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NHL Colorado's top line is not only the best in the NHL this year, it's lapping the competition. Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images Nearly every powerhouse NHL team boasts star forwards at the top of its lineup. This has been true for recent Stanley Cup winners like the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. Of course, there’s way more to team-building than having a few elite forwards.  This isn’t the NBA, where one or two superstars are enough to form a contender; you need formidable depth throughout your lineup. A dominant top line is one heck of a start, though. Advertisement With that in mind, let’s analyze which first lines around the NHL are producing and which are underperforming this season. We’ll begin by identifying each team’s No. 1 center as a proxy for the first line, then examine the results when that player is on the ice. There will be exceptions for teams whose top center has moved up and down the lineup rather than staying fixed on the first line, or has missed significant time due to injury. In those cases, we chose a winger to represent his team’s top-line minutes (eg: Clayton Keller, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov, Travis Konecny, etc). Here are the proxies we used. To measure performance, we’ll look at the goals for and against differential when that first line is deployed at five-on-five. As an example, it means we’re looking at how many goals Edmonton scores and how many it allows with Connor Mc David on the ice at even strength. We’re using that as our measure instead of points because points can’t account for defense. Goal differential can be skewed positively or negatively based on shooting and goaltending luck. Sometimes, a team’s first line controls play well and generates tons of chances, but is snakebitten finishing-wise and/or doesn’t get saves from its goaltender. We’ll be sure to point out where that seems to have made an impact. Here are the numbers so far this season, sorted by the best goal differential rate. Colorado’s top line is not only the best in the NHL this year, it’s lapping the competition. Nathan Mac Kinnon’s line has outscored opponents by a laughable 75-25 margin at five-on-five, making it on pace for an eye-popping plus-72 goal differential by the end of this season. The gap between the goal differential of the Avs’ top line and the next-best first line is equivalent to the gap between second and 14th place. Advertisement It only took Mac Kinnon 55 games to score more five-on-five points than he did during all of last season. His 57 five-on-five points are eight more than the next-highest player in the league, Nikita Kucherov. Martin Necas, who’s on pace for a career-high 99 points, deserves a ton of credit for being a seamless fit on the top line. Necas is an elite puck transporter with game-breaking speed, and when you combine it with Mac Kinnon’s exceptional skating, it makes this the fastest, most dynamic top line in the league. The only question is whether Necas can translate his elite production to the playoffs, where he has historically lagged (35 points in 66 career postseason games). Arturri Lehkonen’s two-way intelligence, puck retrieval skills and off-puck work are a nice complement to them. Mac Kinnon’s line is benefiting from strong goaltending (. 943 on-ice save percentage), which explains why they’re surrendering a league-best 1. 61 goals against per 60, despite their expected goals against rate appearing more middle-of-the-pack. I don’t think anyone is surprised that a team with first-line options like Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel is getting elite results at the top of its lineup. However, it’s impressive and surprising that the Lightning have boasted the best top line in the Eastern Conference despite Point’s underwhelming, injury-plagued campaign. Point got off to an uncharacteristically slow start (three goals and eight assists in his first 21 games) and suffered an injury in late November. He returned in the second week of December and was finally scoring at his usual clip, but got hurt again right before the Olympic break. Overall, he’s missed 18 games. Kucherov and co. have found a way to keep rolling, though. Kucherov is the best east-west playmaker in the sport. Since Dec. 1, he leads the NHL in five-on-five points. Advertisement Interestingly, Kucherov’s results haven’t seen any drop-off away from Point: He’s driven 61 percent of expected goals and has a plus-14 goal differential in 429 five-on-five minutes without his usual center. This does shine a light on how well Hagel, who barely played on the first line last year, performed when he had to elevate to the top line on Kucherov’s opposite wing (he’s back on the second line now). Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have been one of the most entertaining first-line duos in the NHL. They’ve been dynamic and threatening offensively, but their strong defensive results — a 1. 88 goals against per 60 rate and a top-10 expected goals against rate — have taken them to the next level this season. Suzuki is having a Selke-caliber campaign, and Caufield, on pace for 46 goals, is one of the best snipers in the sport. The other big story with the Canadiens’ top line is that they’ve bumped Juraj Slafkovský down to drive the second line alongside Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. This has been a game-changer — Slafkovský looks like a completely different player now that he has more opportunities to carry the puck and make plays, rather than in his previous role with Suzuki and Caufield, where he had fewer puck touches and functioned more as a puck retriever. This new-look second line has been dynamite, and was particularly important in picking up the slack in December when the Suzuki line momentarily cooled off. When the Mammoth are healthy, they have two relatively balanced top-six lines in a 1A/1B look — one led by Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, and the other driven by Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. However, when Cooley hurt his leg in early December, it made Keller’s unit the undisputed top line. There was extra pressure on them to deliver because the Mammoth were 10th in the West by points percentage at the time Cooley was injured, and they were struggling to get bottom-six offense. Keller’s line has answered the call. They outscored teams by a dominant 29-11 margin at five-on-five when Cooley was out, while also controlling an imposing 57 percent of scoring chances. That, coupled with Karel Vejmelka’s heater in goal, helped Utah charge back into a playoff spot during Cooley’s absence. It will be really interesting to see what this success means for Nick Schmaltz’s future with the club. Schmaltz, on pace for a career-high 76 points, has been immensely valuable to this line’s gaudy results, but he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and his price is surely going up by the day. Advertisement This is the third year in a row that Vegas’ top line has ranked top-5 in the NHL. Jack Eichel has long been the engine for this line with his silky-smooth puck control, sublime passing and elite defensive game. The only surprise is that Mitch Marner has mostly played on Vegas’ second line when many expected he’d instead be a full-time lock next to Eichel, the way he used to be with Auston Matthews. Marner and Eichel were given an early look together, but while they performed decently, they didn’t quite catch fire (perhaps because both of them are pass-first players). Instead, we’ve seen Mark Stone and even youngster Braeden Bowman, when Stone was injured, play on Eichel’s right wing. Ivan Barbashev is the unsung hero of this line as a staple on the left wing. Barbashev’s heavy frame, ability to win puck battles and highly underrated playmaking down low make him the perfect complementary winger for Eichel. He’s scored the fourth-most five-on-five points of any winger in the NHL, and is on pace for 57 points despite not receiving any first-unit power-play time. What more can you even say about Macklin Celebrini? The 19-year-old is a legitimate Hart Trophy contender, not just because he’s on pace for 117 points but because of how little help he’s had around him. Connor Mc David has Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl (on the power play and at times at even strength), Mac Kinnon has Cale Makar and Necas, but Celebrini has to work around arguably the weakest blue line in the NHL, and while Will Smith is improving rapidly (41 points in 45 games), he isn’t an elite running mate yet, as evidenced by the staggering 42-point gap between Celebrini and Smith, who’s the second-highest-scoring Shark. Arguably no team’s top line gets more favorable deployment than Washington’s, as Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin lead all NHL players in offensive-zone starts. For this to work, the Caps lean on the Tom Wilson-led second line to absorb the toughest defensive matchups and also ask defensive specialist Nic Dowd to soak up tons of defensive-zone starts. To their credit, Strome/Ovechkin’s line is making the most of this catered opportunity, as they’re one of only eight top lines scoring at least 3. 5 goals per 60, and offensively their expected goal generation rate ranks sixth-best in the league. Advertisement There are defensive flaws with this line, as their 3. 