FHL: All About Chemistry

Updated: November 7, 2006, 11:33 AM ET
By Tristan H. Cockcroft | ESPN.com
They say chemistry is often the trait that helps make a good NHL team a championship-caliber team, and I couldn't agree with those people more. Finding the right mix of players is the mark of a winner, and when a team does find that perfect match; tremendous results can often be elicited from the most unlikely of players.

For fantasy, catching on to great chemistry is an important early-season task, and there's no more critical place to look for it than in the line assignments. Remember what Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo did after the former was traded to the Sharks last December? That's a line that helps demonstrate the impact of great chemistry, and it also illustrates how a formidable line can often help individual players dodge slumps over the long season.

One other benefit of great line chemistry: Even if only two players are seemingly benefiting on a certain line, remember that the third (or fourth and fifth on a power-play unit) members of the unit also stand a much better chance of increased production. Knowing the no-name on a quality line is often a good way to unearth a sleeper, so when you find a productive pairing, keep an eye on who's rounding out that line as the season progresses.


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Tristan H. Cockcroft | email

Fantasy
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