Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey insider Pete Jensen will provide you with in-depth forward analysis. From updated weekly top 100 rankings to trending players and more, Jensen will be your go-to guy for fantasy forward advice all season long.
UPDATED TOP 100 FORWARD RANKINGS
Catching lightning in a bottle at the right time is the name of the game for fantasy waiver-wire pickups. Sometimes value spikes come because of strong linemates; other times they come as a result of injuries.
Last season, Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings transformed from a readily available forward to a goal-scoring phenom after the Olympic break with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk sidelined.
This time around, Anders Lee of the New York Islanders is suddenly second among all rookies in goals (22), largely because he was elevated to John Tavares' line in Kyle Okposo's absence. Lee has 24 points in 27 games since Jan. 10 and his Yahoo ownership has risen from 1 percent to 52 percent. Tavares has emerged as the NHL scoring leader in the process.
Another instance is Jonathan Huberdeau's uptick since the Florida Panthers traded for Jaromir Jagr. Huberdeau has two goals, four assists and two power-play points in his four-game point streak on Jagr's line. His ownership has risen from 32 to 40 percent over the past week.
Lee and Huberdeau are long gone in many leagues, but there's a nice crop of sparsely owned players who should continue to benefit from strong linemates. We've discussed them at points this season in spins, videos and features, but here's another roll call before head-to-head playoffs get underway.
Alex Killorn (9 percent, LW/C) -- Killorn has bounced around the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup this season, but his most frequent spot has been alongside top-50 fantasy forwards Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan. He's been back with them for most of the past 11 games, and has found consistency with points in eight of those contests. His power-play production this season has left something to be desired, but he scored a goal with the man-advantage last Thursday and has been seeing time on the Lightning's top power-play unit of late.
Mika Zibanejad (19 percent, C/RW) and Mark Stone (15 percent, RW) -- The Ottawa Senators' forward depth has been just as big of a reason for their postseason push as goalie Andrew Hammond. Zibanejad, who has been hot and cold, is in the midst of a season-long seven-game point streak on a line with Bobby Ryan and Mike Hoffman. Stone, meanwhile, has worked hand-in-hand with Kyle Turris to become one of the NHL's more consistent point producers over the past three months, yet continues to get little fantasy recognition.
Erik Cole (16 percent, LW/RW) -- Cole spent the tail end of his time with the Dallas Stars alongside Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza and has made a seamless transition alongside Henrik Zetterberg since being traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He has three assists in four games with the Red Wings and is dual eligible in Yahoo. His usage with the man-advantage has varied over those four games, but he and Zetterberg have picked up two power-play assists apiece since joining forces. Detroit's top-six has been in flux for much of the season, but Cole's ownership is bound to spike over the final month of the regular season, barring injury or a line change.
Mark Scheifele (15 percent, C) -- Bryan Little, a top-50 forward, is dealing with injury, so Scheifele is filling in at center for the Winnipeg Jets alongside Blake Wheeler. Wheeler and Scheifele rank first and third on the team in shot attempts per 60 minutes this season, a good sign since they could play big minutes together in the coming days and weeks. Scheifele is already locked in scoring-wise with six points in as many games, so there may be even greater upside for the soon-to-be 22-year-old, depending on Little's timetable.
TRENDING UP
Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado Avalanche
Jiri Hudler of the Calgary Flames was named the NHL's First Star of the week Monday, but Landeskog has been just as productive over his past five games (four goals, four assists), treating owners to unmatched category coverage over the past month. Since Feb. 12, he has 15 points (nine goals, six assists), five power-play points, 23 penalty minutes, 31 shots on goal and 21 hits in 12 games. He's even stayed the course with two goals and an assist in two games since Nathan MacKinnon went down with injury. If you've been patient with Colorado's struggles, Landeskog is putting your team on his back. He's also a bright spot from a possession standpoint with Colorado's second-best shot attempts relative percentage behind only MacKinnon among Avalanche players with at least six games played.
