Fantasy hockey lineup tips: How to get a piece of the best scoring NHL lines

Individual performance can only take a player so far in a fantasy manager’s esteem.

That is true for the most part. Your Nathan MacKinnon’s and Nikita Kucherov’s of the world notwithstanding, it’s important who a player shares the ice with when determining the hopes for their fantasy forecast.

Imagine you played in a fantasy hockey league in which, instead of drafting players, you drafted lines or defense pairings. And imagine you only got fantasy points from those lines or pairings when all the players in each unit was on the ice at 5-on-5.

In reality, our fantasy picks aren’t literally joined at the hip in this way, but it’s a good visualization of which lines are clicking or which pairs are working at the dawn of the season.

Here are the top lines by total fantasy points earned, but only when all three members are on the ice together at even strength.

The takeaway here is simple: grab a piece of these lines where you can. Lehkonen, who is still available in 60% of ESPN leagues, is an obvious first target. But Monahan (73.0%) and Kuzmenko (81.7%) are also accessible ways into some of the top lines.

The Blackhawks unit should be widely available and all three have been getting power-play time with Connor Bedard.

In deeper leagues, Brazeau and Mantha will only go as far as Malkin carries them — and he tends to run hot and cold in recent seasons.

Jump ahead: Goalies | Power Play | Droppables

But the gem to highlight overall here is Zack Bolduc (C, Montreal Canadiens, available in 40.3%). His even-strength line with veteran Gallagher and a healthy Dach has been getting fantasy points together in every standard ESPN category. Which is fine information on its own, but if we take the 5-on-5 restriction off on the points by line combinations, the Habs top power-play checks in with 12.8 fantasy points by Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Bolduc.

Meaning Bolduc is a part of two, separate top 20 fantasy lines in the early going. His role on the top PP wasn’t a sure thing before the season, with rookie Ivan Demidov expected to get reps. But Bolduc makes sense as a specialist, especially given his run on power-play stats late last season with the St. Louis Blues.

Defense is a little different. You don’t necessarily want to just get “access” to a pair, as the points are muted and there isn’t quite as much trickle down points to be had. For example, Carlo doesn’t belong on fantasy rosters just because he and Rielly are a top 10 duo for fantasy. But there are still some possible back-end roster options that crystalize.

Lundkvist, Fehervary, Ferraro and Zadorov all have a case to be on rosters in deeper leagues.

The ice time allotted to Gostisbehere is probably the most actionable item though, as pairing up with Nikishin is boosting his overall totals. He was sheltered by the Canes at 5-on-5 last season, but this partnership is working exceptionally well so far. In addition to being in the mix for the lead on duo fantasy points, the Hurricanes have scored five goals while this pair is on the ice — most in the NHL for a pairing — and allowed only one.

Gostisbehere is available in 40.7% of leagues, with Nikishin available in 89.5%.

Goalie notes

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Cam Talbot robs Maple Leafs with save

Cam Talbot robs Maple Leafs with save

Obviously the “this week” and “season” statistics here are basically the same thing, but to stick with the format we’ll use all season, we’ll keep it. There’s not a lot to say about the goaltending field yet beyond a few injuries, as there just isn’t enough of a sample to plant any flags anew.

Colorado Avalanche in four games (four last week):

• Scott Wedgewood (crease share season/week: 100.0%/100.0%, fantasy points season/week: 19.4/19.4, 50.7% available)

We went through some of this “will he, won’t he” with Wedgewood last season, as he flirted with stealing extra playing time from Mackenzie Blackwood following a few strong performances before the trade that brought the tandem together. But the Avs handed Blackwood both the reins and the contract, so there won’t be much debate about who’s No. 1 once he’s healthy (possibly later this week). Still, Wedgewood retains value in daily lineup formats given his results to date and a likely 35% crease share.

Detroit Red Wings in three games (four last week):

• Cam Talbot (crease share season/week: 79.3%/79.3%, fantasy points season/week: 10.4/10.4, 90.1% available)

• John Gibson (crease share season/week: 20.7%/20.7%, fantasy points season/week: -8.4/-8.4, 76.8% available)

Well, this is an awkward start, isn’t it? We can’t write off Gibson just yet, but Talbot has gone from an afterthought to a must-roster goalie overnight. Hopefully your fantasy season doesn’t hinge on this crease battle, but value is value and it looks like the Red Wings might win enough games to make it matter.

