Winter will officially begin this week, but it seems as if some players got a head start on the coldest season judging by their on-ice performance. 

Players go through cold streaks quite often, but fantasy general managers can deal with it if it’s only for three games. At worst, it costs you one week in a head-to-head matchup. 

It’s when those cold streaks turn into more than a four-game slump that it starts to get worrisome. And even then, you might be able to forgive a player if he is still producing in other categories. However, it’s still a tough hurdle to get over. 

When looking at any list of cold players, it’s important to note we’re talking about players who are expected to get produce points. Ryan Reaves being pointless in seven isn’t the same as Nicholas Robertson going pointless in eight.

Below are 10 players struggling to produce points right now and are in the midst of a cold streak. Note that we won’t include players currently on the IR (so Robertson isn’t included), but someone who is day-to-day or expected to miss only one contest is fair game. For each selection, we’re going to look at how they’ve been performing this season as well. You can find these players, and more, on Dobber's hot/cold list.

10. Owen Power

Not everything is rosy in Buffalo. While many of Power’s linemates are flying high and are on hot streaks, Power is on the opposite end. The Sabres’ rookie defenseman has zero points in seven games and only three in his last 17. He has 10 points on the season, but six of them have come in three games. It’s another reason why you should shy away from rookies in one-year leagues. He’s currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury, which is probably good news for anyone who owns him as that means the fantasy general manager isn’t tempted to put Power in the lineup. 

9. Damon Severson

What a wretched season Severson is experiencing. After a promotion to the top power-play unit a season ago when Dougie Hamilton went down with an injury (and then not relinquishing that spot when Hamilton came back until the last dozen games of the season), many were hopeful that Severson could build off that. Instead, he’s at six points in 30 games, is pointless in six and has just one point in his last 11 contests. He was also a healthy scratch on Saturday. He’s only averaging 1.07 shots and 0.5 hits per game, while his ice time is the lowest it’s ever been. 

8. Gabriel Vilardi

Fantasy general managers could be forgiven if they were frustrated with the lack of production from Vilardi the last few years. After seven points in 10 games in his rookie campaign, his per-game numbers dropped each of the next couple of seasons until last year, when he finished with seven points in 25 games. Throughout the first few weeks of the season, it appeared as if Vilardi had finally figured everything out. He had 15 points in his first 15 contests, but has only four in his last 18 games and has one point in his last eight games. His ice time is dropping as the season goes along and he’s gone from the first line early on in the season to the third line. 

7. Patrice Bergeron

In the last six games, Boston has scored 19 goals, but Bergeron has picked a point on only one of those goals. It has to be slightly frustrating for owners, but there’s no reason to panic just yet. Bergeron has just been a bit unlucky, as his individual points percentage (the number of points scored while he’s on the ice that he either scored or assisted on) is 14.3%. Before this slump, he was at 46.8%. He’s also averaging about 3.5 shots and 13 faceoff wins per game over this slump. 

6. Dominik Kubalik

This is how fast things can turn in the NHL. A week ago, Kubalik was a point-per-game player, on pace for 82 points. After one point in five games, Kubalik is now on pace for 71 points, still impressive, but doesn’t hold the same cred as a point-per-game player. Maybe the worst thing about this five-game slide is how he’s not contributing in other categories. He doesn’t have any power-play points during this streak, whereas he had 11 beforehand. He’s also a minus-five and has only five shots in his last five games. Before the streak, he was a zero for plus/minus and was averaging three shots a game. 

5. Neal Pionk

Even though Josh Morrissey‘s season is getting all the press, Pionk also started the season at a great pace. He had 11 points in his first 15 games, a 60-point pace. But the wheels have fallen off since then, as he has one point in his last six games and three in his last 16. He’s at least still contributing in other categories as he’s on pace for 175 hits, 138 blocked shots, 140 shots and 39 PIM. In years past, Morrissey and Pionk would take turns on the top power-play unit, but that won’t be happening this season. 

4. Ivan Provorov

Things keep getting worse for Provorov owners, and they don’t look to be getting better anytime soon. His points-per-game mark, shots per game, PIM, ice time and power-play points are all down, and in some cases, near the bottom of his career lows. After a hot start that saw him net five points in his first five games, he’s been struggling no matter how you break it down: Seven points in his last 27 contests; four in his last 19; one in his last nine; and pointless in his last six. To make matters worse, even when Tony DeAngelo missed three games for personal reasons, Provorov still couldn’t get a whiff of power-play time. Provorov just isn’t getting the opportunity to rebound. 

3. Chris Kreider

No one is saying we need a repeat of last season, when he scored 52 goals but wasn’t a point-per-game player, but that still makes it difficult to sit through any rough patches he may be experiencing. With one point in his last six games, it may seem like he’s struggling, but it’s just tough puck luck at this point as he still has 14 shots during this skid. Of course, that’s not much consolation when the Rangers are putting up seven goals against the Blackhawks (and 27 goals in the last six games), and Kreider still can’t record a point. 

2. Moritz Seider/Filip Hronek

It’s only fitting these two are linked together on this list, considering how each of their seasons has been going. For Seider, this slump of one point in his last nine games it’s just another chapter in this year’s disappointing performance. While he’s still hitting and blocking shots, he’s a minus-five during this slide, has had zero shots in four of the nine games and has lost his opportunity on the top power-play unit. Hronek’s slump is a little more forgivable, as he has one point in his last five games. Furthermore, in one of those games, he only played 1:18 of ice time after he got rocked by Ryan Reaves. There are better odds of Hronek snapping his cold streak over Seider. 

1. Matt Duchene

Duchene has been an underachiever for most of his time in the NHL, but last year, he broke through with a career-high 86 points in 78 games. It was the first time in his 13-year career he hit a point-per-game pace. This year he’s gone through hot and cold streaks, and currently has one point in his past six games. What’s maybe a little concerning is how much he’s stepping back in non-points categories. His shots-per-game pace is down more than half a shot per game from last year. He’s currently on pace for 14 power-play points, a massive drop from the 29 he had a year ago. His ice time is down a minute per game, and his shooting percentage is half of last year’s 18.9%.