Forsberg Powering the Predators Turnaround

Fred Poulin

2017-01-31

Let's have a look at the hottest lines in the National Hockey League since the beginning of the season, including a few defensemen producing offensively. You will also find below the "Cold as ice" line and duo of the week.

 

Hot forwards

 

Viktor ArvidssonFilip ForsbergRyan Johansen (Nashville)

With seven points over his last eight games, including six goals, Forsberg is flying under the radar in offensive circles this season after a somewhat slow start. Forsberg had no goal in his first 13 games and he now has 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points in 49 games. His six points in his last four games have put Johansen back to usual 60+ scoring pace. The talented winger now has eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points in 49 games. RyJo has been very productive on the power play with 15 points already. Joining them on that line is the speedy Arvidsson. The little-known winger has five points in five games for Nashville. The sophomore is enjoying a breakout season, having notched 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points already. The Swede had recorded only 16 points in 56 games last year with the Preds so this offensive surge is kind of unexpected.

 

Overall Production = 98 points

PP Production = 26 points

 

Jaden SchwartzPaul StastnyAlexander Steen (St. Louis)

Having recorded 13 points in his last 12 games, Steen is finally finding himself on the scoresheet more often after a tedious start. The speedy Steen, who has eight goals and 31 points in 43 games, is currently on pace for a 55-point campaign, which is on par with his usual production of 55-to-65 points. With nine points in his last ten games, Stastny is producing at a similar pace, potting 12 goals and adding 16 assists for 28 points in 48 games with St. Louis. The pivot is en route to another good season approaching the 50-point mark at year's end if he can stay healthy. The third member of this line is Schwartz, who is riding a nice streak of 10 points in nine games. He has the same point total as Steen with 31 (13 goals and 18 assists) and he is on pace a great season after missing most of the last year with injuries (he played only 33 games in 2015-16).

 

Overall Production = 90 points

PP Production = 26 points

 

Andrei Burakovsky – Lars EllerBrett Connolly (Washington)

With 12 points in his last eight games, Burakovsky is blazing hot for the Capitals, even if he is still playing on the fourth line. After a very slow start, he now has a solid 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 46 games despite playing only 13 minutes per game on average. At least, Burakovsky is getting some power-play time on the second unit and can move up and down the line-up when T.J. Oshie misses games! With eight points in his past 10 games, Eller is showing signs of life after a dismal beginning in his new uniform after being acquired from Montreal in the off-season. After a mere two points in his first 17 games, Eller now has 15 points in 48 games. Eller is only worth watching in the deepest of fantasy leagues. The last member of this line has four goals and one assist in his last 10 games. Connolly, who has only 10 points in 35 games this season, is not worth rostering in any kind of fantasy format.

 

Overall Production = 52 points

PP Production = 5 points

 

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Dynamic duo

Zach WerenskiSeth Jones (Columbus)

With three points in his last three games, Werenski is having a solid campaign for the Blue Jackets. The young blueliner is flying under the radar as a rookie-of-the-year candidate, but he now has eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points in 48 contests. With 17 points with the man advantage, Werenski has been lights out for the league-leading power play this season. Now joining him on the first PP unit, is his defense partner Jones who has six assists in his last seven games. With seven goals and 17 helpers for 24 points in 42 games, Jones is currently on pace for his first season of 40+ points, which is a good sign as his production has been trending upwards in the past few years. He is also being deployed on the first PP unit now in order to jumpstart a man advantage that has been unproductive lately.

 

Overall Production = 53 points

PP Production = 21 points

 

Cold as ice line

Sven BaertschiBo HorvatAlexandre Burrows (Vancouver)

Representing the Canucks at the All-Star game for the first time, Horvat has somewhat cooled down over the last few games, recording only two points in his last six outings. Vancouver's leading scorer with 32 points in 50 games, Horvat leads the team with 14 goals. Still, Horvat is stuck on the second power play unit behind the Sedins, so he only has six PP points this season. With no single point in his last nine games, Burrows is struggling to produce offensively on a consistent basis and he is not relevant anymore in fantasy circles. He has a mere 16 points in 50 games this year and he hasn't been a scoring winger since his 52-point campaign of 2011-12.  He is not getting any PP time, so steer clear of him even if he gets hot for a few games. Their linemate Baertschi has only two points in his last seven games. Yet, on the season he has a respectable 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 47 games and he is currently on pace to easily break his career-best on 28 points recorded last year.

 

Overall Production = 74 points

PP Production = 10 points

 

Cold as ice duo

Cam FowlerSami Vatanen (Anaheim)

With only one point in his last 11 games, Vatanen is struggling offensively and has even been in the coach's doghouse being a healthy scratch earlier this season. Overall, the Finn has only two goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 47 games for Anaheim. He will be hard pressed to repeat the solid production of his two previous seasons (38 and 37 points). As for his partner Fowler, he has a respectable three points in his last seven games, but he has only one goal in his past 18 games. On the season, Fowler still has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 51 games for the Ducks. He should easily surpass his career-best production of 36 points in 2013-14.

 

Overall Production = 43 points

PP Production = 22 points

2 Comments

  1. jerrodedson99 2017-02-01 at 18:32

    Forsberg is still very young but has started slow the past two seasons. Is he ever going to put a full season together with 40+ goals or will this be the norm for him? He’s a frustrating player to own as you’ve gotta brace for the first half of the season before he gets going.

    • fredpoulin 2017-02-02 at 13:22

      You have to be patient with players like Forbserg and Kuznetzov as they are very talented and manage to find a way to catch up after their slow start.

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