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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, March 16 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

• C Brayden Point (42K) & RW Nikita Kucherov (86K), Lightning (vs. Maple Leafs): The Leafs were torched for seven goals by the Panthers in their last outing. They have always struggled on this southeast road trip and that will likely continue considering Tampa is 12-2-3 in their last 17 games. Toronto also has the third-highest xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes).

• C Connor McDavid (80K) & LW Patrick Maroon (39K), Oilers (vs. Bruins): McDavid and the Oilers will take on a tired Bruins squad that played in Calgary on Wednesday night. Tuukka Rask will be rested and ready to go, but McDavid, the NHL's points leader, should still have a good night. Maroon has been on the receiving end of McDavid's playmaking ability, as he sits third on the team with 21 goals.

• C Nicklas Backstrom (64K) & LW Alex Ovechkin (85K), Capitals (vs. Predators): Washington bounced back nicely from a rough stretch on the California road trip, defeating Minnesota 4-2 on Tuesday. The Caps are 28-6-1 at home, while Nashville is just 14-16-4 on the road. Ovechkin has nine goals in 14 career games vs. the Preds.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Jonathan Quick (113K), Kings (vs. Sabres): Quick has gone 4-1-1 with a .916 SV% since returning from injury, allowing more than two goals in just one outing. A shutout is always possible, especially considering the Sabres generate only 2.34 xGF60 (expected goals for per 60 minutes).

• BARGAIN - Steve Mason (78K), Flyers (at Devils): Mason picked up a shutout on Wednesday against the Penguins. Desperate for wins, the Flyers will likely turn to him on the second game of a back-to-back. This is usually a cause for concern, but Mason only faced 23 shots last night and New Jersey has the second-worst xGF60 in the league.

• FADE - Darcy Kuemper (104K), Wild (at Hurricanes): Though he plays for a great team, Kuemper hasn't been sharp when called upon this season, with a 3.21 GAA on the year. His price is inflated versus a bottom-tier Carolina offense, but they did put up eight goals on Monday against the Islanders.

• CONTRARIAN - Carter Hutton (75K), Blues (at Sharks): Hutton hasn't played much lately, but he has been effective when he has. He has three shutouts and a .949 SV% in his last six starts, but he will be faded by most against the high-powered Sharks.

Bargain Plays

• RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (29K), Blue Jackets (vs. Panthers): Bjorkstrand is fifth in the NHL with 5.2 iSCF60 (individual scoring chances for per 60 minutes). Lately, he has been capitalizing on these opportunities, potting three goals and adding two assists in his last five games.

• RW Joshua Ho-Sang (32K), Islanders (vs. Jets): It took Ho-Sang a few games to get his feet wet, but the rookie is now flourishing. He has four points in as many games and has a juicy matchup against the Jets, who struggle to keep the puck out of their own net.

• LW Remi Elie (26K), Stars (at Canucks): Sitting third in the league in iSCF is Elie, though he has only played four games on the year, picking up a goal and an assist. His value stems from playing on Dallas' top line along with Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin.

Top Fades

• LW Alex Killorn (47K), Lightning (vs. Maple Leafs): Killorn has gone 10 games without a point. He has had five games during that span where he took one or zero shots on goal. He isn't worth the mid-tier salary. He leads the pack, without a doubt, of players you can live without.

• C Derick Brassard (54K), Senators (vs. Blackhawks): Brassard has just two points in his last nine games. He has had a poor offensive season, but still comes with an expensive price tag. Don't bother drafting him against the Blackhawks.

• RW Kyle Palmieri (71K), Devils (vs. Flyers): Palmieri has developed into a reliable top-six forward, but there is no reason for him to be more expensive than players like Vladimir Tarasenko.

Contrarian Options

• C Henrik Sedin (56K) & LW Daniel Sedin (63K), Canucks (vs. Stars): Dallas has the second-worst xGA60 in the NHL. Both of their goaltenders are terrible. The Sedins are shadows of their former selves, but they still have the chemistry to carve out multi-point games.

• C Leon Draisaitl (51K), Oilers (vs. Bruins): With a tough matchup and teammate Connor McDavid listed at the same position -- albeit at a more expensive price -- Draisaitl will likely have low ownership. He plays RW on McDavid's line and has been remarkably consistent, with 23 goals and 33 assists on the year.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Alex Burrows poured his heart out with the help of the folks at The Players' Tribune, writing a thoughtful, classy, and heartfelt farewell to the Canucks organization and city of Vancouver.

