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).