Four weeks into the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in top spot in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.
There are many reasons as to why the Oilers, 8-2-2, and Maple Leafs, 9-3-1, have enjoyed so much early-season success. One reason these Canadian clubs have become conference leaders has been the play of their top forward lines.
Four weeks into the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in top spot in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.
There are many reasons as to why the Oilers, 8-2-2, and Maple Leafs, 9-3-1, have enjoyed so much early-season success. One reason these Canadian clubs have become conference leaders has been the play of their top forward lines.
Sure, there are going to be nights like Thursday, when the Maple Leafs benefited more from the play of Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin than the Phil Kessel unit in Toronto's
4-1 win against the basement-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets.
Edmonton's kid line was held off the score sheet in Los Angeles for only the third time this season, not including the Oct. 18 game that Hall missed because of the flu. But the Oilers still were good enough to notch a
3-0 victory over the Kings.
Here is a glance at the top lines for each of the seven Canadian clubs as well as seven other top lines in the NHL this season after four weeks.
Philadelphia (Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr)
18 goals, 24 assists, 42 points
Jagr has made a triumphant return to the NHL and the big beneficiary has been Hartnell. After reaching the 30-goal and 60-point marks in his first season with the Flyers, Hartnell dipped to 44 and 49 points in the past two years.
Maple Leafs (Phil Kessel, Tim Connolly, Joffrey Lupul)
19 goals, 22 assists, 41 points
They only have been together for five games because of a shoulder injury to Connolly. But there has been chemistry between the NHL's leading point getter, Kessel, and third-leading scorer, Lupul, since the latter joined the Maple Leafs last February.
Ottawa (Colin Greening, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek)
18 goals, 18 assists, 36 points
Greening has added a physical element to this trio. They also have feasted on the power play. Half of their 18 goals have come in man-advantage situations.
Vancouver (Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows)
13 goals, 23 assists, 36 points
The Sedins and Burrows have seven power-play goals and more than a third of the Canucks' offence so far this season. But the Sedins are coming off back-to-back Art Ross Trophy-winning seasons. They need to be the league-leading's top line.
Chicago (Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa)
13 goals, 20 assists, 33 points
What's this? Jonathan Toews is not on the top line in Chicago? He centres a decent unit between Andrew Brunette and Viktor Stalberg, but you can't argue which line is the Blackhawks' top unit since Kane was moved to the middle.
Edmonton (Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle)
11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points
The "Kids & the Hall" are the most creative line in the NHL this season. They have provided the Oilers with four game-winning goals and have opened up room for veteran Ryan Smyth on the second line.
Washington (Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer)
11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points
Imagine how good the 8-2-0 Capitals will be when their top line gets going. We saw first-hand how coach Bruce Boudreau feels about Ovechkin's play when he kept him on the bench late in regulation time and to begin overtime on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh (Steve Sullivan, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal)
13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points
Due to his knee troubles, Malkin has been limited to seven games this season. But this trio was on the mark on Thursday. They checked in with three goals in San Jose. Sullivan, however, has yet to score for his new team.
Dallas (Loui Eriksson, Jamie Benn, Steve Ott)
10 goals, 17 assists, 27 points
The Stars haven't missed Brad Richards, who departed via free agency in the summer. A big reason is the underrated Eriksson. The 26-year-old sniper has 98 goals in his past three-plus seasons, and it doesn't matter who lines up with him.
Montreal (Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta)
10 goals, 14 assists, 24 points
Early-season injuries to Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri have prohibited the Habs from getting some stability on their forward lines. But the threesome that makes up Montreal's first line so far this season is off to a slow start.
Minnesota (Matt Cullen, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Devin Setoguchi)
11 goals, 13 points, 24 points
Don't Dany Heatley, Mikko Koivu and Guillaume Latendresse comprise the Wild's first line? Not if you go by production. The Koivu line has checked in with six goals and 20 points. But both combos have contributed in Minnesota's three-game win streak.
Calgary (Curtis Glencross, Olli Jokinen, Jarome Iginla)
10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points
A sluggish start by the Flames prompted coach Brent Sutter to break up Iginla and Alex Tanguay. Iginla and his two new linemates combined for three goals in Calgary's
4-1 win in Detroit on Thursday.
Anaheim (Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry)
14 goals, 9 assists, 23 points
They still have scored more than half of the Ducks goals this season, but their production has diminished. The team's senior citizen, 41-year-old Teemu Selanne, joins these guys on the power play, but he has 14 points alone.
Winnipeg (Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler)
3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points
Wonder why the Jets have struggled in their return? Look no further than the production of their top line from the Thrashers days a season ago. Both Little and Wheeler have yet to score this fall.
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Top-line wingers Phil Kessel, left, and Joffrey Lupul have formed a lethal combination for Toronto. (Abelimages/Getty Images)
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
