Fantasy: 31 weekly trends for NHL teams

Each week, NHL.com will identify a fantasy-relevant development from the past week for each of the 31 teams based on injuries, lineup changes and production trends.

Anaheim Ducks

Forward Ondrej Kase (LW/RW, 12 percent owned in Yahoo) had an assist against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, giving him six points (three goals, three assists) over his past four games. He leads the Ducks in scoring over that span playing on Anaheim's third line with center Adam Henrique and wing Nick Ritchie.

Arizona Coyotes

Forward Richard Panik (LW/RW, 16 percent) has four assists in five games since being traded to the Coyotes from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 10. He's skating on the Coyotes first line with center Derek Stepan and wing Brendan Perlini; that trio has combined for a plus-8 in the five-game span.

Boston Bruins

Since returning from an upper-body injury Dec. 30, center David Krejci (25 percent) has 10 points (three goals, seven assists), a plus-7 and two power-play points in nine games. He is playing on the second line with Ryan Spooner and Jake DeBrusk and second power-play unit with defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

Buffalo Sabres

Second-line center Ryan O'Reilly (50 percent) is trending up despite Buffalo's struggles, providing strong category coverage over his past 18 games (14 points, two power-play points, plus-4, 48 shots on goal). He has added value in leagues that count faceoffs, leading the League with 671 faceoff wins and a 61.4 win percentage (minimum 100 faceoffs).

Calgary Flames

Their seven-game winning streak was snapped against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, but goaltender Mike Smith stopped 34 of 35 shots faced. He has a .940 save percentage in 15 games since Dec. 6; only Marc-Andre Fleury (.953) of the Vegas Golden Knights and Jonathan Bernier (.945) of the Colorado Avalanche have been better in the span (minimum 10 games).

Carolina Hurricanes

Forward Elias Lindholm (C/RW, 12 percent) skated on the top line with center Jordan Staal and wing Teuvo Teravainen in place of injured Sebastian Aho (concussion, lower body). Lindholm scored two power-play goals on five SOG and now has nine points (five goals, four assists) and four PPP over his past 12 games.

Chicago Blackhawks

Nick Schmaltz (C, LW, 29 percent) has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past five games and 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in his past 17 games. He's been a fixture the Blackhawks second line most of the season with elite right wing Patrick Kane (24th in Yahoo).

Colorado Avalanche

Over the Avalanche's nine-game winning streak, defenseman Samuel Girard (3 percent owned) ranks second at the position in points per 60 minutes (2.94) behind John Klingberg (3.89) of the Dallas Stars. Girard is playing on the first power-play unit in place of injured Tyson Barrie (hand).

Columbus Blue Jackets

Right wing Josh Anderson (27 percent), who leads the Blue Jackets with 14 goals, has gone eight games without a point. Anderson is minus-4 with 24 SOG over the span. Fantasy owners may want to consider other options because Columbus ranks 28th in goals per game (2.55), and Anderson does not see much power-play time (1:24 per game).

Dallas Stars

Forward Jason Spezza (C/RW; 37 percent) has four points (two goals, two assists), two on the power play, and nine SOG in his past three games. For as long as Spezza remains on Dallas' top unit, he'll bring continued exposure to Klingberg (34th overall in Yahoo) and valuable forwards Jamie Benn (15th), Tyler Seguin (18th), Alexander Radulov (26th).

Detroit Red Wings

Since being recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Dec. 21, rookie forward Tyler Bertuzzi (LW/RW; 2 percent) has eight points (one goal, seven assists), a plus-6 and 20 SOG in 11 games. He has been playing mostly on the second line with center Dylan Larkin and forward Andreas Athanasiou lately and is worth monitoring in deep and/or keeper leagues.

Edmonton Oilers

Defenseman Darnell Nurse (45 percent) was plus-4 against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday; he has four points (three goals, one assist), a plus-7 and nine SOG over Edmonton's three-game winning streak. Nurse has been elevated to the first power-play unit with forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and led the Oilers with 4:03 on the power play against Vancouver.

Florida Panthers

Right wing Evgenii Dadonov (21 percent) is a must-add player in standard leagues. He had two assists, one on the power play, against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, giving him eight points (three goals, five assists), three PPP and 22 SOG over his six-game point streak. Dadonov ranks second on the Panthers in even-strength points per 60 (2.15) behind Jonathan Huberdeau (2.3), according to Corsica Hockey.

Los Angeles Kings

They have lost six straight games and have scored the second-fewest goals League-wide in the span (11), ahead of the Blue Jackets (nine). Defenseman Drew Doughty has gone five straight games without a point and is minus-5 in the span, but the Kings at least welcomed back Jake Muzzin (73 percent) on Thursday; Muzzin has had an assist in each of his first two games since returning from an upper-body injury.

