This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
The end of the NHL season is visible off in the distance, but there's still time to help your fantasy team climb the standings, or to help solidify your spot atop said standings. If you've got room for improvement in your power-play numbers, there's a solid chance one or more of these players will be available to you.
Mikko Koivu, C, MIN – People don't think about Koivu much anymore, perhaps because he's 33 and hasn't had a 20-goal season in seven years. However, he's been as hot as anybody on the power-play recently. Over the last 30 days, he's tallied eight points with the extra man in 13 games, including six in his last five, which gives Koivu 16 power-play points total. Just last season Koivu had 20 power-play points, and he's hit the 20-point mark four times in his career. His power-play minutes may be down a bit, but it hasn't hindered his production.
Patrick Marleau, LW, SAN – Speaking of veterans that are no longer necessarily sought-after fantasy options, Marleau is still chugging along. He's unlikely to cross the 20-point mark, which he has done in his six most recent full seasons, but he's got 12 at the moment and has averaged 3:10 per game with the extra man.
Thomas Vanek, LW, DET – Vanek has been banged up here and there, but when he's been on the ice he's been a rare offensive bright spot for the Wings. That includes on the power
The end of the NHL season is visible off in the distance, but there's still time to help your fantasy team climb the standings, or to help solidify your spot atop said standings. If you've got room for improvement in your power-play numbers, there's a solid chance one or more of these players will be available to you.
Mikko Koivu, C, MIN – People don't think about Koivu much anymore, perhaps because he's 33 and hasn't had a 20-goal season in seven years. However, he's been as hot as anybody on the power-play recently. Over the last 30 days, he's tallied eight points with the extra man in 13 games, including six in his last five, which gives Koivu 16 power-play points total. Just last season Koivu had 20 power-play points, and he's hit the 20-point mark four times in his career. His power-play minutes may be down a bit, but it hasn't hindered his production.
Patrick Marleau, LW, SAN – Speaking of veterans that are no longer necessarily sought-after fantasy options, Marleau is still chugging along. He's unlikely to cross the 20-point mark, which he has done in his six most recent full seasons, but he's got 12 at the moment and has averaged 3:10 per game with the extra man.
Thomas Vanek, LW, DET – Vanek has been banged up here and there, but when he's been on the ice he's been a rare offensive bright spot for the Wings. That includes on the power play, where he's tallied four points in his last seven games. Overall, he has 11 power-play points even though he's only been able to play in 47 games. Now, Detroit has the worst power-play in the league, so you're forgiven for not being too excited about picking up a Red Wing for their power-play prowess. However, if you're scrounging for power-play points, Vanek is an option.
Ryan Strome, C, NYI – After being drafted fifth overall in 2011, Strome has never quite been able to fulfill those expectation, but he's shown signs of life recently. In his last 12 games he has 11 points, including four with the extra man in his last 10. Strome has averaged 2:49 per game on the power play, which is the most of his career by a full 30 seconds, and he's still only 23. He's also available in the vast majority of leagues.
Jake Muzzin, D, LOS – Most of the defensemen who have made noise over the last 30 days are the expected names, such as Brent Burns, Duncan Keith and so on. However, there are still a couple blueliners you might be able to pick up. Muzzin has been overshadowed by Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez, but is still making a little noise for himself. He's notched three power-play points over his last 10 games, averaging 2:52 with the extra man during that span. Muzzin has tallied at least 13 power-play points in his last two seasons, so he does have at least something of a track record.
Damon Severson, D, NJD – Severson was hot on the power play early in the season, which got him on the fantasy radar arguably for the first time in his career. Then the production ceased, and Severson started to get dropped back to the waiver wire. Getting back to today, he has three power-play points in his last seven games, which gives him 12 on the season. It's probably worth noting that all 12 of those points are assists, and he's actually never scored a goal with the extra man in his career. Still, you can't argue with 12 power-play points in 60 games from a defenseman, especially if you are working the waiver wire in late February.
