NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes the Return of a King, no worries for Montreal, a goalie epidemic and a mystery surrounding an elite blueliner's struggles.

First Liners (Risers)

Anze Kopitar, C, LA – To say 2016-17 was a disappointment for Kopitar would be a major understatement (dipping from 74 points to 52). Headed into this season having just turned 30, the Slovenian star wasn't expected to reclaim past glory. If the last six weeks are any indication, the fire is still burning strong for Kopitar. During this 22-game stretch, he has tallied 10 goals and 13 assists while registering nine power-play points. With the Kings tearing up the Pacific, project the big pivot to hit the 70-75 point mark.

Mark Scheifele, C, WPG – Based on his skill and pedigree as a junior, it was only a matter of time until Scheifele began to excel at the pro level. Perseverance and experience were essential in his development, as he increased his point totals in four consecutive seasons. And if you believed last year's performance (82 in 79) was the best Scheifele could do, then you probably didn't think the Jets could be this dominant. The seventh selection from 2011 serves as the driving force down the middle and looks to be on pace to one-up his peak with 34 in 27, including a whopping 26 in his last 17.

Jake Guentzel, LW, PIT – Guentzel burst on the scene during the Pens' most recent Cup run (21 points – including a playoff-leading 13 goals – over 25 contests) and was looking to prove he could duplicate that type of effort over a entire regular season. The opening returns appeared mediocre at best (seven in 15, minus-7), although Guentzel has rediscovered his touch since (nine goals, three assists in 13). His prospects look positive, as he continues to mature and has built a rapport with Evgeni Malkin on the second unit.

Josh Anderson, RW, CBJ – After a serviceable first season (17 goals, 12 assists in 79 contests), Anderson was prepared to sit out until he signed a new contract. Columbus management eventually inked the 23-year old to a three-year, $5.5 million deal right before Opening Night. Anderson has gone on to demolish expectations with 10 goals and seven assists in 25, which includes a recent five-game point streak. And due to his output, he has been promoted to the first line alongside Artemi Panarin. As long as Anderson can stick in the Jackets' top nine and continue to direct pucks on net (averaging over three shots per game), he'll have the opportunity to contribute.

Jonathan Marchessault, RW, VGK – Vegas has shocked the hockey world by maintaining a solid record (16-9-1) and the league's fifth most potent attack (3.41 goals per game). And among the team's top scorers, you'll find Marchessault, a 30-goal scorer for Florida who came over via the expansion draft. He is currently tied with William Karlsson for the lead in points (25) and sits alone in first in assists (15). Marchessault's last nine outings netted 15 points, including three straight (!) three-point performances. Expect similar returns as long as the Golden Knights can continue to click.

Nick Leddy, D, NYI – Once a member of Chicago's vaunted defensive unit but traded due to cap constraints, Leddy has generally gone unnoticed throughout his career when it comes to offensive output. His numbers don't lie (averaging 41 points a season since arriving in New York) and his skills at both ends make him invaluable in fantasy and in real life. Leddy's latest haul is especially impressive (19 points over his last 16), as is his special-teams contribution (seven PPPs). And with studs like John Tavares and Mathew Barzal joining him on the top man-advantage unit, this wave of success should continue.

Alexander Edler, D, VAN – There was a time when opposing defenses feared Edler. The power-play prowess, the way he could start the attack, the cannon shot from the point. Injuries and age have hurt Edler's progress over the previous four years. His first five appearances upon returning from an early injury yielded nothing, but the remainder has proved fruitful to the tune of a goal and four assists in seven. This run probably won't hold, but there's hope for a decent campaign since Edler is skating around 24 minutes a night.

Carey Price, G, MTL – The day was November 22nd. The Habs had just lost their fifth straight and the outlook appeared bleak. Three days later, crisis was averted when a savior returned and turned away all 36 Buffalo shots. Since that evening, the Montreal Messiah would go on to record another four victories. C'mon, did you really doubt Price? And you know he's just showing off, right?

Ben Bishop, G, DAL – In recent years, Dallas's biggest concern revolved around trying to keep pucks out of their own net. That's why they went out and acquired the rights to Bishop from the Kings before he hit the open market and immediately locked him up for six seasons. And despite a couple bumps along the way, the 6'7" American has repaid the Stars' faith in him. The last two weeks have been especially productive, with Bishop notching a 6-1 record to go along with a 1.93 GAA and .938 SV%.

Others include Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Derek Stepan, Mikko Koivu, Adam Henrique, Bryan Little, Mathew Barzal, Radek Faksa, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Phillip Danault, Nazem Kadri, Kyle Turris, Mark Letestu, Filip Forsberg, Alex Galchenyuk, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Teuvo Teravainen, Josh Bailey, Alex DeBrincat, Artemi Panarin, Sam Bennett, Mats Zuccarello, Jason Zucker, T.J. Oshie, Colton Parayko, Drew Doughty, Brandon Montour, Tyler Myers, Cam Fowler, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Brent Burns, Justin Schultz, Kris Russell, Pekka Rinne, Henrik Lundqvist, Tristan Jarry, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Anton Forsberg and Jonathan Quick.

