Quote:
Originally Posted by IliketoPuck
Right.
But Montour & Holzer =/= Engelland & Bartkowski.
And further, it doesn't matter at all how the Ducks deploy their roster. It matters how the Flames deploy theirs, because those are the horses you have in the race.
The evidence is pretty damning that the bottom half of our roster, and their over use, is a key contributing factor to why we are down three games to zero.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't be playing our bottom pairing and our fourth line. They need to be played. But they need to be played in such a way that they don't get repeatedly victimized.
Literally go back and look at each goal the ducks have scored this series.
I am not constructing a false narrative.
I've constructed why we are losing, and backed it up with video evidence.
Elliott can't make a save. Reason #1.
Our third pairing and fourth line is reason #2.
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You haven't backed it up with video evidence, what you've shown is one of the most absolutely classic examples of confirmation bias.
Our third pairing and fourth line is not worse than the Ducks' currently. It's fairly common knowledge around the NHL that third pairings and fourth lines are the worst parts of every single team. That's primarily why they're played the least, it's why they're the fourth, not the third, second, or first.
Just how little did you want them to play? As it stands right now, Bouma and Stajan are the 7th and 9th least played forwards in the entire NHL, of all players who have played 3 games. The only other team that has two forwards in the bottom 10 is Anaheim (with NYR not far behind).
What about Bart and Eng? Surprise, they're the third least played pairing in the entire NHL right now.
There is no damning evidence that points towards overuse of the bottom pairing or fourth line. I'm not sure what your theory is on exactly how much they should be played, but there's little evidence from NHL coaches anywhere in the league that supports your vision of how to roll lines.