Fantasy forwards: Second line elevating Capitals

Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals have been elite-level fantasy staples throughout the past decade. Suddenly, they have company in their own town.

Ovechkin is second in the NHL in goals (27) and leads the League in shots on goal (222), while Backstrom is one of six players with a point per game or better this season (others: Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Erik Karlsson, Johnny Gaudreau). No one should be surprised to see Ovechkin and Backstrom where they are in the fantasy rankings, but rarely have the Capitals had a second line as powerful as their current trio of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky.

Kuznetsov, one of my preseason breakout picks, has 44 points (T-7th) and a plus-23 (2nd) in 45 games, and is tied for fifth in the NHL in multipoint games (13). After an early-season stint with Ovechkin in Backstrom's injury absence, he's been playing with Williams the rest of the way -- making the former Los Angeles Kings wing one of the biggest fantasy steals of the season (Yahoo average draft position: 169.2). Williams has 31 points in 45 games with 115 SOG and a plus-14. He had a hat trick Sunday, his seventh multipoint game and second three-point game of the season.

Games like that have become a regular occurrence from this potent second line, catapulting the Capitals to the top of the NHL standings. Any time Ovechkin has an off night or is shut down (very rare), opponents are still susceptible to allowing a goal or two from the Kuznetsov-Williams line, giving Washington an added dimension and making them more dangerous than past seasons.

Kuznetsov and Williams are hot commodities in fantasy and only attainable by throwing high-end assets at your trade partner, but you can still find Burakovsky (LW, two percent owned) in the vast majority of Yahoo leagues. Marcus Johansson played with Kuznetsov and Williams prior to his suspension earlier this month, but he's now on the third line and first power-play unit, while Burakovsky has seized his second-line opportunity. Burakovsky, 20, has two-assist outings in three of his past four games and should be scooped up in deep formats before his ownership skyrockets.

TRENDING UP

Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks

Since Dec. 15, the only player League-wide with more points than Thornton (19 in 15 games) is Kane (23 in 17 games). Sharks coach Peter DeBoer kept the once-slumping veteran alongside Joe Pavelski on the top line, and "Jumbo Joe" has turned his season around, taking Tomas Hertl (C/LW, 24 percent owned) along for the ride.

Tomas Hertl

Center - SJS

GOALS: 8 | ASST: 14 | PTS: 22
SOG: 111 | +/-: 2

Thornton has shot 14.0 percent in his career (1,329 games) and Pavelski has shot 16.6 percent since 2013-14 (best in NHL among players with minimum 190 games in span), so fantasy owners should know that this stretch is not just a flash in the pan.

TRENDING DOWN

Kyle Turris, C, Ottawa Senators

Kyle Turris

Center - OTT

GOALS: 13 | ASST: 17 | PTS: 30
SOG: 114 | +/-: -11

While Turris and Stone are still worth being patient with in deep leagues, you have to begin looking at the forward options out there in shallow leagues. Turris should eventually turn it around considering he plays more than 20 minutes per game and averages 3:18 on the power play, but this is not a good sign for an already inconsistent Senators offense.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Kevin Fiala, LW, Nashville Predators

Kevin Fiala

Left Wing - NSH

GOALS: 1 | ASST: 0 | PTS: 1
SOG: 8 | +/-: 0

WORTH NOTING

-- Recently traded forwards David Perron and Carl Hagelin have latched onto top-six spots with their new teams, as expected. Perron played his first game for the Anaheim Ducks mostly alongside Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg, while Hagelin has spent most of his ice time through two games with the Pittsburgh Penguins alongside Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Perron (16 percent) had one goal on three SOG in his Anaheim debut, while Hagelin (18 percent) has one assist and seven SOG in two games since joining Pittsburgh.

-- Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin (upper body) is expected to be out until after the All-Star break, while Boston Bruins center David Krejci (upper body) and New Jersey Devils wing Mike Cammalleri (hand) practiced Monday. Cammalleri will return to the lineup Tuesday. Here is my fantasy spin on the implications of these injury updates.

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