12 expected goals against per 60 rate ranks 31st in the NHL. But overall, they’re creating more offensively than they’re giving up, which makes it an acceptable trade-off. You might be surprised that Washington’s first line ranks so high in goal differential when the team is outside a playoff spot. That’s largely because both special teams units have sunk them — the Capitals’ five-on-five goal share is third-best in the league, behind only Colorado and Tampa Bay. The Stars basically have two top lines: one predominantly driven by Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston, and the other led by Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. The Hintz/Robertson combo has been electric (57. 7 percent of expected goals and outscored opponents 30-14), but the Johnston/Rantanen pair is more commonly referred to as the team’s “first line. ” Rantanen and Johnston haven’t carried territorial play as assertively, but it hasn’t really cost them because of their elite finishing. Rantanen, in particular, has been ruthlessly efficient at converting chances into goals — he doesn’t need many looks to break a game open. Last year, the Blue Jackets’ top-line trio of Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov was unstoppable. They not only controlled a dominant 71 percent share of goals during their shifts together, their underlying process was equally imposing as they drove nearly 62 percent of high-danger chances. However, Monahan’s slow start — he scored only six points in his first 13 games, despite being over a point per game last season — led to Adam Fantilli getting bumped up to center the first line with Marchenko. The Blue Jackets’ top line has driven above-average two-way numbers and is generating scoring chances at a prolific rate (eighth-best expected goals per 60). Tactically, I find it interesting that the first line has spent significantly less time self-matched with the Zach Werenski pair than last year — Marchenko is on pace to play roughly 100 fewer five-on-five minutes alongside Werenski than last year. It shows that Columbus is trying to spread Werenski’s Norris-caliber effect throughout the lineup rather than solely maximizing his time with the top line. Sebastian Aho’s line is performing just as you’d expect. They have a decisive advantage over opponents in puck possession and offensive zone time, as evidenced by their sparkling analytics, and their bottom-line results in goal differential are strong but not quite elite. Advertisement The big story for Carolina’s first line this year is Andrei Svechnikov’s resurgence. Svechnikov, who failed to crack the 50-point mark last year, looks the healthiest he’s been since his ACL surgery in 2023 and is on pace for a career-high 71 points. Meanwhile Seth Jarvis, who plays on the right wing, continues to thrive as a star two-way forward. The Flyers are fortunate to rank this high — their expected goal differential ranks bottom-five among top lines in the NHL, which means they struggle to control play and will likely see their results regress down the stretch. With that said, Philly’s first line still deserves some credit for producing at a respectable rate, considering the team’s glaring weakness at first-line center. Travis Konecny has bounced back after a slow start (only five goals and 17 points in his first 23 games) and is now on pace for a career high in five-on-five points. Trevor Zegras mostly played on the second line to begin the year, but lately, he’s played more frequently on Konecny’s opposite wing. The top line’s underlying numbers are significantly better with Zegras on it (Konecny’s x G rate is 52. 8 percent with Zegras, compared to 40. 9 percent away from Zegras) even though the actual goal swing hasn’t been as dramatic. Luke Evangelista’s monster breakout has been a game-changer for the Predators’ top line. The results speak for themselves: When he and Ryan O’Reilly have played together, Nashville’s top line is clicking at an elite level, both in terms of dominating possession and scoring chances, and also massively outscoring opponents. On the other hand, O’Reilly’s results driving the top line without Evangelista fall off a cliff, with that version of the top line decisively losing its matchups. The Islanders’ first line may not boast a true superstar, but Bo Horvat’s risen to the occasion as a capable 1C — he’s on pace to hit a career high in five-on-five goals. Impressively, he’s done this without having high-end linemates for most of the season. Early in Horvat’s Islanders tenure, the club would shift Mathew Barzal to the wing in an attempt to load up the first line. But with Brock Nelson gone as the 2C, Barzal has mostly been asked to drive his own line this season (even though they’ve been reunited lately), and this balanced top-six approach has yielded strong results. Advertisement The top line’s results do come with an asterisk, though — their goal differential is boosted by Ilya Sorokin’s superb play, which has papered over some of the line’s mediocre play-driving numbers. New York’s top line is surrendering chances against at a very