TRENDING DOWN
New York Rangers' second line
Everyone's talking about New York's 11-2-3 record since Henrik Lundqvist's injury from a goaltending standpoint, but it's been just as remarkable to see the Rangers succeed given their lack of secondary scoring. Chris Kreider has at least chipped in three goals over his past nine games, but his even-strength linemates Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis were not involved. St. Louis has three pointless streaks of four or more games since Jan. 27, while Stepan is stuck in a six-game rut of his own. With fantasy trade deadlines in the rearview mirror, owners have no choice but to remain patient. Luckily there's time for St. Louis and Stepan to make up for lost ground with a League-most 18 games remaining over the final 33 days of the season.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Curtis Glencross, LW, Washington Capitals
Last week, I mentioned how Glencross (14 percent) could benefit from a change of scenery after being traded, and he's answered the call alongside Jay Beagle and Troy Brouwer. Glencross has two goals and two assists in his past two games, feasting on the Buffalo Sabres for three of those points Saturday. One-third of the Capitals' remaining games are against teams on the outside looking in for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, so Glencross could feasibly post 10-plus points the rest of the way.
These rankings are based on expectations for the season ahead. Upward and downward trends are based on games since March 3, 2015. Value is quantified by line combinations, overall upside and past performance in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal).
| 1 | Alex Ovechkin, LW/RW, WSH (SAME) | 51 | Gustav Nyquist, C/RW, DET (-5) |
| 2 | John Tavares, C, NYI (+2) |
52 | James Neal, LW/RW, NSH (-11) |
| 3 | Sidney Crosby, C, PIT (-1) |
53 | Bobby Ryan, LW/RW, OTT (+6) |
| 4 | Evgeni Malkin, C/RW, PIT (-1) |
54 | Derick Brassard, C, NYR (+2) |
| 5 | Steven Stamkos, C/RW, TBL (+1) |
55 | Ryan Kesler, C/RW, ANA (-2) |
| 6 | Tyler Seguin, C/RW, DAL (NR - IR) | 56 | Marian Gaborik, LW/RW, LAK (+2) |
| 7 | Claude Giroux, C/RW, PHI (-2) |
57 | Chris Kunitz, LW, PIT (SAME) |
| 8 | Rick Nash, LW/RW, NYR (-1) |
58 | Patrick Sharp, LW/C, CHI (-11) |
| 9 | Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH (SAME) | 59 | Jiri Hudler, LW/RW, CGY (+8) |
| 10 | Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL (SAME) | 60 | Martin St. Louis, C/RW, NYR (-10) |
| 11 | Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI (-3) |
61 | Eric Staal, LW/C, CAR (+4) |
| 12 | Max Pacioretty, LW, MTL (-1) |
62 | Phil Kessel, RW, TOR (-17) |
| 13 | Joe Pavelski, LW/C/RW, SJS (-1) |
63 | Milan Lucic, LW, BOS (-1) |
| 14 | Tyler Johnson, C/RW, TBL (-1) |
64 | Jarome Iginla, RW, COL (+4) |
| 15 | Jamie Benn, LW/C, DAL (-1) |
65 | Mike Ribeiro, C, NSH (-3) |
| 16 | Pavel Datsyuk, LW/C, DET (+2) |
66 | Anders Lee, LW/C, NYI (+11) |
| 17 | Filip Forsberg, LW/C/RW, NSH (-1) |
67 | Derek Stepan, C, NYR (-15) |
| 18 | Zach Parise, LW, MIN (+3) |
68 | Scott Hartnell, LW, CBJ (-4) |
| 19 | Henrik Zetterberg, LW/C, DET (+4) |