He touched on the improbability of his 12-year run with the Canucks, trading punches with Dennis Wideman, the team's rivalry with the Blackhawks (as well as his famous overtime goal to defeat them in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs), the bonds his family formed with other Canuck families, and his new opportunity in Ottawa.

Here's a snippet from his post:

Thanks again for turning a lucky break into a lucky life.

As someone who came from nothing and then played 12 years for this franchise, I still kind of can't believe it happened. But I'm so glad it did. Please don't forget about me - and please, if you get a chance, make sure to pass along some words of mine to next year's rookies. Just give them the following message: Wear that sweater with pride. And don't let anybody take it away from you.

It means you're a Canuck.

You can read the entire article here.

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Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.

▲ Brad Marchand

While we would prefer to avoid repeating subjects in consecutive weeks, Brad Marchand's skyward trajectory has forced our hand.

The sudden Hart Trophy candidate strengthened his case Wednesday night in Calgary, seizing the NHL's outright lead in goals with his 36th, and matching Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane for top spot in the overall scoring race with his 76th point.

Marchand's two points helped Boston knock off one of the league's hottest teams, marking Bruins' fourth win in a row. They are now 12-3 under Bruce Cassidy, moving five points clear of the pool of the Atlantic Division contenders chasing the final spot in the postseason.

Only Patrick Kane has scored at a higher rate than Marchand's 4.27 points per 60 minutes in all situations since Cassidy took over.

▼ The Devils

There's no easy segue from a Hart Trophy candidate to the New Jersey Devils.

Not usually, anyway.

It's obviously been a horrific last couple weeks for the Devils, who are winless in 10 consecutive outings. But in the process they have slid three positions in the Eastern Conference standings, which, in the backward world of sports, provides far greater organizational advancement than trading wins.

Winners of three in a row, the Arizona Coyotes - who have been second from the bottom all season - are now just two points back of the Devils in the overall standings. Should the Devils fall back, it could mean as much as two draft slots with the Vegas Golden Knights penciled in at No. 3.

▲ Erik Karlsson

Though fewer contenders are in the running, the Norris Trophy picture, similar to the Hart, isn't so certain anymore either.

Erik Karlsson has been lauded for his "buy in" all season. Now, that defensive responsibility is beginning to facilitate the video-game totals that have made him the blue-liner to beat in the Norris vote for the last several seasons.

Increasing his shot totals, Karlsson's scored at greater than a point-per-game pace over the last two months, continuing to slowly hack away at Brent Burns' scoring lead among defensemen.

▼ The Wild

Minnesota slipped from its perch atop the Central, simultaneously losing for the fourth time in five tries while the charging Chicago Blackhawks picked up their 14th win over the space of 17 games Tuesday night.

The consequence of finishing second isn't as severe as a similar tumble in the Metropolitan Division, where the No. 3 seed could finish with 110-plus points. But, if the Wild - the Western Conference's top performing team all season - fail to nail down the No. 1 seed, it changes the club's postseason outlook drastically.

A runner-up finish ensures that the Wild would have to go through the entire Central Division in a potential path to the Stanley Cup Final. This would include a matchup with the Nashville Predators, who represent a far greater threat than the No. 8 seed in an enfeebled conference, and an assumed matchup with the Blackhawks without home ice.

(Images courtesy Action Images)

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It's been a forgettable season for Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche, but the talented forward got a major monkey off his back Wednesday night.

Duchene grabbed the loose puck and buried the tying goal against the Detroit Red Wings midway through the second period, scoring for the first time since Feb. 19.

The dynamic center raised both arms, then dropped them in a clear sign of relief after snapping the 11-game drought, which began before the trade deadline, when he was the subject of constant trade speculation.

Duchene leads the league-worst Avalanche with 17 goals and ranks second with 37 points in 64 games.

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CALGARY, Alberta - Brad Marchand scored his league-leading 36th goal of the season and David Backes returned after getting hurt to score the game winner and the Boston Bruins defeated Calgary 5-2 on Wednesday night to end the Flames' 10-game winning streak.