high rate (seventh-worst in the NHL), but its actual goals against rate ranks in the top 10. David Pastrnak’s superstar impact has carried Boston’s first line to the league’s 14th-best goal differential despite the club’s lack of a true top-flight center. It’s been remarkable to watch Pastrnak, who initially made his name as an elite sniper, evolve his game into becoming the kind of game-breaking playmaker that can elevate his linemates and singlehandedly drive a line now that he has less help than the Perfection Line days when he was rolling with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Since the start of last season, Pastrnak has recorded the third-most five-on-five assists in the league, ahead of elite playmakers such as Mc David and Marner. The way he can hold onto pucks, attract the opposition’s attention and set others up is breathtaking. It’s a huge reason why Morgan Geekie has become a top-flight scorer on this line. Pavel Zacha was Pastrnak’s most frequent center last season, but this year, we’ve seen much more of Elias Lindholm. Winnipeg’s top forwards are still firing on all cylinders — it’s unfortunately the club’s nonexistent secondary scoring that’s putting them at risk of missing the playoffs. Mark Scheifele has scored the third-most five-on-five points in the league. His line has produced 3. 81 goals for per 60, which is the fourth-best rate among NHL first lines. The top line’s overall goal differential is weighed down a bit by some defensive struggles — they’re bleeding chances and goals against at a very high rate — but you can’t blame Scheifele and Kyle Connor for that because they’re forced to take more risks than usual, knowing they’re the only reliable source of offense on the team. I was a bit surprised that Minnesota’s top line has been average rather than truly high-end, but it makes sense when you dig deeper. Advertisement Kirill Kaprizov’s running mate, Mats Zuccarello, missed 20 games because of injury. With Zuccarello out for a large chunk and Minnesota icing weak 1C options such as Ryan Hartman or promising rookie Danila Yurov — remember, Joel Eriksson Ek anchors the second line despite being the club’s best center — it makes sense that the top line has been closer to the middle of the pack rather than the top tier. Kaprizov has played well at even strength, but his power-play dominance (he’s already scored 13 power-play goals compared to four during all of last year) is what’s truly catapulted his overall point totals. Tim Stützle’s taken another mini-step offensively, as he’s on pace for nearly 90 points. That’s driven the Senators’ top line to a 3. 51 goals per 60 rate, which ranks seventh-best among all first lines. The top line’s overall goal differential is being dragged down because they’re surrendering goals against at the seventh-worst rate, but some of that is likely just a result of Ottawa’s poor goaltending this season. Line construction-wise, it’s interesting to note that Stützle hasn’t spent nearly as much time with Claude Giroux or Brady Tkachuk (Tkachuk also missed 20 games with injury) as he did last year, with Drake Batherson instead emerging as his most common winger in 2025-26. L. A. ’s top line desperately needed Artemi Panarin’s game-breaking skill. Yes, the goal differential for the Kings’ first line looks fine on paper, but it’s largely because they’re surrendering goals against at the fourth-lowest rate of all top lines. And those defensive results have at least partially been inflated by strong goaltending, as they rank closer to the middle of the pack in expected goals against rate. Offensively, L. A’s first line has been one of the lowest-scoring in the league. Panarin should be a game-changer on this front, even though the early five-on-five returns haven’t been anything to write home about. It’s no secret the Kraken lack game-breaking, star forward talent, which limits the offensive ceiling for their first line. All things considered, though, Seattle’s top line has held its own considering those offensive limitations. Matty Beniers’ responsible two-way style fits the Kraken’s overall identity as a plucky, low-event squad that makes it very difficult for opponents to manufacture offense. Beniers’ line has surrendered just 2. 