Fantasy points don't happen in a vacuum. This week, we're looking at something a box score can't show you: the fantasy points a forward line scores at 5-on-5 only when all three players are on the ice together, including points by the defenders on the ice with them.
No line comes close to Colorado's rate, and it explains Lehkonen's 14th-place ranking among forwards: 16.0 of his 33.8 fantasy points have come with MacKinnon and Necas at 5-on-5 alone. Podkolzin's 13.8 with McDavid and Draisaitl is 40% of his total. Last week we called both passengers. This is what the passenger seat looks like.
The more useful finds are further down the list, where a few lines are producing with players nobody has rostered:
Kaapo Kakko, Shane Wright and Berkly Catton, Seattle Kraken (available in 96%, 99% and 98.3%): 44.6 FP in 82 minutes, the third-best rate at 5.43 per 10 minutes. Catton has scored more than half of his fantasy points with this line, and all three went back onto Seattle's top power-play unit Saturday.
Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov and T.J. Hughes, Colorado Avalanche (Schwartz available in 91.0%, Hughes in 98.5%): 39.4 FP in 72 minutes, the second-best rate at 5.51 per 10 minutes. Schwartz and Hughes are also on Colorado's top power-play unit.
William Carrier, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes (Carrier available in 97.1%): 50.6 FP in 116 minutes (4.35 per 10 minutes), and Carrier has the biggest share of the three, outscoring Aho 13.7 to 12.7. He isn't on either power-play unit, but his 46 hits give him a floor in leagues that count them.
Alex DeBrincat, Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Detroit Red Wings (Finnie available in 92.4%, Brandsegg-Nygard in 87.2%): 42.8 FP in 79 minutes (5.42 per 10 minutes), with the two kids splitting their share almost evenly.
Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund and Zach Benson, Buffalo Sabres (Ostlund available in 96.6%, Benson in 88.2%): 45.4 FP in 115 minutes (3.95 per 10 minutes). The trio also stays together on the Sabres' top power-play unit with Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Ostlund and Benson each play more than 80 percent of the team's power-play time at about four minutes a night, so the role is bigger than their FPPG suggests.
Frederick Gaudreau, Ryan Winterton and Ben Meyers, Seattle Kraken (Gaudreau available in 84.0%): 38.9 FP in 77 minutes (5.07 per 10 minutes). It's a deep-league play, but a fourth line producing like this is rare. Gaudreau and his six goals are the short-term target.
Line combinations can change with one shuffle of the whiteboard, so check the lineup before you add. If the trio gets split up, the value goes with it.
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Goalie notes
Calgary Flames in 11 games (two last week):
Devin Cooley (crease share season/week: 54.8%/100.0%, fantasy points season/week: 17.8/16.8, 87.4% available)
Dustin Wolf (crease share season/week: 45.2%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -19.8/DNP, 78.8% available)
Cooley has started four straight, delivered good starts (3.0-plus fantasy points) in all of his past three and led every goalie with 16.8 fantasy points last week on a .970 save percentage. Wolf ranks 61st of 64 in FPP60 (fantasy points per 60 minutes), so this is Cooley's crease for now, though Edmonton (first in scoring) and Colorado (second) are both on the schedule.
Boston Bruins in 12 games (three last week):
Jeremy Swayman (crease share season/week: 75.4%/67.4%, fantasy points season/week: 37.8/0.0, 2.7% available)
Michael DiPietro (crease share season/week: 24.6%/32.6%, fantasy points season/week: 16.8/12.6, 92.1% available)
DiPietro leads all goalies in FPP60, with a .940 save percentage and a shutout in three starts, while Swayman has a good start in just one of his past three. Boston leads the league in goalie fantasy points, which makes DiPietro worth a stash in deeper leagues and a stream whenever he gets the nod.
Florida Panthers in 12 games (three last week):
Akira Schmid (crease share season/week: 47.1%/67.7%, fantasy points season/week: 0.8/-1.2, 91.5% available)
Jacob Markstrom (crease share season/week: 45.0%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: 13.2/DNP, 50.1% available) Out until at least Nov. 4
Cooper Black (crease share season/week: 7.9%/32.3%, fantasy points season/week: -2.6/-2.6, 99.9% available)
With Markstrom on IR, Schmid has the crease and the softest schedule in this column. He faces two games against Winnipeg (29th in scoring), plus Detroit (27th) and Chicago (31st). His .872 save percentage is a risk, but he has delivered good starts in two of his past three.
Washington Capitals in 10 games (two last week):
Logan Thompson (crease share season/week: 69.6%/47.7%, fantasy points season/week: 12.4/-3.8, 7.5% available) Out until at least Oct. 28
Charlie Lindgren (crease share season/week: 30.4%/52.3%, fantasy points season/week: 4.2/1.6, 97.9% available)
Lindgren gets the crease while Thompson is on IR, and Washington's next 10 days include Philadelphia (32nd in scoring), Nashville (23rd) and Dallas (23rd). He hasn't delivered a good start in three tries, though, and Thompson could be back as soon as Wednesday, so this is a one- or two-start stream at most.
