Week 12: Fantasy hockey line top 25 rankings for 2018-19

NHL.com ranks the top fantasy hockey forward lines and tracks notable changes and production trends each week during the 2018-19 season. For more fantasy coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.

MORE FANTASY COVERAGE: Top 200 rankings | Tracker | Top 10 waiver wire

LINE CHANGES

-- Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar made the biggest line news of the week when he broke up the top unit of left wing Gabriel Landeskog, center Nathan MacKinnon and left wing Mikko Rantanen on Friday by moving Landeskog to the second line. Left wing Matt Nieto skated with MacKinnon and Rantanen to start the game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, but was ultimately replaced by Landeskog later. Tyson Jost (C/LW, 2 percent owned) also saw limited time on the first line and is expected to play there against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Any player with exposure to the elite duo of MacKinnon and Rantanen carries fantasy upside, so keep a close eye on this situation as the Avalanche search for more scoring depth.
-- The San Jose Sharks moved center Tomas Hertl to a line with wings Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, and the trio combined for five points (two goals, three assists). Hertl has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in the past 10 games, helping San Jose go 7-1-2 in that span. Donskoi (LW/RW, 3 percent owned), who has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past two games, has shown flashes of fantasy production before (had 12 points in 24 games during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs) and gains value in all formats with exposure to Kane and Hertl. The Sharks have changed lines frequently all season, most recently putting Joe Pavelski on a separate line from Kane, Hertl and Donskoi and also away from Logan Couture and Timo Meier. But any continuity could lift the Kane-Hertl-Donskoi line into the rankings as early as next week.

PRODUCTION TRENDS

-- The New York Islanders' top line of center Mathew Barzal, left wing Anthony Beauvillier and right wing Josh Bailey rejoins the ranks after huge games against the Ottawa Senators on Friday and Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The trio has combined for 10 points (six goals, four assists) in the past two games, including five goals and one assist from Barzal. Beauvillier (C/LW, 6 percent owned) has four goals in his past nine games and is on pace to finish the season with 25 goals. As long as this line stays together, each member is fantasy-relevant for the rest of the season in all formats.
-- The Chicago Blackhawks line of right wing Patrick Kane, center Dylan Strome and left wing Artem Anisimov also joined the rankings after combining for 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in the past five games. Kane is in the midst of a seven-game point streak (seven goals, six assists) with 27 shots on goal during the span (3.9 SOG per game). Strome (C, 7 percent owned) has found his stride since being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 25 and has three straight multipoint games, totaling one goal and six assists. Anisimov (C, 2 percent owned) already brings exposure to Kane and could gain left wing eligibility soon, which would further enhance his fantasy value.

FANTASY LINE RANKINGS FOR 2018-19

1. TBL: Tyler Johnson -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov (+2)
   2. COL: Gabriel Landeskog / Tyson Jost -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen (-1)
   3. CGY: Johnny Gaudreau -- Sean Monahan -- Elias Lindholm (+2)
   4. CBJ: Artemi Panarin -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Cam Atkinson (+2)
   5. BUF: Jeff Skinner -- Jack Eichel (DTD) -- Sam Reinhart (-3)
   6. WSH: Alex Ovechkin -- Nicklas Backstrom -- T.J. Oshie (-2)
   7. FLA: Jonathan Huberdeau -- Aleksander Barkov -- Evgenii Dadonov (SAME)
   8. TOR: Andreas Johnsson -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner (+2)
   9. BOS: Brad Marchand (DTD) / Danton Heinen -- Patrice Bergeron -- David Pastrnak (SAME)
   10. WPG: Nikolaj Ehlers -- Mark Scheifele -- Blake Wheeler (-2)
   11. EDM: Leon Draisaitl -- Connor McDavid -- Ty Rattie (+1)
   12. DAL: Jamie Benn -- Tyler Seguin -- Alexander Radulov (-1)
   13. TOR: Patrick Marleau -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen (SAME)
   14. TBL: Ondrej Palat -- Steven Stamkos -- Yanni Gourde / Alex Killorn (+1)
   15. NSH: Ryan Hartman -- Ryan Johansen -- Viktor Arvidsson (NEW)
   16. PIT: Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust (DTD) / Zach Aston-Reese (-2)
   17. VGK: Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith (+1)
   18. VGK: Brandon Pirri -- Paul Stastny -- Alex Tuch (+1)
   19. WSH: Jakub Vrana -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Tom Wilson (-3)
   20. WPG: Kyle Connor -- Bryan Little -- Patrik Laine (-3)
   21. VAN: Nikolay Goldobin / Josh Leivo -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser (+3)
   22. NYI: Anthony Beauvillier -- Mathew Barzal -- Josh Bailey (NEW)
   23. CHI: Artem Anisimov -- Dylan Strome -- Patrick Kane (NEW)
   24. SJS: Lukas Radil -- Logan Couture -- Timo Meier (-2)
   25. CAR: Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen (-2)
       NOTES:With Colorado's lines in flux, the Tampa Bay Lightning lead the list for the first time this season. The only other lines to hold that rank are the Avalanche and Boston Bruins… The Nashville Predators have rejoined the top 15 line rankings with right wing Viktor Arvidsson back from injury but are still awaiting the return of left wing Filip Forsberg (upper body). … The Edmonton Oilers' top duo of McDavid and Draisaitl has been reunited, and Rattie is rounding out the line in the absence of Alex Chiasson (knee; injured reserve). … With the return of left wing Sven Baertschi, the Vancouver Canucks rotated Baertschi, Leivo and Goldobin on a line with valuable forwards Pettersson and Boeser. … Rust (lower body) left the game after the first period Saturday and did not return; Aston-Reese replaced Rust on the first line with Crosby and Guentzel.
       Read: Week 11 line rankings