Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
Numbers just don't support that.
As I said I haven't liked the last few games (Two before Backlund went down and two since), but as a trio they've been good before that. Bennett has the second most five on five minutes with Tkachuk this season after Backlund, this isn't a two week thing.
Tkachuk has seen a 4.7% increase in scoring chance splits with Bennett compared to without.
Tkachuk has seen a 12% spike in high danger chance splits with Bennett compared to without.
Numbers suggest Tkachuk has played better with Bennett than any other forward not named Monahan, Gaudreau or Lindholm.
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Numbers are great and all that.
Watching them play together is a whole different conclusion.
No matter what the numbers suggest, it is unequivocally true that Sam has been abysmal offensively for a 2nd line guy. He gets put on that 2nd line and Tkachuk noticeably starts to tail off. Again, it might just be coincidence but that's doubtful at best.
Try someone else (Neal) with MT and see what happens. Send Sam to the 4th line and let him produce those numbers with others that maybe helps them.