Who doesn't like a winner? Written off as being irrelevant (or at the very least, forgettable) earlier this campaign, a few NHL clubs are noticeably redeeming themselves of late -- winning games, scoring goals and reminding us they aren't out of it just yet. Sure, in some cases, a playoff berth may still be too much to expect, but that won't stop these sides from trying.
Last week, we took a look at some of the top surprises the Western Conference has to offer. This week, though, we shine a spotlight on a handful of these suddenly surging teams from the Eastern Conference, with a eye on the fantasy value lurking within these newly relevant squads.
Carolina Hurricanes: They're storm surging up the standings. Yes, Don Cherry's "favorite" assembly of NHL rascals might duck-duck-goose their way into a playoff berth before the anti-fun brigade inevitably tires of complaining about these antics. Eventually, outside of fans invested in the team displaced from that postseason spot, few will mind seeing more of these wacky celebrations. But, never mind the post-victory shenanigans these guys and their fans are enjoying while winning 16 of their past 23 games, as there's also plenty to appreciate from a fantasy perspective.
The fantasy cream: Sebastian Aho, RW/C; Teuvo Teravainen, LW/RW; Dougie Hamilton, D
Supporting cast: This team has a rich auxiliary assembly, indeed. First there's former Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter, who has eight goals and five assists in 14 games since joining the Hurricanes. While he's no longer one of fantasy hockey's most valuable secrets, skating on a top line with Aho and Justin Williams, the forward remains up for grabs in more than one-third of ESPN.com leagues. For his part, Williams (47.2 percent) merits more attention himself, as he's been red-hot this February with 10 points in 10 games, averaging nearly four shots per contest.
Looking at Carolina's second scoring line and power-play unit, Micheal Ferland (40.9 percent) is back in the swing of things with five points in four games -- including a pair with the extra skater. Even if the 26-year-old is traded ahead of his becoming a free agent in July (as many have predicted), he won't drop in value if he lands in a top-six role with some other contender.
Despite quieting of late, defenseman Jaccob Slavin can't be overlooked as a blue-line commodity with tangible upside. He's rostered in only 16.8 percent of leagues, but the 24-year-old is on pace for a 40-plus-point season. Plus he'd see an uptick in ice-time and offensive responsibility if either Hamilton or Justin Faulk is dealt ahead of Monday's deadline.
In the crease: While having both Curtis McElhinney (14.6 percent) and Petr Mrazek (5.1 percent) performing at their stingiest bodes wonderfully for the Hurricanes, it also presents as a frustrating conundrum for fantasy managers in conventional leagues where the split in workload is not appreciated. For now, use either man in DFS competition when the matchup fits -- at least until one of the two runs away with the gig. Based on recent resumes, we'd lean to McElhinney in that regard.
Florida Panthers: It feels like déjà-vu all over again in the too little, too late department for these second-half bloomers. After plodding through the first few months of 2017-18, the Panthers scraped out victories in 25 of their 35 final games, winding up just a single point out of a playoff spot. Here we are, one year later, and they've won 9-of-13 to pull within nine points of the last berth. Anyone accepting wagers on a second-straight convincing ninth-place finish this April? It certainly wouldn't be a great surprise considering the talent on this team.
While you won't find fantasy managers complaining about such a turnaround, uncertainty abounds as there could be a few pieces moved before Monday's trade deadline. Rumored to be in the market for pending free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky (if the Columbus Blue Jackets don't settle on riding their own "rentals" for a postseason run), Florida's roster could look significantly different next week. For now, though, we'll presume GM Dale Tallon sticks with the status quo -- but if Jonathan Huberdeau and/or whoever, is shipped off in a package for Panarin and Bobrovsky and/or some other player of fantasy substance, we'll address after it happens.
