On the front line

MONTREAL - There used to be a time in the NHL teams would try everything in their power to have one great line. It wasn't always easy to accomplish, but there certainly have been some memorable trios over the years.

The Punch Line of Maurice Richard, Elmer Lach and Toe Blake dominated the NHL from 1943-48 while the Production Line of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay did likewise from 1947-52. The Triple Crown Line of Marcel Dionne, Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor helped put hockey on the map in Los Angeles from 1979-84 and people in Buffalo wonder if they'll ever see another line as good as the French Connection featuring Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert.

Nowadays, with few exceptions, teams are lucky if they can produce one dynamic duo. Oh, there are still some pretty good lines such as the Sedins, Daniel and Henrik, along with Alex Burrows in Vancouver as well as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan in Anaheim, but mostly teams rely on a pair of players for the bulk of their production.

You have Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay; Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in Washington; Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau with the Sharks; Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with the Blackhawks. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg don't always play on the same line at even strength with the Detroit Red Wings, but when they are teamed to play on the power play, they work magic.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with the addition of Jeff Carter to play with Rick Nash.

And, it would seem, the Toronto Maple Leafs have unveiled a rather productive duo of their own, namely Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Despite being held off the score sheet for the first time this season in what amounted to a rather miserable homecoming in Boston Thursday night, Kessel continues to lead the NHL in scoring with seven goals and 12 points in six games. Lupul, meanwhile, ranks 17th in league scoring with a respectable four goals and seven points in six games. Both players are plus-6.

For Kessel, this is really nothing new. He opened the 2010-11 season with a bang, too, scoring seven goals and nine points in his first eight games. He then went seven games without registering a point. Consistency has eluded the 24-yerar-old through his five years in the league; the first three spent with the Bruins. He has had seasons of 36, 30 and 32 goals the past three years, but if the Maple Leafs are to make it to the playoffs and snap a six-season streak of being on the sidelines, he needs to take his game to the next level.

As coach Ron Wilson said recently, "He's done the 30s thing a few times; now it's time for 40."

For what it's worth, Kessel is on pace for 96 goals. One cannot expect him to keep that up, but breaking the 40 barrier would certainly be a step in the right direction.

Lupul was drafted seventh overall by Anaheim in 2002, but has never really lived up to the promise of being such a high draft choice. His best year was his sophomore season in 2005-06 when he fired 28 goals and 53 points in 81 games. Since then he's been something of a journeyman, with stops in Edmonton, Philadelphia, Anaheim again and now in Toronto.

At 28 years old, Lupul definitely seems to have turned the page and is more serious about his career. His work ethic in practice has been second to none and he is reaping the obvious rewards. Not only that, he has been very good for Kessel, doing a lot of his line's grunt work.

"I came into camp really confident and focused and with the goal of being a consistent player," Lupul said. "I know I'm getting a great opportunity here. I had nowhere near this type of an opportunity in Anaheim, so to come here and have a fresh start and basically get a do-over after all the injuries, is refreshing. That was on my mind at the start of the season; the fact I'm getting this opportunity to play with Phil. My goal was to make the most of it otherwise you end up bouncing around from line to line, or worse, from team to team."

Asked is he has ever gotten off to such a god start, Lupul didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Not this good," he said. "Things are really going our way right now. We're getting the bounces and we're playing well, too, but some of the goals we're getting I don't expect to continue getting throughout the entire season. It's nice when things are rolling like this, but there are still things we can do better. We know that.

"As for why we have been so good, a lot of it, I have to give credit to Phil. He's playing at a really high level right now; probably the highest in the league. Offensively he's on fire. As for myself, I'm just trying to be consistent and play the same way each night. When I get my shots I try to make them count and win battles on the forecheck to keep pucks alive for the line."

Kessel and Lupul will attempt to snap their one-game scoring drought Saturday night when they play the Canadiens here in Montreal.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.