Week 7: Fantasy team power rankings for 2018-19

NHL.com has updated the fantasy hockey team power rankings based on the latest top 200, with added emphasis put on top 100 players. Other factors taken into account include rank of goalie(s) and power play, lineup and injury trends and overall upside and team security for standard leagues.
Fantasy owners should use these rankings as a basis for team evaluation, add/drop decisions and trade proposals. For more fantasy coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.

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TRENDING UP

Buffalo Sabres: They have won eight straight games entering Saturday, and the fantasy value of their top players continues to rise. Center Jack Eichel joined NHL.com's top 20 overall (17th) this week, goalie Carter Hutton cracked the top 15 fantasy goalies (14th) and left wing Jeff Skinner is tied for the NHL lead in goals (17). The Sabres have two defensemen in the top 30, and rookie Rasmus Dahlin has rewarded his patient fantasy owners with seven points (one goal, six assists) and a plus-5 in his past seven games. Right wings Jason Pominville and Sam Reinhart have been relevant when on the top line with Eichel and Skinner and are worth hanging onto in standard leagues.
New York Rangers: They only have four players in NHL.com's top 200 rankings, but their forward group has been much more potent than the opening month of the season. Center Mika Zibanejad is relevant in all fantasy leagues (19 points in 24 games), and left wing Chris Kreider is among Yahoo's top 30 overall based on standard category coverage. Forwards Kevin Hayes (C, 13 percent owned) and Filip Chytil (C, 4 percent) have been productive on the second line with Kreider over the past two weeks, highlighted by Chytil's five-game goal streak from Nov. 12-21. Defenseman Neal Pionk ranks third among defensemen in power-play points (11), and goalie Henrik Lundqvist has bounced back with a .920 save percentage through his first 18 games. The Rangers are far exceeding fantasy expectations, even with injuries to right wings Mats Zuccarello (groin; day to day) and Pavel Buchnevich (broken thumb).

TRENDING DOWN

Edmonton Oilers: The hiring of coach Ken Hitchcock, who replaced Todd McLellan on Tuesday, gives some hope to underachieving goalie Cam Talbot (potential 2019 unrestricted free agent). But backup Mikko Koskinen (25 percent owned; .914 SV%) has started the first two games since the coaching change and could also benefit from Hitchcock's defensive system. Edmonton remains a one-line team when it has elite forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together at even strength; they're playing with wing Drake Caggiula in recent games. Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has moved back to center and has goals in back-to-back games since the coaching change on a separate line from McDavid, but Nugent-Hopkins' quality of linemates doesn't instill much fantasy confidence moving forward. Top defenseman Oscar Klefbom has no goals this season and no points in his past seven games.
Vancouver Canucks: They continue to await the return of right wing Brock Boeser (groin), defenseman Alexander Edler and left wing Sven Baertschi (concussion), but their eight-game losing streak (0-7-1) entering Saturday has crushed their short-term fantasy appeal. Outside of rookie standout Elias Pettersson, their only other two players in NHL.com's top 200 are center Bo Horvat and wing Nikolay Goldobin. Defenseman Ben Hutton has three power-play points in his past four games and is sniffing relevance until Edler returns, but goalie Jacob Markstrom has completely fallen off the map since being among the top 25 goalie rankings earlier this month.

FANTASY TEAM POWER RANKINGS FOR 2018-19

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (SAME)
   2. Toronto Maple Leafs (SAME)
   3. Winnipeg Jets (SAME)
   4. Nashville Predators (SAME)
   5. Colorado Avalanche (SAME)
   6. Columbus Blue Jackets (+1)
   7. Boston Bruins (-1)
   8. Washington Capitals (SAME)
   9. Minnesota Wild (SAME)
   10. Vegas Golden Knights (+1)
   11. San Jose Sharks (-1)
   12. Buffalo Sabres (+3)
   13. Pittsburgh Penguins (-1)
   14. Dallas Stars (-1)
   15. Florida Panthers (-1)
   16. Philadelphia Flyers (+1)
   17. St. Louis Blues (-1)
   18. Arizona Coyotes (-1)
   19. Calgary Flames (+1)
   20. Carolina Hurricanes (SAME)
   21. Edmonton Oilers (-2)
   22. Anaheim Ducks (SAME)
   23. Montreal Canadiens (+1)
   24. New York Rangers (+3)
   25. Ottawa Senators (+3)
   26. New York Islanders (-1)
   27. Vancouver Canucks (-4)
   28. Chicago Blackhawks (-2)
   29. New Jersey Devils (SAME)
   30. Detroit Red Wings (SAME)
   31. Los Angeles Kings (SAME)
       Read: Week 6 Fantasy team power rankings