00 goals per 60, helping drive a positive goal differential despite struggling to score. Advertisement In the last three years we’ve done this exercise, Toronto’s top line was consistently elite, ranking 11th, 8th, and 1st. There’s been a steep drop-off this season, though, which reflects a few factors. The obvious change is Marner’s departure. With Marner gone, Max Domi has spent a lot more time on Auston Matthews’ wing. Going from Marner to Domi is about as extreme a fall-off as you can expect defensively, so it’s no surprise the top line’s ability to control play and prevent chances against has fallen off a cliff. Matthews hasn’t looked like himself for most of the season as well. He’s looked better since the holiday break (12 goals and 28 points in his last 23 games), but he’s producing less than a point per game for the season as a whole, which hasn’t happened since his rookie year. On the left wing, Matthew Knies has played through injury and hasn’t been as impactful as a play-driver, which has meant more time playing further down the lineup rather than being a full-time fixture on the Matthews line like last year. It’s remarkable that Sidney Crosby is still producing at over a point per game at 38. When you look below the hood, though, you do notice Crosby’s five-on-five play is closer to being great than as elite like we’ve come to expect. Crosby’s line is scoring 2. 91 goals per 60, which is respectable but a noticeable drop-off from the 3. 44 goals per 60 it recorded in 2024-25 and the 3. 71 goals per 60 in 2023-24. It hasn’t helped, of course, that Rickard Rakell missed a decent chunk of the year with an injury. Make no mistake, Pittsburgh’s aging stars are obviously the main drivers of the team’s unexpectedly competitive season. It’s just that they’ve been dominating more on the power play rather than even strength. Connor Mc David’s line hasn’t been throttling teams on the scoreboard as decisively as we’d expect — he’s only earned 51. 8 percent of goals, his lowest mark since the pandemic. There are a few factors to explain this, starting with some bad luck with finishing. Edmonton’s top line is generating 3. 75 expected goals per 60, which leads the NHL, but its actual scoring rate is much lower at 3. 39 per 60. We should expect their finishing efficiency to improve. Advertisement Zach Hyman’s injury also played a significant role. Together, Mc David and Hyman have a plus-12 goal differential and outrageously strong underlying numbers. However, Mc David has also played 451 minutes without Hyman, and in that sample he has a minus-four goal differential and a more pedestrian 52 percent expected goal share. Lastly, there’s plenty of room for this line to improve defensively, as they’re allowing scoring chances and goals at high rates. Detroit’s top line hasn’t been as productive as you might think based on the team’s surge up the standings. They’ve been excellent together on the team’s ninth-ranked power-play, but at five-on-five, Dylan Larkin’s line has been sluggish over the last three months. Since Dec. 4, Larkin’s line has a minus-8 goal differential and has driven only 44. 3 percent of expected goals. He only has four five-on-five points in that 33-game stretch. Thankfully, the team’s second line with Alex De Brincat, Andrew Copp and Patrick Kane is crushing its competition, which, in conjunction with the club’s stingy defensive results, has helped Detroit keep winning games. I was surprised that Buffalo’s first line didn’t rank higher, considering Tage Thompson is tied for the most five-on-five goals this season. Unfortunately, they’ve given a decent chunk of that value back with their leaky defensive play — they’ve surrendered 3. 05 goals against per 60, the eighth-worst mark among first lines. It’s extremely important to note, though, that Thompson’s line has been red-hot since early December, which coincides with the Sabres’ season turning around. Since Dec. 9, Thompson’s line has earned nearly 56 percent of actual goals, including a significant reduction in how frequently they’re surrendering goals against defensively. It’s been a difficult year for the Blues all around, and the top of their forward lineup is no different. St. Louis’ first line has struggled to generate offense, as its expected and actual goals-for per 60 rate rank 25th and 24th, respectively, among the league’s first lines. Advertisement Thomas scored 61 even-strength points last year, but in 2025-26, he’s down to just 24 in 43 games. A big part of this line’s mediocrity can be attributed to Pavel Buchnevich’s decline. Buchnevich was a near-point-per-game winger with an elite two-way play-driving profile a few years ago, but he’s a fraction of that player now. Connor Bedard has taken a massive step; he’s only two points back of matching last year’s five-on-five point production in only 47 games. His line is scoring 3. 19 goals per 60, which is a huge bump compared to 2. 28 goals per 60 last season. And impressively, he’s doing it with linemates that wouldn’t be first-line wingers on most teams, as cap dump André Burakovsky and youngster Ryan Greene have most frequently ridden shotgun with him. Chicago’s top line is struggling defensively, ranking 32nd in both expected and actual goals-against rate. However, the defensive results for Bedard’s line will surely improve in future years once he’s surrounded by a capable blue line and upgraded linemates, not to mention his individual age-related growth. Leo Carlsson is in the middle of a monster offensive breakout, but his five-on-five results have been quite streaky and volatile. During the first seven weeks of the season, his line was on fire. They were driving nearly 55 percent of scoring chances, outscoring opponents 21-14, and individually he was racking up 2. 