On the Fly: The rise of elite scoring D-men; the harmony of Kane and Panarin
On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, is back for another edition - two in two days! With the playoffs set to begin Wednesday, we continue to look back on two of the more memorable storylines of the regular season.
Scoring ain't down from the back
Justin Cuthbert: The NHL had a 100-point scorer and nearly twice as many 30-goal men this season over last, but league-wide scoring remained on a (slight) downward trajectory. That, however, wasn't the case among elite defensemen.
Erik Karlsson, one of only two blue-liners who finished among the top 50 scorers last year, upped his peerless production to 82 points - the most by a defenseman in two decades. That point-per-game production saw him become the first D-man in three decades - and only the fifth ever - to place top five in scoring.
Elsewhere, Brent Burns finished 11th in league scoring with 75 points. His 27 goals were the most by a defenseman since Mike Green's 31 in 2008-09, and only Alex Ovechkin topped Burns' video-game total of 353 shots.
Factor in Kris Letang, who contributed 1.15 points per game since Christmas; Roman Josi, who minted a Predators record with 61 points; John Klingberg, who collected 48 helpers; Mark Giordano, who shattered career highs in goals and points; and of course another 20-goal season from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and it's easy to gloss over the fractional decrease in overall scoring.
The Kane and Panarin Show
Sean O'Leary: Patrick Kane's been a star from the moment he was taken first overall in 2007.
His vision, speed, and silky-smooth hands have made him nearly impossible to defend his entire career, but now, thanks to a linemate equally as dynamic on the opposite wing, you can only hope to contain what is officially the Chicago Blackhawks' second line.
Kane, along with rookie sensation Artemi Panarin, lit the league on fire, scoring 106 and 77 points respectively. And they did it in style.
Watching the duo work together perfectly, masterfully in sync, is a treat, as both share the same creativity and flair.
The two consistently play on the same wavelength, carving opposing defenses with cross-ice one-timers, which they seem to have down to a science.
If you need another example of how the two work in perfect harmony, feast your eyes here.
Kane potted a career-high 46 goals, while Panarin crunched Chicago's salary cap by scoring 30 himself. And in case it wasn't abundantly clear from their energized celebrations, these two absolutely love scoring goals.
If Kane and Panarin's chemistry doesn't bring you to the edge of your seat every time they're on the ice, get your pulse checked, because they're the NHL's most exciting duo - and they're only getting started.