The Man Advantage: Power Players of the Week

There's less than a month left in the NHL regular season. Some fantasy hockey leagues have already begun their playoffs. It's now or never, and power-play success could be what makes or breaks your team at this point. Any little edge could help, so perhaps one of the below players is available to pitch in...

Jonathan Marchessault, LW, FLA – Some fantasy players apparently never got the memo on Marchessault, as -- despite having a breakout season -- he remains available in many leagues. Sure, there was reason for skepticism after a hot start came seemingly out of nowhere, but now he's scored 22 goals in 61 games. Even before this breakout campaign, though, Marchessault had found a little power-play success in his career. Last year with Tampa, he averaged 2:54 per game with the extra man, tallying seven points in 45 games. This season, he's taken that to another level. While his power-play time is down a smidge (2:44), he's made up for that by notching 16 power-play points. That includes five power-play points in his last 13 games. Florida's still making a run for it, and Marchessault is a key cog in its machine.

Jussi Jokinen, LW, FLA – Another Panther, Jokinen is even more widely available, as he's had a pretty quiet season, scoring 10 goals and 25 points in 58 games. However, he has averaged 2:31 per game on the power play, tallying nine points. That's not bad, and he certainly put up some gaudy power-play numbers earlier in his career in Pittsburgh. Six of his power-play points have come in his last 19 games, and four of them have been in his last 10, so there's been an uptick that could bode well for the stretch run.

Frans Nielsen, C, DET – Okay, so the Red Wings have the league's worst power play. That's not really something you want to be buying in on. That being said, you shouldn't necessarily run from Nielsen. Despite Detroit's power-play putridness, Nielsen has managed 12 points with the extra man in his first season with the Wings. Four of those points, including three goals, have come in his last 10 games. Detroit may be bound to miss the playoffs for the first time in decades, but that doesn't mean they are going to stop trying to score goals.

Leo Komarov, LW, TOR – On the flipside of the Wings are the Leafs, who have the second best power play in the league. That means there are a lot more points to go around, and in his last 14 games, Komarov has notched four power-play points. There may be good reason for more skepticism here than with the other forwards mentioned, though. On the season Komarov, has eight power-play points, and he's only averaged 2:04 with the man advantage. That's not a low number, but it also isn't high. Outside of the power play, though, Komarov only has 11 goals and 13 assists total, and has managed a mere 97 shots on goal in 68 games.

Ryan Ellis, D, NAS – Ellis keeps getting mentioned, but that's because he's one of the rare defensemen producing on the power play that's available in more than a smattering of leagues. If you want help for your fantasy team's blue line on the power play, Ellis is your best bet. He's tallied five power-play points in his last nine contests, and overall he has 11 power-play points in 59 games. Ellis was banged up a bit recently, but he's played a couple games without incident now, so feel free to take the plunge.

Oscar Klefbom, D, EDM – Klefbom is probably an overlooked fantasy asset in general. He's notched 12 goals and 17 assists in 69 games and has put 172 shots on net this season. As for the power play, the 23-year-old has averaged 2:18 with the extra man, tallying 10 points in that time. Four of those points have come in his last 13 games, so you could do worse than rolling with the up-and-comer in the campaign's final month.