Bracket #3 – Lucky Lines

This one is pretty self-explanatory in that some players find themselves slotted next to one or more outstanding players, and get to reap benefits they'd likely not enjoy if they had to play on a different team (or even different line).

Justin Abdelkader – When Abdelkader had brief auditions with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in past seasons, folks could count in him doing well but it only being a temporary situation. Fast forward to now, and Abdelkader seems to be locked into the Detroit top six; and thanks to the added talent of Gustav Nyqvist, that means he's guaranteed to be alongside at least one legitimately productive player.

Tyler Bozak – Many forget that Bozak was centering Phil Kessel back when Bozak was still only producing at a 45-50 points per season level. But once James van Riemsdyk became the third member of that line, Bozak almost immediately shifted into 65+ point production mode.

David Desharnais – We need only look at last season when Max Pacioretty was injured or Desharnais was on another line to see just how crucial to Desharnais' success Pacioretty apparently is.

Kyle Okposo – Back when Okposo was picked 7th overall back in 2006, it wasn't impossible to envision him turning into a roughly point per game player by this stage in his career. But the fact remains, he only started producing once he began spending nearly all of his shifts alongside superstar John Tavares.

Nick Foligno – Having played over 450 games entering this season and only once topping 39 points, no one could've expected Foligno to finish the first quarter of the season at a point per game level. But just like Okposo, former first rounder Foligno has benefitted greatly by riding side saddle to a super talented centerman, in this case Ryan Johansen (spoiler alert – Johansen makes the list below).

Patric Hornqvist – When he enters the locker room on game day, Hornqvist must wonder if he's living a dream. After all, he escaped the formerly offensively starved Preds to land on the Pens, where the only question is which great center he'll line up with when the puck drops – Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Jaden Schwartz – It was easy to tell Schwartz had talent, even if the thinking was the St. Louis offense might ultimately hold back his production. Fast forward to now, and he's flanked by Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera, who've rekindled their past KHL magic here in the NHL. Suddenly there's realistic hope all three can challenge the 70 point mark.

NOTE FROM RICK – my intent was to remove Shaw and keep Schwartz, but I ended up listing nine guys here and omitted Schwartz from the poll.  Sorry for the mistake, and resulting confusion.

Andrew Shaw – His production might not reflect it, but Shaw has a pretty cushy spot in the Blackhawks line-up, averaging 16:33 per game of top six Ice Time, with 3:47 (a full minute more than Marian Hossa, Brandon Saad, or Brad Richards) coming with the man advantage.

Radim Vrbata – While Vrbata had shown in the past that he can produce (notably 62 points in 2011-12), he's never skated with truly elite linemates……until now. Thanks to the Sedins, at age 33 Vrbata is a viable candidate for 40+ goals and 70+ points, both of which would easily be career highs.

Vote HERE for your Bracket #3 choice.

Bracket #4 – Miscellaneous

Johnny Boychuk – Amazingly, Boychuk scored as many points (six) in his first three Islanders games as he did in all 44 Bruins contests he played during 2012-13. While there's no doubt that Boychuk was already set to receive a nice UFA pay day this coming summer, now thanks to his tenure on the Islanders he can point to his offensive capabilities as well.

T.J. Brodie – It's far from automatic that an elite defenseman will elevate his partner to great stats (look at Erik Karlsson); but this season we're seeing T.J. Brodie benefit greatly from being paired with Mark Giordano, as Brodie is reaping dividends in plus/minus and, more importantly, points as well.

Brent Burns – Not only is Burns thankful about returning to his preferred role as a defenseman this season, but due to a mostly subpar group of other Sharks d-men he's also getting all sorts of Ice Time despite having the lowest +/- on his team, and being the most minus of any defenseman among the top 25 in NHL rearguard scoring.

Michael Del Zotto – Following a disastrous 2013-14, some questioned whether Del Zotto's NHL career might be done at 24, just two seasons removed from a 41 point breakout. But after Kimmo Timonen was lost indefinitely with a blood clot, MDZ was able to secure a spot with the Flyers, and now is showing signs of a second life (recent healthy scratch notwithstanding).

Aaron Ekblad – It looks as if Ekblad has stepped into an ideal situation for Florida, as the team needs him to contribute right away but isn't so terrible or so devoid of veterans as to risk having him sink or swim. No wonder he's responded so well right out of the gate.

Jason Garrison – In the first five games of the season, Garrison had one measly point and was being bypassed on the PP Ice Time ladder by even Anton Stralman. Then Victor Hedman gets hurt, and Garrison is thrust back into a key role for a long enough period of time to likely solidify his spot (13 points in his last 20 games) even now that Hedman has returned.

Ryan Johansen – Think Darcy Kuemper, except at forward. When things got dicey between Columbus and Johansen during contract negotiations, there was concern he'd miss regular season time. That didn't happen; and more importantly, once he came to terms neither side held grudges, as thanks at least in part to Brandon Dubinsky's injury Johansen was counted upon to be "the guy" and hasn't looked back.

Tyler Johnson – As an undersized, undrafted player, Johnson's path to a regular NHL spot was far from a guarantee, even after he posted nearly point per game numbers in the AHL. Then Steven Stamkos gets injured last season, and Johnson found himself with the break he needed; and he's doing even better this season despite Stamkos returning to full time action.

Vote HERE for your Bracket #4 choice.

Voting Deadline

Voting for this round will be open until Sunday December 7, so make sure to make your pick in each bracket or else your voice won't be heard!