Crosby leads the hottest line in the league. Which other lines are hot right now?

Lead us forwards…..

Sidney Crosby – Patric Hornqvist – Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh)

Sid is back to his old ways as he continues to pile up the points since the turn of the New Year. I love how about a few months ago everyone and their mother was saying how Sid was getting old and injuries were starting to take a toll. The reality all along was the team simply did not want to play for their coach and the PP needed fixing. New coach and boom… Sid is leading the league in scoring since January 1^st and the PP is back to being potent. You could pretty much roll anyone on this line with confidence as Sid is playing like a man possessed. Keep in mind that Kunitz has lost his PP time therefore his value does take a hit, whereas Hornqvist could be in for a productive final stretch.

EV Strength Production = 13 points

Johnny Gaudreau – Jiri Hudler – Sean Monahan (Calgary)

ATTENTION! Jiri Hudler has been located. With eight points in his last 10 games and four in his last three, Hudler maybe heating up at the right time. What is more exciting for Hudler owners is he has found his way back onto this once potent top line. Hudler has been pretty much droppable the entire season but this current run is encouraging for owners. I myself am a Hudler owner and I will give it a few weeks before I move him as we all know what he is capable of doing playing alongside Gaudreau and Monahan. The Flames are currently out of the playoffs and in order to sneak in they will need to lean on this top unit heavily.

EV Strength Production = 12 points

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

The Islanders took a crap on the Oilers on Sunday which is largely why this trio appears on this list. Nielsen is on pace for a 50-60 point season which is just about what we expect. Kulemin is truly irrelevant in fantasy. And then there is Kyle Okposo who quietly produces at a solid clip with 41 points in 49 games. What is most interesting about his production is he has shown us he can get it done without John Tavares… unlike some people, ahem Matt Moulson. It will be interesting to see what the Isles choose to do with Okposo in the coming months but I think his value can only go up from here on out.

EV Strength Production = 5 points

Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Zack Smith – Mark Stone (Ottawa)

With eight points in his last four games, Stone seems to be back. Both of his linemates have fared well over the past few games but more specifically Pageau who has seven points in his last four games. It will be interesting to see if this trio can continue to stay hot in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on Pageau as he has already set a new career high this season with 23 points and life with Stone could prove to be heavenly for him. As for Stone continue to ride him as you always should, he is the real deal and he will always find ways to produce no matter who he lines up with. The Senators have a favorable schedule over the next week as mentioned in Looking Ahead so roll this trio with confidence.

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EV Strength Production = 7 points

Defend this…..

Trevor Daley – Kristopher Letang (Pittsburgh)

With Sid producing like a monster it is not surprising that we find this pairing here. I have said it before and I will say it again, Letang is possibly the only defenseman in the league who is able to outscore Erik Karlsson when healthy. Since January 1^st, Crosby and Letang lead the league in scoring. Yes, Letang has outscored the likes of Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn so far in 2016. The problem for Letang is health and if he goes down the Pens are likely to suffer a great deal as you can’t replace a puck moving defenseman like him. I would look for Letang to continue his scoring ways down the stretch.

EV Production = 4 points
PP Production = 2 points

Erik Karlsson– Marc Methot (Ottawa)

Mr. Automatic appears on this list almost on a bi-weekly basis. It really doesn’t matter who Karlsson pairs up with as he is always going to produce. But what truly sets him apart from everyone else is his durability. Aside from his freak Achilles heel injury in the 2012-2013 season, Karlsson has been an ironman. If you own Karlsson, never let him go. As for the other Sens defenseman, they don’t matter in fantasy land.

EV Strength Production = 6 points

Roman Josi – Shea Weber (Nashville)

The Predators continues to right the ship as they are 6-3-1 over their last 10 games. One of the main reasons for their better play is this defensive pairing. It should come as no surprise when this pairing makes the list as they are quite possibly the best true defensive pairing in the league. Most of the time you have one defenseman pulling the weight for the other as clearly evident in the pairings listed above. However, both Josi and Weber can light the lamp on any given night. Pick your poison.