The hottest lines in fantasy hockey for Week Three.

Lead us forwards…..

Evgeny Kuznetsov – T.J. Oshie – Alexander Ovechkin (Washington)

Wow… talk about an explosion. The Capitals have scored 16 goals over their past three games. Oh yah… and all of those games were on the road. Coach Barry Trotz decided to keep Kuznetsov on the top line upon the return of Nicklas Backstrom. Trotz must be really happy with that decision as Kuznetsov was the NHL’s first star this past week with a whopping nine points (Click here to see his five-point performance versus the Oilers). This situation eerily reminds me of another which I managed to hit the jackpot on. What situation you ask? Well during the 2013-14 post-season a young Russian sniper caught my attention as every time he stepped on the ice… shit was happening. I took a shot on him in the 2014-15 draft in my fantasy league and he then proceeded to drop 73 points and 37 goals on the season. His name, Vladimir Tarasenko. I don’t want to say Kuznetsov will have the same coming out party but I wouldn’t be surprised if big things happen for Evgeny and especially if he continues to get more ice time with the Great Eight.

• EV Strength Production = 10 points

Nicklas Backstrom – Marcus Johansson – Justin Williams (Washington)

Had to mention this line as Backstrom has been red hot since returning from injury.

• EV Strength Production = 8 points

Mike Cammalleri – Adam Henrique – Lee Stempniak (New Jersey)

Don’t look now but the Devils are currently on a four-game win streak. I’m surprised when I see two consecutive wins for the Devils considering their lineup… but four?!? One would assume this win streak was largely due to Cory Schneider standing on his head but not so much as during this streak the Devils have scored 14 goals. To put that into perspective, the Penguins have scored only 13 goals on the season. This line is a major reason for the recent success of the Devils and Cammalleri finds himself currently in the top 10 for NHL scoring. Will this continue? No. Would I add Cammalleri in deeper leagues? Yes, why not for the short term. Point is enjoy this while it lasts because it will all come to a sudden screeching halt sooner or later.

• EV Strength Production = 8 points

Brendan Gallagher – Max Pacioretty – Tomas Plekanec (Montreal)

Life is good in Montreal. The Canadians have opened the season 9-0-0. An incredible run and many of us will be tuning in to their games to see how long it can last. If this line continues to produce the way they have, who knows when the Habs will lose. Carey Price doesn’t need a lot of goal support to get a W but the Canadians are scoring a whole lot. How much you ask? They currently lead the NHL with 35 goals which is eight more than the high powered Bolts. I don’t think Plekanec can keep up his current production, however, Pacioretty will definitely continue to fill the net because that’s just what he does.   

• EV Strength Production = 7 points
• PP Production = 6 points

Connor McDavid – Benoit Pouliot – Nail Yakupov (Edmonton)

After going pointless in his first two games, McDavid has ripped off nine points in his last seven (Click here to see him undress Mrazek). It’s safe to say that Connor will be just fine in the NHL and anyone who plays alongside him will reap the benefits. This may be just what the doctor ordered for Yakupov as the former first pick of the 2012 Draft looks to spark his once promising career. What better way to get your confidence back than play with McDavid. Yakupov has eight points in nine games this season. Keep an eye on the line combinations in Edmonton as Pouliot and Yakupov are definitely worth a look in standard leagues as long as they play beside Connor.

• EV Strength Production = 9 points
• PP Production = 5 points

Defend this…..

Andrei Markov – P.K. Subban (Montreal)

This defensive pairing is money in the bank. I mean we all know what we’re getting with P.K. but Markov is perhaps the most underrated defenseman in fantasy. I can’t tell you how many times I see Andrei slip to the later rounds in drafts and wonder… why? His age? His injury issues like three years back? Regardless, he has produced 93 points over his last two seasons with a ton coming on the PP. If you want consistency on the back end… there isn’t anything much better than these two.

• EV Production = 5 points
• PP Production = 4 points

John Carlson – Brooks Orpik (Washington)

I drafted Carlson in just about all of my fantasy leagues this season. I just love the way he plays and he produces straight across the board in most rotisserie leagues. Now with Mike Green gone, the sky is the limit for Carlson. I fully expect John to hit 60-65 points this season with added PP time. He has already produced handsomely on the PP with 5 points and there is no reason why he cannot eclipse 25 with the players they got. Oh, and Orpik pitched in 2 points this week.

• EV Strength Production = 5 points

John Klingberg – Alex Goligoski (Dallas)

Klingberg seems to be picking up just where he left off last season. He has shown no slowing down in his sophomore season as he currently has seven points in eight games. I love the way he works the PP and with guys like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin by his side… this kid could go off this year. Goligoski could also produce offensively and that’s why I really like this tandem as both of these defenseman can fill the net.

• EV Strength Production = 4 points

– Follow Jonathan Coretti on Twitter (@HolyPuckHockey)