Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, April 13 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
- LW Kevin Fiala (29K) & RW James Neal (44K), Predators (at Blackhawks): Fiala and Neal are on a second line centered by Mike Fisher at 5v5. They operate on separate power-play units, offering full exposure to the offense. The Blackhawks had the worst regular season penalty-kill percentage of all 16 playoff teams at 77.7 percent. Only five teams had more power-play opportunities than Nashville.
- LW Alex Ovechkin (82K) & C Nicklas Backstrom (63K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): While Ovechkin is the highest-priced player at left wing, Backstrom's reasonable salary still makes the stack affordable. Backstrom led the Capitals' offense in the regular season, finishing fourth in the league with 86 points. With RW T.J. Oshie, the Caps' top line averages 2.85 expected goals per 60 minutes.
(Photo courtesy Action Images)
Bargain Plays
- D Matt Niskanen (34K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): The defense pairing of Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov was Washington's most common defense tandem this season, playing 19.64 percent of all 5v5 minutes. D John Carlson is expected to rejoin the lineup for Thursday's postseason opener, but he shouldn't separate the duo. Niskanen will likely see less PP time, but he'll play mostly with the Backstrom line at 5v5.
- C Nick Schmaltz (26K), Blackhawks (vs. Predators): Schmaltz totaled just 66 shots on goal in 61 games played this season, but he concluded his rookie campaign with seven SOG in his final two outings. He was unable to snap a 19-game goal-less spell, dating back to Feb. 23, but he did notch an assist in the season finale. He played at least 14 minutes in eight consecutive games, mostly on the side of C Jonathan Toews at 5v5.
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)
Top Fades
- RW Marian Hossa (50K), Blackhawks (vs. Predators): Hossa is one of the most experienced players in the postseason, but he was relegated to a third-line role toward the end of the regular season. He played on a line with C Marcus Kruger and LW Ryan Hartman. The trio posted a 55.38 CF% but averaged a modest 7.78 scoring chances per 60 minutes.
- LW Andre Burakovsky (50K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): Burakovsky scored just two goals in the final three months of the regular season, though he was sidelined from Feb. 10 through March 17. His most common 5v5 line pairing was with C Lars Eller and RW Brett Connolly for the final 10 games. Capitals head coach Barry Trotz will likely deploy this line mostly against the Maple Leafs top line featuring C Auston Matthews.
(Photo courtesy Action Images)
Contrarian Options
- C Rickard Rakell (41K), Ducks (vs. Flames): The Ducks are likely to use their home-ice advantage to match the line centered by Ryan Kesler with the Flames' top line of C Sean Monahan and LW Johnny Gaudreau. Multi-point games are tough to come by in the playoffs, even for someone of C Ryan Getzlaf's caliber. Opt for the lower salary and more proficient goal scoring of Rakell.
- RW Justin Williams (43K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): Williams was part of a second line for Washington with C Evgeny Kuznetsov and LW Marcus Johansson which averaged 9.25 scoring chances per 60 minutes in the regular season. Williams has 85 career playoff points in 127 games since the 2001-02 season, including three goals and seven points in 12 games last year.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.