Five For Fighting Debate: Top Three Lines in the NHL

Charlie Klein

1. Patrick Marleau (LW) Joe Thornton (C) Dany Heatley (RW).

This line is without question the best the NHL has on offer in the 2009-2010 season. Joe Thornton, who is one of the most natural passers the league has seen in the past two decades. anchors the line which produces more combined points than any other. Patrick Marleau leads the NHL in goals with 32 and Dany Heatley is sixth with 27 himself. Thornton is second in the points category with 63, four points behind Henrik Sedin of Vancouver. Their status as the class of the NHL is a dead cert, so there's not much to argue here. I cannot wait to see what kind of damage those three can do for Team Canada next month.

2. Alexandre Burrows (LW) Henrik Sedin (C) Daniel Sedin (RW).

Placing this line this high may surprise some, but Van-City's top line definitely deserves such considerations. The Sedins have been a force this season for the Canucks and their passing is impeccable and truly a joy to watch. As much as their critics like to comment that they are overpaid and overrated, their stats this season prove that the Canucks were right to lock them both up long term. Henrik has 67 points this season and Daniel has 37. The forgotten man on this line is Alexandre Burrows. The feisty left winger has always been known for his superb penalty killing and forechecking, and this year has stepped up his goal game to the tune of 21 goals. He is tied with Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri and Rick Nash for 10th in the NHL. The combined chemistry and statistics this line has displayed and put up this season make them one of the best the NHL has on offer this year.

3. Alexander Ovechkin (LW) Niklas Backstrom (C) Alexander Semin (RW).

For me, this line is without question the class of the Eastern Conference. When two of the three players are in the top seven in points in the NHL, it has to be good. Alexander Ovechkin, the best all-around player in the NHL, makes everyone around him play better. When Bruce Boudreau named Ovechkin captain following the Capitals trading Chris Clark, the Great 8 stepped up his play. Friday night he put up his fourth career 5 point game, defying his critics by notching four assists versus the Maple Leafs. And Niklas Backstrom is probably one of the best kept secrets in the NHL. A terrific passer, Backstrom has set up Ovechkin and Semin very well for the past few years in Washington. And then there is Alexander Semin, who is the "other Russian" in DC. And yet Semin is one of the best Russian forwards in the NHL today. Semin's 19 goals are nothing to sneeze at either. Expect this line to lead the Capitals to glory in 2010.

Honourable Mention: Kane, Toews, Sharpe (CHI).