The Man Advantage: Playoff Power Players

The NHL regular season may be over, but that doesn't mean you have to quit playing fantasy hockey. The playoffs offer up a whole new world of fantasy opportunity, and the power-play remains just as important to your fantasy success. So consider this a bit of a power-play primer for the postseason. Below you will find info on how every team performed with the extra man this season (and also how good their penalty kill was, because matchups matter). Additionally, I have listed the top power-play scorer of every team, and also highlighted one "below the radar" performer that could put you over the edge. Enjoy the playoffs, everybody!

Montreal Canadiens

Power-play rank: 13
Penalty-kill rank: 14

Top performer: Shea Weber (22 points in 78 games)

Sleeper: Nathan Beaulieu (12 points in 74 games) -- Alex Galchenyuk could have possibly been placed here, but Galchenyuk's ownership percentages being as (relatively) low as they are is likely more due to the fact he spent a good chunk of the season injured. That's not likely to be the case heading into the playoffs. Beaulieu's power-play minutes fluctuated wildly this season, but he did notch two power-play goals in the final 10 games of the season.

New York Rangers

Power-play rank: 10
Penalty-kill rank: 19

Top performer: Derek Stepan (18 points in 81 games)

Sleeper: Mika Zibanejad (11 points in 56 games) -- Zibanejad fit in with his new team reasonably well when healthy, and he saw 2:23 a night in ice time with the extra man. In his last nine games (where he tallied nine points overall), he notched four points with the extra man.

Ottawa Senators

Power-play rank: 23
Penalty-kill rank: 22

Top performer: Erik Karlsson, (27 points in 77 games)

Sleeper: Kyle Turris (17 points in 78 games) – Turris has been largely healthy, and quite successful on the power play the last few seasons. In three of his last four campaigns, he's had at least 14 power-play points. That includes this year when he had a career-high 17.

Boston Bruins

Power-play rank: 7
Penalty-kill rank: 1

Top performer: Torey Krug (25 points in 81 games)

Sleeper: Ryan Spooner (18 point in 78 games) – You can definitely call Spooner a power-play specialist. He tallied 39 points this season, with 18 of those coming on the power play. Last year, he had 49 points, and 17 of those came with the extra man. Though he only averaged 14:09 in ice time, 2:38 was with the extra man.

Washington Capitals

Power-play rank: 3
Penalty-kill rank: 7

Top performer: Nicklas Backstrom (35 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Marcus Johansson (19 points in 82 games) – Johansson certainly qualifies as a sleeper, at least relative to the big names on this team. The Capitals are loaded with power-play performers, so it's easy to perhaps not realize Johansson has had at least 14 power-play points in his last four seasons. Johansson did have an unusually high 18.6 shooting percentage, but on the power play he only scored five goals, so luck hasn't been as big of a factor in his success with the extra man. He also ended the season playing well, tallying six power-play points in his last nine games.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Power-play rank: 2
Penalty-kill rank: 10

Top performer: William Nylander (26 points in 81 games)

Sleeper: Tyler Bozak (18 point in 78 games) – Everybody gets excited about the young guns on Toronto, but don't overlook Bozak. Eighteen power-play points are nothing to sneeze at. Now, Bozak did only average 2:22 per game with the extra man, which is a career low. Still, playing alongside the likes of Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews lends itself to success.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Power-play rank: 3
Penalty-kill rank: 20

Top performer: Phil Kessel (30 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Mark Streit (13 points in 68 games) – Streit's track record is tremendous, but don't forget that he's 39 years old. In 19 games with the Penguins after being traded by Philly, Streit tallied five power-play points, but he also only averaged 1:40 per game with the extra man. There definitely is sleeper potential here, but maybe don't set your expectations too high.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Power-play rank: 12
Penalty-kill rank: 9

Top performer: Alexander Wennberg (23 points in 80 games)

Sleeper: Sam Gagner (18 points in 81 games) – Off the top, it must be noted that while the Jackets had the top power play early in the season, after the All-Star break they ranked a lowly 29th. As such, you may want to proceed with caution with every Jacket. That includes Gagner, who may have 18 power-play points, but zero in his last 16 games.