Minnesota Wild

Forward Jason Zucker (LW/RW, 65 percent) has goals in three straight games and ranks second on the Wild in goals (18) and shots on goal (119) behind center Eric Staal (19 goals on 131 SOG). Zucker is back on a line with forwards Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund, has six points (three goals, three assists) in the past six games and ranks 75th overall in Yahoo.

Montreal Canadiens

Left wing Max Pacioretty is finally heating up. He's tied for third in the League in goals since Jan. 1 (seven) with Nathan Mackinnon of the Avalanche and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pacioretty has rejoined Yahoo's top 100 (97th) but still has a long way to go before reaching his preseason rank of 28th.

Nashville Predators

The third line of forwards Kevin Fiala (LW/RW, 14 percent), Nick Bonino and Calle Jarnkrok (C/LW, 5 percent) combined for eight points (three goals, five assists) against the Panthers on Saturday. Bonino and Jarnkrok should be monitored as value players in DFS formats, and Fiala is worth adding again in season-long leagues; Fiala has three goals on 12 SOG over his past three games.

New Jersey Devils

They have two of the top five rookie PPP producers in defenseman Will Butcher (16, T-1st) and forward Jesper Bratt (12, 5th). Each had one PPP against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday on a unit with elite left wing Taylor Hall (20th in Yahoo) and should be owned in deeper leagues.

New York Islanders

Defenseman Ryan Pulock became the ninth player and first defenseman to score five points in a game this season with one goal and four assists against the Blackhawks on Saturday. Pulock played 2:54 on the power play and had two PPP, giving him six PPP on the season, seeing time on the second unit with Sebastian Aho and also the first unit with Nick Leddy.

New York Rangers

Forward Rick Nash (LW/RW, 41 percent) is thriving in Chris Kreider's place on the top line with Mika Zibanejad (C, 48 percent) and Pavel Buchnevich (LW/RW, 23 percent). Nash has five points (four goals, one assist), a plus-4 and 13 SOG over his past three games and played 1:28 on the first power-play unit against the Avalanche on Saturday.

Ottawa Senators

Forward Matt Duchene (C/RW, 39 percent) is trending up. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past six games. He had six points (three goals, three assists) in his prior 24 games after being acquired by the Senators on Nov. 5.

Philadelphia Flyers

Defenseman Ivan Provorov (D, 66 percent) continued his strong play by scoring a goal on six SOG against the Devils on Saturday. Provorov ranks third at the position with eight points (four goals, four assists) since Jan. 1 behind Klingberg and Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks (12 each).

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Jamie Oleksiak (3 percent), acquired from the Dallas Stars on Dec. 19, is a low-ownership defenseman that could be worth adding in deep leagues that count hits and SOG. In his past six games, Oleksiak is averaging 16:28 per game and has three points (one goal, two assists), 13 SOG and 20 hits.

San Jose Sharks

Since Dec. 1, goaltender Aaron Dell (42 percent) is 8-0-1 with a .930 SV%. In the same span, Martin Jones (91 percent) is 4-6-3 with a .886 SV%. Jones is day to day with a lower-body injury, making Dell a must-own goalie in all formats.

St. Louis Blues

Forward Alexander Steen (C/LW/RW, 40 percent) has goals in three straight games and five in his past seven after having four over his first 36 games. His shooting percentage (8.3) still has room for improvement, so the tri-eligible forward is worth adding ahead of a potential strong second half.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Fantasy owners should be cautious before adding Anton Stralman (D, 16 percent) as a short-term replacement for injured Victor Hedman (lower body). The Lightning defenseman is plus-17 on the season but has no goals, one assist and is minus-7 in his past 12 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Defenseman Morgan Rielly (upper body) did not play against the Senators on Saturday, but Jake Gardiner (63 percent) stepped up and had three assists, one on the power play. Gardiner played on the first pair with Ron Hainsey and could be a worthwhile injury replacement if Rielly misses more time.

Vancouver Canucks

Veteran defenseman Alexander Edler (17 percent) joined
NHL.com's top 50 rankings
this week. He has six points (one goal, five assists), two PPP and 20 SOG in his past five games and is playing on the first power-play unit with rookie Brock Boeser (59th in Yahoo).

Vegas Golden Knights

Since returning from an upper-body injury Dec. 18, forward David Perron (LW/RW, 55 percent) has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 18 games. He now ranks 90th overall in Yahoo and is suddenly tied for the Golden Knights lead in assists (26) with Jonathan Marchessault.

Washington Capitals

Center Lars Eller (4 percent) is
heating up
with five goals in his past six games. Eller's shooting percentage over that span (41.7) is likely to regress closer to his career average of 10.1, but he's benefiting from right wing T.J. Oshie being moved to the third line.

Winnipeg Jets

It remains to be seen whether Mathieu Perreault (C/LW, 24 percent) will keep his spot in Winnipeg's top six once center Mark Scheifele (83rd in Yahoo) returns from an upper-body injury. But Perreault is making a strong case with seven points (five goals, two assists), a plus-5, three power-play goals and 23 SOG in Scheifele's nine-game absence.