69 | Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (-5) |
| 20 | Corey Perry, RW, ANA (-4) |
70 | Patrick Marleau, LW/C, SJS (-4) |
| 21 | Jonathan Toews, C, CHI (-1) |
71 | Tomas Plekanec, C, MTL (SAME) |
| 22 | Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (-6) |
72 | Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY (+1) |
| 23 | Ryan Johansen, C/RW, CBJ (-4) |
73 | Jason Pominville, RW, MIN (+10) |
| 24 | Andrew Ladd, LW, WPG (-2) |
74 | Ryan Strome, C/RW, NYI (-4) |
| 25 | Nick Foligno, LW, CBJ (-1) |
75 | Brad Marchand, LW, BOS (+11) |
| 26 | David Backes, C/RW, STL (SAME) | 76 | Brendan Gallagher, RW, MTL (+6) |
| 27 | Nikita Kucherov, LW/RW, TBL (+1) |
77 | Mats Zuccarello, LW/RW, NYR (+1) |
| 28 | Alexander Steen, LW/C, STL (-3) |
78 | Jaromir Jagr, RW, FLA (-2) |
| 29 | Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT (+2) |
79 | Tyler Toffoli, RW, LAK (-5) |
| 30 | Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG (+3) |
80 | James van Riemsdyk, LW, TOR (-8) |
| 31 | Daniel Sedin, LW, VAN (-2) |
81 | Craig Smith, C/RW, NSH (+13) |
| 32 | Logan Couture, LW/C, SJS (SAME) | 82 | Sean Monahan, C, CGY (+9) |
| 33 | Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS (+2) |
83 | Colin Wilson, LW/C, NSH (-14) |
| 34 | Jason Spezza, C, DAL (-7) |
84 | Brandon Saad, LW/RW, CHI (-9) |
| 35 | Tomas Tatar, LW, DET (-1) |
85 | Nick Bjugstad, C, FLA (+3) |
| 36 | Jeff Carter, C/RW, LAK (+3) |
86 | Mike Hoffman, LW/C, OTT (+10) |
| 37 | David Perron, LW/RW, PIT (-7) |
87 | Matt Duchene, LW/C, COL (-8) |
| 38 | Marian Hossa, RW, CHI (-2) |
88 | Mike Fisher, C, NSH (-7) |
| 39 | Radim Vrbata, RW, VAN (+3) |
89 | Jonathan Huberdeau, LW/C, FLA (+8) |
| 40 | Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI (-2) |
90 | Mark Stone, RW, OTT (+8) |
| 41 | Anze Kopitar, C, LAK (-4) |
91 | Alex Galchenyuk, LW/C, MTL (-6) |
| 42 | Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL (+13) |
92 | Mike Cammalleri, LW/C, NJD (-7) |
| 43 | Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL (+5) |
93 | Kyle Turris, C, OTT (SAME) |
| 44 | Joe Thornton, C, SJS (SAME) | 94 | Valtteri Filppula, LW/C, TBL (-7) |
| 45 | Kyle Okposo, RW, NYI (NR - IR) | 95 | Mark Scheifele, C, WPG (+5) |
| 46 | Bryan Little, C/RW, WPG - DTD | 96 | Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM (-4) |
| 47 | Henrik Sedin, C, VAN (-4) |
97 | Blake Comeau, LW/RW, PIT (-8) |
| 48 | Ondrej Palat, LW, TBL (+3) |
98 | Paul Stastny, C, STL (+1) |
| 49 | T.J. Oshie, C/RW, STL (SAME) | 99 | Steve Downie, LW/RW, PIT (-4) |
| 50 | Ryan Callahan, RW, TBL (+6) |
100 | Alex Killorn, LW/C, TBL (NEW) |
Just Missed: Mika Zibanejad, Brandon Dubinsky (NR - IR), Alex Tanguay, Justin Abdelkader, Erik Cole, Frans Nielsen, Kris Versteeg, Loui Eriksson, David Desharnais, Curtis Glencross
Dropped out: Versteeg, Mikko Koivu
Key injuries: Patrick Kane, Taylor Hall, Nathan MacKinnon, David Krejci, Mathieu Perreault, Matt Beleskey, Brett Connolly, Johan Franzen, Evander Kane, Mikkel Boedker, Valeri Nichushkin, Tanner Pearson, Pascal Dupuis
DTD: Day-to-day; NR - IR: Not ranked last week because of injury
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