Montreal Canadiens in three games (three last week):

• Sam Montembeault (crease share season/week: 66.3%/66.3%, fantasy points season/week: 2.4/2.4, 19.8% available)

• Jakub Dobes (crease share season/week: 33.6%/33.6%, fantasy points season/week: 8.0/8.0, 94.2% available)

A rock-solid opening stretch for this duo, with Dobes continuing to answer the bell whenever called upon. The next few weeks should clarify how the starts are divided, but for now, it’s not quite time to scoop up Dobes. If his share pushes past 40%, it might be.

Utah Mammoth in three games (three last week):

• Karel Vejmelka (crease share season/week: 66.9%/66.9%, fantasy points season/week: 5.0/5.0, 65.7% available)

• Vitek Vanecek (crease share season/week: 33.1%/33.1%, fantasy points season/week: -1.8/-1.8, 99.0% available)

With Vanecek’s start already out of the way on Monday, Vejmelka could take all three of the Mammoth’s remaining games this week. After facing the Flames, Sharks and Bruins, his availability percentage might look a lot different than it does now.

Power-play notes

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Leo Carlsson wins it in OT for the Ducks

Leo Carlsson lifts the Ducks with a clutch goal in overtime to defeat the Sharks 7-6.

Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks (available in 76.7%): The Ducks have been dumping buckets of pucks at their two opponents so far this season. Carlsson is absolutely central to their attack and his role on the power-play is a prime one.

Sean Monahan, C, Columbus Blue Jackets (available in 73.0%): With 3:24 of power-play time per game so far, Monahan is helping drive the top unit for the Blue Jackets. That wasn’t guaranteed given Adam Fantilli’s continued emergence, but it strengthens the case for Monahan as an early-season waiver add, especially considering his top-line role at 5-on-5.

Sam Rinzel, D, Chicago Blackhawks (available in 80.0%): In 11:04 of total power-play time so far, Chicago’s top unit has managed only five shots on goal, while the second unit cashed in during Monday’s win. If the top group doesn’t start clicking soon, Rinzel is the most likely swap-out for a new look, with Artyom Levshunov and PP specialist Matt Grzelcyk waiting in the wings.

David Tomasek, RW, Edmonton Oilers (available in 99.3%): It would be an easier sell if Tomasek had a meaningful 5-on-5 role, but there could still be value here based solely on power-play exposure. He’s locked onto the first unit, which has two goals through two games and is generating plenty of chances.

Anton Lundell, LW, Florida Panthers (available in 34.1%): The Panthers’ top unit has two power-play goals so far, but the second unit has four in less than half the ice time. Lundell is a must-add across all formats with three power-play points in four games.

Zeev Buium, D, Minnesota Wild (available in 62.9%): With two more power-play goals on Monday, the Wild’s top unit is up to six on the season (and a seventh came when Marco Rossi subbed out for Vladimir Tarasenko). This group is ridiculous, and Buium should be rostered everywhere for the power-play points alone.

Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils (available in 14.9%): After two games of balanced power-play units, the Devils swapped Dawson Mercer and Luke Hughes off the first unit for Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton on Monday. The result? The top unit’s first tally with the man advantage.

Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (available in 79.1%): It’s likely just an effort to add some punch to the second unit, but for now Bjorkstrand remains a fixture on the first, while Brandon Hagel skates with the second group. If only Bjorkstrand could wedge his way into the top six at 5-on-5.

Droppables

There aren’t any must-drops this early in the campaign, at least not ones you don’t already know in your heart of hearts. It’s still a little too soon to cut bait on slow starts, but another week or two of weak production will start to separate the expendable from the essential.

In the meantime, here are a few names and early ice-time trends worth monitoring. We’ll revisit with a larger sample size if these players don’t start seeing more minutes.

• Frank Vatrano, RW, Anaheim Ducks (rostered in 76.5%): 12:14 TOI per game, 1.2 FPPG

• Adam Fantilli, C, Columbus Blue Jackets (rostered in 95.3%): 15:40 TOI per game, 1.6 FPPG

• Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado Avalanche (rostered in 68.3%): 13:51 TOI per game, 0.5 FPPG

• Ivan Demidov, RW, Montreal Canadiens (rostered in 49.3%): 13:15 TOI per game, 0.4 FPPG

• Matvei Michkov, RW, Philadelphia Flyers (rostered in 87.3%): 14:25 TOI per game, 0.1 FPPG

• Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks (rostered in 97.6%): 15:57 TOI per game, 1.5 FPPG

Wait … less than 16 minutes per game for Pettersson? Really? That’s one we’ll be keeping a close eye on in the coming weeks.