[GranteedEV]

Comparing to the 2015 Blackhawks, you can't compare lines directly because we have different lines playing different roles. The comparision should really look like:

Shutdown line A:
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik vs Saad-Toews-Hossa

Let's call this a wash. Both were incredible at shutting opponents down. You could probably give a bit of a bonus to the Blackhawks' line because Toews won more faceoffs than Backlund.

Scoring Line A:
Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm vs Saad-Toews-Hossa
Both lines can score for you. Calgary has the best scorer in Gaudreau, but Chicago has the next two best scorers in Hossa and Toews. Lindholm vs Saad is a wash. I'm willing to call this a wash.

Scoring Line B
Patrick Kane and Two Friends vs Matthew Tkachuk and Two Friends

I think as much as I like our second scoring line, you gotta take Patrick Kane. He probably would have won the Art Ross that year over Benn, Tavares, and Crosby. It's a higher scoring league now, but relative to the league Kane was more dangerous.

Scoring Line C

Sharp-Vermette-Teravainen vs Bennett-Jankowski-Neal

Both teams seem to have a big vacuum down the middle. I believe we have a fix available in Bennett at 3C, but that's besides the point. Sharp vs Neal is pretty close and Bennett vs Teravainen seems pretty close to my eyes. I would personally like to see Czarnik-Bennett-Neal and I think if that were our 3rd line it would have an edge over the Blackhawks unit.


Shutdown Line B
Desjardins-Kruger-Shaw vs Bennett-Jankowski-Neal

I think the Blackhawks had an advantage here as Kruger was pretty suffocating. But again, if Bennett were our 3C I might change my mind.


Not Remotely A Shutdown Line

Bickell-Richards-Kane vs Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm

I would say Richards had the edge here defensively. I might feel differently if our top line were Gaudreau-Lindholm-Monahan.

Odds-And-Ends:
Andrew Shaw, despite playing on a pretty weak offensive line, was a big part of the Hawks PP offensively, and is generally a notably play driver

The Flames are still too early in their season to know what they have in their fourth line. I believe a Dube-Ryan-Jankowski line is what we should be looking at, but that's going to require the aformentioned tweak on our third line.