In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll look at players who are trending up and players who are trending down. We'll start with a few players who have bounced back from slow starts and move on to others that have failed to maintain their strong starts. 

Trending Up

Rasmus Dahlin – The 21-year-old defenseman has thrived offensively in April, posting eight points through 10 games. He's bounced back from early struggles that saw him tally 12 points in his first 35 appearances of 2021. Dahlin seems to have more offensive freedom under interim head coach Don Granato than he had earlier in the season when Ralph Krueger was Buffalo's bench boss. We've always had lofty expectations for the first overall pick of the 2018 draft, it's easy to forget that he's still just 21 years old, with fewer than 200 games of NHL experience. If you're in a keeper league and Dahlin isn't on your roster, you'd be wise to acquire him before his fantasy value returns to normal.

Craig Smith – The American winger got off to a slow start in Boston, posting just 10 points through his first 27 games with the Bruins. He followed that up with an impressive 17 points in 15 games over the past month. This pattern makes sense as Smith likely needed some time to adjust to his new surroundings in Boston. In addition, he's spent most of his time beside David Krejci during this recent hot streak after skating alongside Charlie Coyle for most of those early struggles. Smith and Krejci have worked well as a duo, outscoring opponents 13-3 at even strength (source: NaturalStatTrick).

Jesper Bratt – The Devils winger has 15 points in his last 16 games – a significant improvement from the 10 points he tallied in his first 19 appearances. Bratt's recent output is fueled by an increased role on the power play. He saw just 34-percent of the team's total power-play time during those first 19 games and managed just one point with the man advantage. In his last 16 games, he has seven power-play points while enjoying a 60-percent of the team's total PP time.

Jared McCann – After posting an underwhelming 10 points his first 19 games, the 24-year-old forward has 13 points in his last 13 outings. Notably, eight of those 13 points came with the man advantage as McCann has enjoyed a 62-percent share of Pittsburgh's total power-play time during this recent hot streak. In contrast, he saw a 34-percent share of the team's PP time during those first 19 games. His average time on ice has also increased, from 13 minutes during those early struggles, to 15 minutes during this hot stretch. McCann's increased opportunity and output is very much a product of Evgeni Malkin's absence. Once Malkin returns from injury, McCann will be pushed off the top power-play unit, making it very difficult to maintain this level of production.

Trending Down

Patric Hornqvist – The 34-year-old winger got off to a hot start with the Panthers, scoring eight goals in his first 15 games with the team. He's struggled since then, posting just six goals in his last 27 appearances. Notably, eight of his 14 goals on the season have come with the man advantage. He seems to be the trigger man on the top unit as he leads the team with 46 shots on the power play.

Jeff Petry – The Canadiens defenseman kicked off the campaign with 25 points through his first 27 appearances. He's followed that up with five points in his last 16 games. It's worth mentioning that Petry has played with Brett Kulak during most of this recent dry spell. Their partnership was a product of some line shuffling while defenseman Ben Chiarot was injured. Petry enjoyed much more success while playing with his usual partner Joel Edmundson – who is more reliable defensively than Kulak and gives Petry more room to take chances offensively. With Ben Chiarot back in the lineup and Petry playing with Edmundson again, I wouldn't be surprised if we see Petry rediscover his offensive flair down this final stretch of the regular season. 

Keith Yandle – The Panthers defenseman started strong with 12 points in his first 15 appearances – nine of those points came on the power play. He's cooled off considerably since then, posting just four points in 17 games over the past month. It seems his offensive output is tied to Florida's success with the man advantage. The team sported a 30-percent success rate on the power-play during Yandle's early hot streak. In contrast, they've converted on just 15-percent of their PP opportunities over the past month. The Panthers' recent struggles with the man advantage may be explained by Aaron Ekblad's absence. Ekblad was a key component of the team's successful top unit. Since he went down with a leg injury on March 28^th, Florida has scored on just four of their 35 power-play chances, for an 11.4 percent success rate. It seems that Ekblad's absence has thrown off some of the chemistry on that top unit, causing Yandle's overall production to suffer.