The Islanders second line is one of the hottest in the NHL and other hot lines.

Lead us forwards…..

Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane – Artemi Panarin (Chicago)

This line has appeared before on this list and here they are again. Something tells me this isn’t the last time we will see them either as they are just that good. The departure of Patrick Sharp is obviously a tough thing to handle as he is a solid winger and most especially on the PP… just ask Dallas. However, with the way Anisimov and Panarin have played alongside Agent 88, I think the Blackhawks will be just fine. Kane is having an unbelievable season and it’s quite possible he eclipses the 100-point mark which in this age of the NHL is unfathomable. It’s safe to say that Anisimov and Panarin will continue to produce in the second half of the season with Kane channeling his inner Wayne Gretzky this year. According to Looking Ahead Chicago has a favorable schedule this upcoming week with four games and all of them being played at home.

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

Nikolay Kulemin – Frans Nielsen – Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders)

It will be very interesting to see what the Isles decide to do with Okposo as he is a UFA come Canada Day. I am a huge Okposo fan as I have drafted him in many of my fantasy leagues. For some reason he doesn’t get to much buzz but he is having a pretty productive season with 31 points in 38 games. Not to mention he earned many of those points away from John Tavares which proves he can get it done on his own… ahem Matt Moulson. Okposo should end up in the 60-70 point range come season end. Nielsen is the only other part of this line worth looking at as Kulemin has no fantasy relevance. Continue to ride Okposo with confidence but be aware that he has had injury issues in his last two seasons so he may potentially miss sometime down the stretch.  However, if he is reunited with Tavares at some point in the remainder of the season, he could surpass the 70-point mark.

• EV Strength Production = 4 points
• PP Production = 4 points

Jack Eichel – Brian Gionta – Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo)

I mentioned last week how I expected a lot more from Jack and what does he do? He goes out and gets five points in three games this past week. I must say after watching Eichel over this past week he is shooting the puck a heck of a lot more and being way more aggressive. I’m not sure how long Eichel will stay with his current line mates but I think he will be juggled around all season as now is the time to explore with the young sniper. I would say aside from Eichel to maybe keep an eye on Girgensons to see if he can build some chemistry with Jack. But with eight points on the season, Zemgus has not looked to promising. Point is if you own Eichel STAND PAT and continue to roll him as he adjusts to the NHL.

• EV Strength Production = 8 points

Anze Kopitar – Milan Lucic – Tyler Toffoli (Los Angeles)

Toffoli is loving life with Kopitar. Not to say that Jeff Carter is a slouch but Anze loves to dish that puck and Tyler loves to put it in the net so it seems like a match made in hockey heaven. Toffoli has five goals in his last six games and it seems that he will smash his total of 23 goals from last season as he already has 19 goals in 39 games. The third piece of this line has done very well for himself since joining the Kings in the offseason. Lucic has 23 points on the season but aside from his offensive production his grit and energy has really helped the Kings. I love every piece of this line and I think it will stick as long as the Kings keep winning.

• EV Strength Production = 5 points
• PP Production = 2 points

Defend this…..

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook (Chicago)

You would think that the way Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks have played this season that this duo would appear on this list on a weekly basis. However, Keith did have his injury issues earlier in the season and lost 10 games because of it. Now that Duncan is back and rolling the Blackhawks look more dangerous than ever. We know what to expect at a minimum from Keith as he pretty much gives you a floor of 45 points and literally the sky is the limit in terms of the ceiling. However, Seabrook has interested me this season as a sneaky fantasy play. Traditionally, Seabrook has been a 35-point type defenseman in Chicago as most of the spotlight and offensive emphasis has been around Keith on the back end.  But this season has been a coming out party for Seabrook as he already has 25 points while almost matching his PP totals from last season. Keep in mind that Seabrook is a UFA come seasons end so there is a fire under his ass but he’s also received more opportunities to contribute offensively (i.e. on the power play). As mentioned above, the Blackhawks have a fantastic schedule this week with four games at home so ride this duo with confidence.

• EV Production = 4 points

Kris Letang (Pittsburgh)

This guy is so good that I put him on his own because whoever he plays with is irrelevant. Letang usually lines up with Olli Maatta at even strength but Kris produces in pretty much every department as shown below therefore it’s not fair to list anyone but himself. When healthy and that’s a big WHEN, Letang is one of the league’s elite blue liners. I think Letang can easily produce at a John Klingberg type level and the second half of the season will be a real treat for Letang owners. If you don’t own Letang try to BUY but something tells me that window is closed shut. And if you don’t own Letang hope he does what he does best and get hurt sometime in the next few weeks.

• EV Strength Production = 1 point
• PP Production = 4 points
• SH Production = 1 point

Travis Hamonic – Nick Leddy (NY Islanders)

The Islanders expected big things when Leddy came to town. I mean how could you not? Nick produced 31 points in Chicago with very little offensive opportunities and PP time. The thought was Leddy would breakout with an increased role in New York. In his first season with the Isles, Leddy produced 37 points which isn’t too shabby. But this season Leddy has been abysmal with only 15 points which is concerning. However, in his last five games Leddy has produced six points and he seems to be catching fire. The Islanders rank 18^th on the PP this season and that’s just not good enough when you have John Tavares on the man advantage. If Tavares can get going and the PP can spark… Leddy could be in for a surge in points as he mans the top PP. Keep an eye on Leddy going forward as he has potential to have a breakout second half.

• EV Production = 3 points

– Follow Jonathan Coretti on Twitter (@HolyPuckHockey)