Ottawa Senators in 12 games (three last week):
Linus Ullmark (crease share season/week: 62.6%/24.8%, fantasy points season/week: 42.4/5.4, 8.2% available) Out until at least Nov. 7
Samuel Ersson (crease share season/week: 29.1%/41.3%, fantasy points season/week: -15.8/-3.4, 98.9% available)
Jonas Johansson (crease share season/week: 8.3%/33.9%, fantasy points season/week: 0.8/0.8, 99.8% available)
The league's top fantasy goalie is on IR, and what's left behind him isn't pretty: Ersson is 0-3-0 with an .835 save percentage and ranks 62nd of 64 in FPP60. Hold Ullmark, and avoid this crease until he's back.
Edmonton Oilers in 12 games (three last week):
Devon Levi (crease share season/week: 58.1%/68.1%, fantasy points season/week: 14.2/1.8, 70.5% available) Out until at least Nov. 9
Tristan Jarry (crease share season/week: 41.9%/31.9%, fantasy points season/week: -3.4/-7.0, 88.3% available)
Matt Tomkins (no games this season)
Levi landed on IR a week after we pointed you to him, and Jarry inherits the crease with an .869 save percentage that ranks 51st of 64 in FPP60. The schedule is manageable, with Calgary (28th in scoring), the Islanders and Anaheim (both 19th), but Jarry is a desperate matchup stream, not a pickup.
Follow-ups:
Anthony Stolarz, G, Toronto Maple Leafs (available in 85.7%): We told you to drop him last week. He won both of his starts with a .942 save percentage and now ranks 11th in FPP60 to Bobrovsky's 35th. The Leafs have strictly alternated over their past four, but they play only three times in the next 10 days.
Jacob Fowler, G, Montreal Canadiens (available in 47%): Won both starts last week with a .964 save percentage, and he's now sixth in goalie fantasy points.
Dylan Garand, G, New York Rangers (available in 43.5%): He has cooled, falling to 23rd in FPP60, and the Rangers play only three times in the next 10 days.
Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken (available in 84.7%): Went 2-0 last week and now ranks 13th in goalie fantasy points, but Seattle has just three games in the next 10 days.
Adin Hill, G, Vegas Golden Knights (available in 81%): Last week's pace cooled off. Both Vegas goalies have slipped, with Hill now 24th in FPP60.
Daniil Tarasov, G, Detroit Red Wings (available in 95.4%): Out until at least Oct. 29.
Power-play pickups
League average for a five-man unit this season is 3.39 shot attempts per two minutes.
Charle-Edouard D'Astous, D, Tampa Bay Lightning (available in 80.5%): D'Astous has taken John Carlson's spot on a top unit with Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel, and he has three power-play points in three games. The group has scored four times in 9:28, and the Lightning play four times next week.
Joel Farabee, LW/RW, Calgary Flames (available in 74.3%): The Flames' top unit has scored seven goals in 26:49, and Farabee has three power-play points in his past three games and a 2.33 FPPG. Matt Coronato (available in 70.7%) also has three in three, and Calgary plays four times next week.
Jake Neighbours, LW, St. Louis Blues (available in 92.7%): Neighbours has two power-play points in three games on a top unit with Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud and Philip Broberg that has scored three times in 9:41. He's at 1.77 FPPG.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Vancouver Canucks (available in 93.9%): Lekkerimaki has two power-play points in his past three games and is taking 75% of the Canucks' power-play time on a unit with Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek. That group has scored four times in 17:52.
Stephen Halliday, C/LW, Ottawa Senators (available in 99.2%): Halliday is logging 4:42 a night on the Senators' top unit and plays four games this week. It's a deep-league play at 1.46 FPPG, but the role is real.
Follow-ups from earlier columns:
Ryan Leonard, RW, Washington Capitals: Jordan Kyrou took his top-unit spot in the Capitals' last game.
Kent Johnson, LW/RW, Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus swapped its units again, and Johnson is on the second group.
Jamie Drysdale, D, Philadelphia Flyers (available in 92.9%): Still on the top unit, with two power-play points in his past three games.
Ivar Stenberg, LW, San Jose Sharks (available in 59.9%): Now at seven power-play points and still on the top unit.
Droppables
The usual caution applies. Sidney Crosby (1.4 FPPG), Dylan Larkin (1.6), Brayden Point (1.4), Will Smith (1.7), Pavel Dorofeyev (1.4), Nazem Kadri (1.4), Cutter Gauthier (1.6) and Erik Karlsson (1.8) all continue to underwhelm, but each is on his team's top power-play unit and has earned some extra grace. Keep them.
This is the one to act on:
Alex Ovechkin, LW/RW, Washington Capitals (rostered in 83.5%): Last week he was on notice. He has since slipped to 0.8 FPPG, and his 13:57 a night is still the lowest ice time on this list. He's still on the top power-play unit, but in standard leagues, it's time to move on.
On notice:
Zach Hyman, RW, Edmonton Oilers (rostered in 89.8%): 0.74 FPPG in five games since returning, and listed as day-to-day again after leaving Monday's game. Bench him; don't drop him yet.
Brock Nelson, C, Colorado Avalanche (rostered in 87.7%): 1.34 FPPG lately on the second power-play unit.
Colton Parayko, D, St. Louis Blues (rostered in 75.3%): Not on either power-play unit, and 1.57 FPPG lately.