options on the slate.

Top Fades

RW Vladimir Tarasenko (79K), Blues (at Wild): Tarasenko is skilled, no doubt - but carrying a salary this high requires far more upside that the Blues' sniper has Friday night. While he scored three goals in five regular-season meetings with Minnesota, he was limited to an assist and four shots in the series opener - and with the Wild focused on shutting him down, he isn't going to see a lot of open space. Look elsewhere.

RW Brendan Gallagher (58K), Canadiens (vs. Rangers): Only four right-wingers have higher Squad Up salaries than Gallagher - and given his recent performances, that's unnecessarily generous. Gallagher is averaging fewer than eight fantasy points over his past five games - all while carrying a 50K-plus salary. Might he break out Friday? It's possible - but this is one expensive way to find out.

Contrarian Options

Evgeni Malkin (79K), Penguins (vs. Blue Jackets): Most of the Squad Up universe will opt for Crosby, as he's the more dynamic offensive player and is actually 1K cheaper. But Malkin has similar upside and is a great Crosby pivot in big cash events; he skates alongside a surging Phil Kessel on Pittsburgh's second line and is the middle man on the Penguins' ever-dangerous No. 1 power-play unit.

Oscar Klefbom (44K), Oilers (vs. Sharks): Klefbom will likely see reduced ownership due to the immense upside of Sharks counterpart Brent Burns. But Klefbom has been no slouch himself, recording 27.5 Squad Up points in the series opener and a whopping 64 points the previous time these two teams met on April 6. Burns is a terrific option, but so is Klefbom - and he's nearly 20K cheaper to boot.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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