The fantasy cream: Aleksander Barkov, C; Jonathan Huberdeau, LW; Mike Hoffman, LW/RW; Evgenii Dadonov, RW; Vincent Trocheck, C; Keith Yandle, D; Aaron Ekblad, D
Supporting cast: For a team several strides away from even knocking on the playoff door, the Panthers boast a large number of successful fantasy operatives. Still, there are undervalued assets to appreciate outside of those more popular ones. Well, there's at least one -- and he's named Frank Vatrano. A top-six fixture for some time now and currently on a No. 1 scoring line with Huberdeau and Barkov, the 24-year-old has 18 points in 21 games, 10 of them goals. The former Boston skater is rostered in only 15.5 percent of leagues. Looking for dark horses, consider AHL call-up Jayce Hawryluk, who has been promoted to a scoring line with Trocheck and Dadonov. Nobody knows how long this configuration might last, but those playing DFS have an intriguing GPP commodity while it does.
In the crease: Here's where it gets a bit sticky. While still viewed as the "go-to guy" when healthy, Roberto Luongo hasn't been great this season, unlike a year ago when (once he recovered from injury) he merited much of the credit for Florida's second-half upswing. James Reimer has been better, particularly of late, while winning three in a row. If the Panthers are serious about challenging for a playoff spot -- and they insist they still are -- you can bet your bottom dollar that Bob Boughner will ride the hotter goaltender down the stretch.
Right now, rostered in just 3.8 percent of leagues, that hot hand is Reimer. In fact, the 30-year-old has been good-to-great in 6-of-7 recent starts. Fantasy managers with strong stomachs might choose to ride the former member of the Maple Leafs until he falls apart -- which he will. At that point, Luongo can surely be counted to step up and shine in his own right. Such has been the way of the world these past three seasons. Enlist their fantasy services accordingly.
Philadelphia Flyers: Credit the 20-year-old all you like as, since taking over between Philadelphia's pipes in mid-January, Carter Hart has helped steer this team to a 12-2-1 record. That's the best in the East since Jan. 13 and, while there's no discounting the value provided by such stability in net, the club has also averaged 3.67 goals per game over that stretch. Six points out of a playoff spot, these soaring Flyers could provide plenty of appreciable fantasy value as the season winds down.
The fantasy cream: Claude Giroux, C/LW; Jakub Voracek, RW/LW; Sean Couturier, C; Shayne Gostisbehere, D
Supporting cast: While UFA-to-be Wayne Simmonds will probably be elsewhere after Monday, the rest of the Flyers roster is projected to remain relatively intact, The likes of Radko Gudas and Michael Raffl don't concern us conventional fantasy folk all that much. As such, competing on a line with Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, winger Travis Konecny should continue to contribute at a pleasant clip. Since this team's turnaround began mid-January, the 21-year-old has seven goals and five assists in 13 games. Showing marked improvement since his 2016 debut, the 2016 first-round draft selection has legit 65-plus-point potential down the road. Check on his availability in your league.
Rookie Oskar Lindblom is also drawing some deserved attention as he has found his scoring touch on a line with Voracek and Couturier -- collecting three goals and an assist on 12 shots in his last three contests. Widely available, this youngster is a "must roster" in dynasty formats. Meanwhile, on the blue line, Ivan Provorov has showcased a little extra sparkle with three points in his last four games, while exceeding his season-long ice-time average of 25:15. In fact, he skated more than half an hour in a regulation win over the Minnesota Wild last week. As a member of the Flyers' secondary power play (along with Konecny and Lindblom), this still-only 22-year-old sports an elevated ceiling as both a real-life NHL defenseman and as a treasured fantasy asset.
In the crease: Feel free to ignore the recent loss to the Lightning, which is a "mulligan" that should be granted to every goalie in the league. Somehow, Hart remains available in more than one-half of ESPN.com leagues. Sure, he's an unproven rookie who can still crumble at any moment, but he hasn't yet. There's no danger that coach Scott Gordon will soon be offering the regular starter's gig to fresh import Cam Talbot, or a newly healed Brian Elliott -- that is, unless Hart truly comes apart at the seams. This kid is the real deal. As for Talbot, should his change in scenery prove to be the healing balm to what has been a completely forgettable campaign to date, the 31-year-old veteran could serve as a useful DFS asset, when offered the chance.