52 points per 60. Carlsson was a game-breaker off the rush and excelled under Joel Quenneville’s new run-and-gun playing style. Opposing teams have adjusted, however. Since Dec. 1, Carlsson’s line has scored only 10 goals while allowing 19; his expected goals-against rate is the worst among Ducks forwards, and his five-on-five point production rate has been cut in half, down to 1. 23 points per 60. This is obviously still a wildly encouraging year for Carlsson overall. We shouldn’t be surprised that a 21-year-old playing as a No. 1 center has been a bit inconsistent and streaky. What version of Carlsson’s line (which has often featured Chris Kreider this season) the Ducks get down the stretch could swing whether or not the team clinches a playoff spot. Florida’s top line ranked fifth and first for goal differential when we did this exercise over the last two years. This year, they’ve suffered a catastrophic drop-off, which says all you need to know about how indispensable Aleksander Barkov is. Advertisement Barkov’s line over the last two years was by far the best in the league at denying goals against. Anton Lundell is a good player, but with him stepping into the 1C role after Barkov’s injury, the top line’s defensive performance has slipped significantly. Offensively, they’ve only mustered 2. 49 goals for per 60, which ranks 25th as well. The Rangers haven’t really had a consistent top line this season. J. T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck have had injury spells, and Artemi Panarin is now on the west coast. Mika Zibanejad and Panarin were probably the team’s most consistent first-line duo this year, but in any case, there hasn’t been a whole lot to write home about for New York’s top forwards. New York’s top line has produced a measly 2. 12 goals per 60, which is the third-worst mark among NHL first lines. This is a slow, aging top six that lacks dynamic, game-breaking talent. The Flames are a spirited, hard-working team, but their lack of star forwards has been evident all year. Calgary’s first line is scoring goals at the fourth-lowest rate in the league. Nazem Kadri is still a great player, but at 35 he simply can’t be counted on to singlehandedly carry a first line. He’s had a lackluster crop of wingers as well, with Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary all logging at least 150 five-on-five minutes on his line. Elias Pettersson’s two-way play has been sturdier than his line’s alarming goals-against rate (which is likely worsened by Vancouver’s post-Quinn Hughes blue line and Adam Foote’s system) suggests. Defensively, he’s deserved better results. Offensively, though, there’s no denying he’s no longer the game-breaker that once scored 102 points. Yes, Pettersson’s been hindered by a disappointing group of wingers (Evander Kane, Jake De Brusk, Brock Boeser) on his line, which has almost certainly deflated his point production. However, it’s also clear his skating lacks the separation it used to have, and his individual shot rate remains a major red flag. Advertisement Overall, it isn’t surprising the Canucks’ first line is one of the worst in the NHL because it consists of mediocre middle-six wingers and a center that’s still good, but a low-end 1C/elite 2C rather than a premium No. 1 center. With the elite forward talent they boast, I don’t think anybody would have guessed that the Devils’ first line would be struggling this mightily. Jack Hughes’ injury had a devastating impact as he was out of commission for 21 games. Nico Hischier had to fill in as the 1C at times and has had a down year. He also hasn’t been fully healthy — he played through an illness that caused him to lose 10 pounds — which is a contributing factor. Jesper Bratt, who was coming off an 88-point campaign, has had a disappointing year and hasn’t been able to step up, either. There’s also an element of brutal finishing luck involved: New Jersey’s top line has the third-best expected goal differential among all first lines, but they’ve scored on just 5. 8 percent of their shots and have a PDO of just 93. 5. So yes, the Devils’ top players unquestionably need to play better (and hopefully stay healthier), but they’re also the unluckiest top line in the league. All data courtesy Natural Stat Trick Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Harman Dayal is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in Vancouver. He combines NHL video and data analysis and tracks microstats as part of his coverage. Follow Harman on Twitter @harmandayal2