What We Learned in Week 2 of Fantasy Hockey
We are officially 13 days into the fantasy season, and many owners are either celebrating their 2-0 record or panicking as they look for a solution for their 0-2 squad. As we do every Monday, I looked at all the big fantasy news and trends from the past seven days and put together a quick list of notes for Week 2 of fantasy hockey:
THE GOOD
Toronto’s Top Six Is Back with a Vengeance
Auston Matthews (9) and William Nylander (8) led all NHLers in points for Week 2, an impressive output that earned the Maple Leafs’ captain the NHL First Star of the Week award. Whether Toronto is winning or losing, it is hard to deny their early offensive output: 14 goals in three games (2-0-1).
Montreal’s Goaltending Situation Grew Interesting
After a fluke in practice, an injury took Sam Montembeault out for 10-14 days; Jacob Fowler was called up from Laval (AHL) and posted an impressive 1-1-0 record, 1.46 GAA, .938 SV% and a 30-save shutout last week across two appearances, while Jakub Dobes ‘ early-season struggles continued on the year. (1-1-1 record | 4.43 GAA | .856 SV% | 0 SO)
No Stanley Cup Hangover for Carolina
Carolina has come out of the gate flying after their long playoff run and 2025-26 Stanley Cup victory, with a league-best 27 goals for and a 5-1-1 record. They currently have nine players with five or more points in their 7 games played, including three at or above a point-per-game pace (Aho, Svechnikov, Blake).
The Rangers Lost a Pillar, but May Just Be OK
Igor Shesterkin was ruled out for the remainder of the 2026-27 campaign after an unfortunate lower-body injury on Friday night, leaving Dylan Garand (55% owned) to take over the crease in the Big Apple. The 24-year-old currently holds a 2-1-1 record, with a 1.20 GAA (3rd in the NHL) and .945 SV% (3rd in the NHL). He is looking like a serviceable starter.
Jake Oettinger, Have a Week
With two shutouts, a .983 SV%, and two wins, Oettinger single-handedly won many fantasy teams their goaltending categories. A nice treat for fantasy owners who took the goalie around his high 25.0 ADP mark.
Previous “Letdowns” Are Showing Up
Alexis Lafreniere (5) and Andrei Svechnikov (4) led the NHL in goals in Week 2, while Owen Power currently sits at a point-per-game through five games. All top prospects who have failed to deliver in previous fantasy seasons are stepping up in big ways to start 2026-27.
THE BAD
Injuries Are Adding Up
As of Monday morning, 17 players in Yahoo’s ADP top 250 can be placed on IR/IR+ right now. That is a very high number of fantasy-relevant players for just two weeks into the season. It may be a long 84 games for some teams.
Vancouver May Give Up a Historic Amount of Goals
After giving up 35 goals in their first seven games (5.0 per game), Vancouver is on pace to give up an eye-popping 420 goals against over an 84-game season. That would rank them second-worst all time, behind the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, who gave up 446 goals with Ron Low in net over an 80-game campaign. If your fantasy league has +/-, staying away from Canuck players may be a good idea.
Will Florida’s Big Boys Ever Score?
Both Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart have been held pointless through five games this season, causing heavy panic from fantasy owners and fans alike. A potential Monday afternoon matinee is the duo’s first chance to get points in Week 3.
There Are a Lot of Struggling Goalies
With league-wide save percentage down for a third straight season, it’s no surprise that key fantasy netminders have struggled out of the gate. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.782 SV%), Dustin Wolf (.816), Tristan Jarry (.837), Jakub Dobes (.856), Dan Vladar (.857), Yaroslav Askarov (.860), John Gibson (.862), Mackenzie Blackwood (.867), Jet Greaves (.867), Darcy Kuemper (.868) and Brandon Bussi (.871) are just a few of the struggling names so far.
Plenty of Key Players Failed to Find the Scoresheet in Week 2
The list of fantasy-relevant players who were held pointless last week may shock you. It includes: Cole Caufield, Cutter Gauthier, Sidney Crosby, Jakob Chychrun, Will Smith, Matthew Knies, Quinton Byfield, and the two Florida stars mentioned above. All will be looking for big bounce-back Week 3s.