[SuperMatt18]

It's tough to play Mangiapane in the top 6 because if you want Backlund to play against other teams top 6 he can't do that with Bennett and Lucic as his wingers.

The situation has been the same all season - this team has 7 top 9 forwards to fill the 9 spots. So two of the spots need to be filled by the other guys.

IMO in the top 6 we have 3 pairs of forwards and we should stick to that.

Tkachuk - Lindholm
Gaudreau -Monahan
Mangiapane - Backlund

Then you need to fill out the top 9 around that. If I'm setting up the lineup for tomorrow night I'd have it set up as:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Bennett: He was a healthy scratch last game, give him top 6 linemates to see if he can do something with a chip on his shoulder.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Dube: Dube is the best fit for this line. They need somebody with speed who can push back d-men, and win pucks in the corners.

Mangiapane - Backlund - Leivo: They haven't looked bad together, Leivo hasn't been great but he does slowly seem to be getting better every game.

Lucic - Gawdin - Nordstrom: 4th line really takes a hit if Ryan is hurt, play this line minimal minutes and really ride the top 9.

or the alternative option that is even easier is to just go back to the top 9 from last years playoffs.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Backlund - Mangiapane
Lucic - Bennett - Dube