Anaheim Ducks

Power-play rank: 17
Penalty-kill rank: 4

Top performer: Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Corey Perry (20 points apiece, although Getzlaf did that in 74 games instead of 82)

Sleeper: Sami Vatanan (14 points in 71 games) – You want to talk about a guy who did the bulk of his damage on the power play? Vatanen had 24 points total, which means more than half of his points came with the extra man. He played 2:50 per game on the power-play, and he's had at least 14 power-play points in his last three seasons.

Calgary Flames

Power-play rank: 11
Penalty-kill rank: 12

Top performer: Sean Monahan (17 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Kris Versteeg (16 points in 69 games) – If Versteeg had played in a few more games, he could have been both a top performer and a sleeper. The last 10 games of the season were particularly impressive for Versteeg. In addition to having 10 total points in his last 10 games, he notched five of those with the extra man while averaging 2:53 a game on the power play.

Edmonton Oilers

Power-play rank: 5
Penalty-kill rank: 17

Top performer: Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid (27 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Mark Letestu (14 points in 78 games) – Letestu is the kind of player that you might not want to take a gamble on during the regular season, but when the number of teams dwindles, he gets more intriguing. Fourteen power-play points is a career high for Letestu, but he did have 12 last season. Also, 11 of Letestu's 14 goals came with the extra man.

San Jose Sharks

Power-play rank: 25
Penalty-kill rank: 18

Top performer: Brent Burns (25 in 82 games)

Sleeper: Patrick Marleau (16 points in 82 games) – Marleau is past his prime, but he's also a player that's averaged at least 3:01 per game with the extra man over his last eight seasons. His 16 points with the man advantage in 2016-17 were a step down for him, but that doesn't mean he can't help you for fantasy purposes.

Chicago Blackhawks

Power-play rank: 19
Penalty-kill rank: 24

Top performer: Patrick Kane (23 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Artem Anisimov (8 points in 64 games) – The top power-play performers for the Blackhawks are the expected names, making it harder to find anything close to a "sleeper." That's where Anisimov comes in, as he spent the last few weeks injured. He's expected back for the playoffs, though, and could chip in a bit on the power play. He averaged 2:22 per game with the extra man when healthy.

Nashville Predators

Power-play rank: 16
Penalty-kill rank: 15

Top performer: Ryan Johansen (23 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: Mike Fisher (17 points in 72 games) – Fisher also enters the postseason banged up, but the odds look good that he will be ready to return when the games begin. Fisher's success with the extra man was a bit of a surprise this season. He's a 36-year-old who just set a career high in power-play points, despite the fact he missed 10 games. Fisher did this even though he played 2:18 a night with the extra man, which is his lowest total in the last 10 years. You're forgiven for being a bit skeptical, but Fisher was definitely impressive this year.

Minnesota Wild

Power-play rank: 9
Penalty-kill rank: 8

Top performer: Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund (20 points in 80 and 81 games, respectively)

Sleeper: Mathew Dumba (12 points in 76 games) – Call Dumba consistent. Last season he played 2:16 a night with the extra man, tallying six goals and six assists. This year, he averaged 2:17 per game in power-play time — and he had six goals and six assists. Four of those points came in his last 13 games, as well.

St. Louis Blues

Power-play rank: 8
Penalty-kill rank: 3

Top performer: Vladamir Tarasenko (22 points in 82 games)

Sleeper: David Perron (13 points in 82 games) – Paul Stastny could have been the choice, but he too has been dealing with injury, and it seems less guaranteed that he will be healthy when the Blues begin their series with the Wild. So that just leaves Perron. 13 ties his career high in power-play points, although he did only play 2:07 per game with the extra man.