Marchand is also tied with Chicago's Patrick Kane and Edmonton's Connor McDavid for the top spot in the NHL with 76 points.

Backes got tied up with Flames defenseman Mark Giordano and was taken into the corner boards 12 minutes into the game. He was favoring his leg as he was helped off the ice.

But he returned seven minutes into the second period and on his second shift back he broke a 2-2 tie. Backes took a pass from David Krejci on a 3-on-2 and from 30 feet whipped a wrist shot over the glove of Chad Johnson.

David Pastrnak scored twice, and Matt Beleskey also scored for Boston. The Bruins' fourth straight win moves them within three points of the second-place Ottawa Senators in the Atlantic Division.

Alex Chiasson and Dougie Hamilton scored for Calgary.

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NEW YORK - A U.S. district court upheld an arbitrator's ruling that reduced Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman's suspension for knocking a linesman to the ice in a game last season.

The NHL says in a statement released Wednesday night that it disagrees with the court's decision but understands the standard needed to overturn the decision. The league says it is ready to turn the page.

Wideman was suspended 20 games for hitting linesman Don Henderson and knocking him down during a game against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 27, 2016.

Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld that suspension, but neutral discipline arbitrator James Oldham ruled that Wideman did not intend to injure Henderson and reduced the suspension to 10 games.

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When Tuukka Rask isn't in net for the Boston Bruins, bad things happen.

Calgary Flames defender Dougie Hamilton proved that point Wednesday, when his wrist shot from center ice eluded the backup goalie.

Hamilton's apparent bullet was one of only 16 shots the Bruins allowed through two periods, Khudobin stopping 14 of them.

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PHILADELPHIA - Wayne Simmonds scored the 200th goal of his career and Steve Mason made 23 saves to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, and Dale Weise also scored for the Flyers, who closed within five points of the idle New York Islanders for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Making the postseason remains a long shot for Philadelphia with just 13 games remaining and four teams to pass.

Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak while handing the defending Stanley Cup champions their fourth shutout of the season.

The road-weary Penguins completed an eight-day, five-game road trip that took them through four time zones as they traveled 4,763 miles. The journey got longer due to Tuesday's snowstorm in the Northeast, which caused the Penguins to fly home from Calgary late Monday night rather than directly to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh arrived in Philadelphia late Wednesday morning.

With 95 points, Pittsburgh remained two behind idle Washington for first place in the Metropolitan Division and the best record in the NHL.

Mason posted his third shutout of the season and the 33rd of his career. He saved some of his best work for late in the game, making three strong stops within four minutes of each other with under 10 minutes remaining.

First, he denied Oskar Sundqvist's short-handed chance from right in front with 9:55 remaining. Then, Mason made a good pad save on Nick Bonino with 6:48 left before fully extending his left pad to deny Ian Cole's slap shot.

Simmonds scored his 29th of the season and 200th of his career while tying teammate Brayden Schenn for the NHL lead with his 15th on the power play with 13:40 left in the second period to put Philadelphia up 2-0. Shayne Gostisbehere took the initial shot and Simmonds put the rebound over a sprawling Matt Murray.

Couturier put Philadelphia on the board a minute into the second when he also went high over Murray from close range after the puck deflected to him right in front of the net.

Murray had to go to the bench with 11:34 left in the period when he was inadvertently hit in the head by Philadelphia's Travis Konecny, but was able to stay in the game.

Murray finished with 24 saves.

Giroux scored on a wrist shot from the slot that beat Murray with 4:16 left, and Weise finished the scoring with 47.3 seconds remaining.

The game featured the return of defenseman Mark Streit, the former Flyers assistant captain who was traded by Philadelphia on March 1.

NOTES: Flyers D Brandon Manning (upper body) missed his second straight game and forward Jordan Weal (lower body) also was out of the lineup. . Penguins forward Matt Cullen returned to the lineup after missing three straight games due to a lower-body injury. . Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz received a loud ovation when he was introduced while attending his first Flyers game. . The Penguins lead the season series 2-1. The teams will wrap it up March 26 in Pittsburgh. . Sidney Crosby remained one assist shy of tying Jaromir Jagr for second place on the Penguins' all-time list. Crosby has 639 assists. Mario Lemieux owns the club record with 1,033.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Return home to host the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

Flyers: Play the second game of a back-to-back at New Jersey on Thursday night.

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