Training Room (Injuries)

Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR – Despite a broken fibula getting in the way, Zibanejad's first year on Broadway (37 points in 56 appearances) would be characterized as successful. With the departure of Derek Stepan, the Swede's sophomore stint slotted him as the Rangers' first line center. Immediate dividends have been paid with 22 points, 11 of them on the power play. Unfortunately, Zibanejad recently suffered a concussion and has missed the last two games. Since this type of issue is often difficult to gauge, it's unknown for how long he'll be out of the lineup.

Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN – Spurgeon broke out last season with an outstanding fantasy haul (38 points, plus-33, 144 shots, 140 blocks) and has been able to continue the momentum with three goals and 12 assists. But last week in practice, he tweaked his groin and looks to face a minimum of two weeks on the shelf. Seeing how Spurgeon has been a key component of Minnesota's blueline (averaging over 25 minutes per contest), the club will want to monitor his situation before allowing him to return.

Matt Murray, G, PIT – Murray left last Monday's encounter with Philly when Jakub Voracek slid into him during a rush. The injury is being labeled as the generic lower-body variety and the prognosis is that the two-time Cup winner will be out for a couple of weeks. And based on the performances of Tristan Jarry in the subsequent two contests (combined one goal allowed), there doesn't appear to be a need to rush Murray back.

Cam Talbot, G, EDM – This sudden trend of good goaltenders going down seems mysterious. Maybe the planets are weirdly aligned or there's a shift in the wind. Murray, Talbot, and Crawford (see below) concurrently spending time on the sidelines has left fantasy owners scrambling to find immediate replacements. Like Murray's case, Talbot got hurt in game action and is expected to be gone for at least two weeks. But unlike the Penguins, Edmonton continues to underperform defensively, thereby making the case to acquire backup Laurent Brossoit much less automatic.

Others include Ryan Johansen (undisclosed, day-to-day), Rickard Rakell (upper-body injury, on IR), Kyle Connor (lower-body injury, day-to-day), Evgeny Dadonov (shoulder, on IR, out four-to-six weeks), Jonathan Drouin (lower-body, missed two games, possible return Tuesday), Kyle Palmieri (broken foot, will miss at least another month), David Perron (upper-body, back practising), Jakob Silfverberg (upper-body, day-to-day), Ryan Ellis (offseason knee surgery, has resumed skating, set to return late December/early January), Corey Crawford (undisclosed, on IR, out at least another week), Antti Raanta (upper-body, possible return this week).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Brock Nelson, C, NYI – After topping the 40-point plateau in each of the last three seasons, more of the same was expected from Nelson this year. His first 11 games (five goals, three assists) looked promising, but the subsequent 14 have proved horrendous (one goal, no assists, minus-7). The recent resurgence of Andrew Ladd (seven points in nine contests) may have affected Nelson's production but the 30th pick from 2010 clearly hasn't taken advantage of his opportunities (still averages two power-play minutes). Unless he jumps a line, there's little value in keeping him on your roster.

Jamie Benn, LW, DAL – While Benn is posting decent overall stats (22 points through 26 games), he's mainly gone missing the last ten days. Over that span, the Stars have potted 26 goals, but the 2014-15 Art Ross winner has only contributed two assists. With the loads of ice time Benn receives (over 20 minutes most nights), this lull only appears to be a hiccup in what should be another solid campaign (averaging 81 points the last four seasons). He chipped in with points in the last two, so this may suggest a return to status quo.

Erik Karlsson, D, OTT – Those who drafted Karlsson early were aware offseason foot surgery would postpone his start, but were ultimately rewarded for their patience (17 points in his first 11). But no one could've predicted how far he could've dropped since mid-November. In his last nine, Karlsson has been held off the score sheet while sporting a minus-11. At least he's had 24 shots during this span, so there's no need to panic about the giant Swede's performance…yet.

John Gibson, G, ANA – The Ducks have been hit hard by injuries, but that's no excuse for Gibson's poor play of late. In his last five starts, the 2013 WJC MVP has lost four of them and has paired this with a 3.63 GAA and a .909 SV%. Although veteran backup Ryan Miller may be faring better overall (2.02 GAA, .936 SV% in six appearances), there shouldn't be any concern Gibson (2.98 GAA, .920 SV% in 21) will lose the #1 job on a permanent basis.

Others include Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Sven Baertschi, Jason Pominville, Conor Sheary, Drew Stafford, Mike Green, Seth Jones, Morgan Rielly, Craig Anderson, Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek.