The only knock on Halak is his save percentage which is quite average for a starting goaltender. That is not a huge price to pay because of his win total, his strong GAA and his three shutouts. Look for the outstanding fantasy numbers to continue as long as the Islanders are playing at such a high level.

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Honorable mentions

Mike Hoffman

After tearing up the AHL last year, it was not surprising to see Hoffman make the Senators. However, not many expected him to have this much success out of the gate. While his shooting percentage is a bit high at 14%, he is shooting around 2.5 shots per game which is a good formula for scoring goals in the NHL. Oddly enough, he has scored all of his points at even strength despite averaging around 90 seconds per night on the power play. Breaking his funk with the man advantage would help offset any second-half drop in production at even strength.

Derick Brassard / Rick Nash

The Ranger linemates are lumped together their successes and potential future declines are tied together. Both have greatly exceeded expectations thus far and have benefited from excellent puck luck. Brassard (15%) and Nash (18%) are well above their career averages. Both totals are likely to drop in the coming months. Meanwhile, the result of one player scoring less frequently will affect the other's assist total. Both will remain legitimate scoring line players but maintaining their current star-level play will be very difficult.

John Carlson

After teasing fantasy owners for many years Carlson appears to have arrived as a major offensive contributor. The fact that he has only scored seven points on the power play shows that he is not relying too heavily on advantageous situations to get his points. As it stands right now he is on pace for 60 points. That is unlikely to happen this year but 50 points is certainly attainable provided that he does not hit a prolonged slump.

Anton Stralman

Tampa Bay's big free agent acquisition has delivered the goods and has made a big difference for the Lightning. He has also shown an offensive side to his game that we are not accustomed to seeing and is logging a career-high 22 minutes of ice time per night. Prior to getting four points in his last three games, he had gone eight games without a single point. While the points will likely continue to come for Stralman, they will come in bunches and he could be prone to long droughts.

It is no secret that Carey Price is a star goaltender. However, he has pushed his game to a new level this year and is the primary reason why the Canadiens currently sit atop the Eastern Conference. Barring injury, Price should clear 40 wins while helping the Habs close out a third consecutive successful campaign under the team's new management. The only area of concern is that the Canadiens are allowing a lot of shots for a playoff team. Unless they rectify the problem it could start cutting into the wins at some point.

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