Posted - 10/24/2013 : 14:29:30 The Sharks have been lighting it up so far, but will it continue?
Though only a few weeks into the regular season, there may be a few patterns emerging. Obviously, Sidney Crosby is still very good. San Jose’s power play is still quite scary and a line that lit up the fantasy scoreboard made a return in Week 3. What might happen in Week 4? Let’s go “Between The Lines”.
Lead Us Forwards
Sidney Crosby-Chris Kunitz-Pascal Dupuis (Pittsburgh) -- Honestly it is not fair that Sidney Crosby had 17 points going into last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, but here we are. This trio had 15 points when playing together. Crosby led all scorers for the week with eight points, while Kunitz tallied six, and Dupuis five. The best line in hockey is Crosby’s for a reason -- the complimentary pieces. Kunitz and Dupuis proved they can still produce without Crosby last year (broken jaw). One now sees the results of their chemistry in all of their fantasy glory.
Logan Couture-Joe Pavelski-Joe Thornton-Patrick Marleau (San Jose) -- That Sharks 7-0-1 start is not an accident as they have been able to operate with an, at times, lights out power play. Everyone but Logan Couture had six points (so he had four). It seemed like every opportunity this group had on the man advantage was converted. Last night’s game versus Detroit was telling without “rover” Brent Burns in the lineup. With the road trip this week, something tells me production will be lower in Week 4. The home cooking is over so points are at a premium.
Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Rich Peverley (Dallas) -- Benn and Seguin are just one hell of a duo. Something tells me Boston will regret this trade for decades. This line is not the highest frequency for Dallas (2nd-- 28.9% EV) but they make an impact 5 on 5 like few trios have in October. It will be interesting to see if Peverley is worked into the man advantage for Dallas more often. The Stars do use four men exclusively, so the odds could eventually improve.
Alex Semin-Jiri Tlusty-Eric Staal (Carolina) -- Hey, maybe last week they finally figured it out after Jiri Tlusty was briefly booted off the top line. It was not the Earth shattering week people maybe expected but it was effective as Eric Staal (2G, 3 A) finally looked like Eric Staal. Staal has four points at even strength out of the seven overall. Somehow, they play three games this week yet their fortunes could turn south again. (PIT, @COL, @MIN). Please plan accordingly.
Defend This!
Seth Jones-Shea Weber (Nashville) -- It was a strange week for defensemen, but a first-round pick and a franchise defenseman had five points when on the ice at the same time. Weber had three points in Week 3, which he has not done in what feels like years. This was the first time that he looked like the Shea Weber of old. While Nashville will not set scoring records anytime soon, at least this is one way to keep Seth Jones relevant from a fantasy standpoint.
Alex Pietrangelo-Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis) -- Jay Bouwmeester had three points in Week 3? I give up and yes I really mean that. The gods must be crazy! The duo had four points overall, but St. Louis only plays twice this week (@NSH, VAN). Honestly these may not be the greatest games and the fact that Pietrangelo is questionable for Friday makes me hesitant to expect much offense from these two. After all, the rest may make the Blues rusty.
P.K. Subban-Andrei Markov (Montreal) -- Here is this pairing yet again, but with only four points combined for Week 3. There is not much of a surprise here, but needless to say this pairing is still one Andrei Markov injury away from unraveling. That being said, Subban is if not the best defensemen in the NHL, then he is 1A behind Erik Karlsson. For our sakes, P.K. Subban is the top defenseman and major stat filler, which means ride this duo no matter what.
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