Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Overall they have been better since changing the lines - I'd personally say it's actually the better balance in the d-pairs that's making the bigger difference though.
Anderson-Hanifin - 55.1% xGF
Tanev - Gio: 55.9% xGF
Valimaki-Stone: 50% xGF
The forward lines have been more of a mixed bag:
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk: 36.7% xGF, 45% Offensive Zone
Mangiapane-Monahan-Dube: 60.2% xGF, 50% Offensive Zone
Lucic - Backlund - Nordstrom: 62.9% xGF, 21% Offensive Zone
Ryan - Ritchie - Leivo: 62.6% xGF, 57% Offensive Zone
So as much as the narrative has been "Gaudreau is back" away from Monahan it's not neccessarily the case.
That line has been outshot, and heavily out chanced at 5v5, and i'd say Gaudreau looks the same as he did with Monahan. Personally I think Monahan looks better with Mangiapane and Dube than he did with Johnny though.
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The top 2 lines certainly both look to have more energy. But that’s maybe to be expected for a short time. Just like the coaching change, we need to see a little more. That said, I like the chemistry better even on paper. The Lindholm line has the 3 most creative guys, whereas the Monahan line has diggers, decent speed aside from the centre, and 3 guys who like to take the play to the net.
I suspect the fancy stats will always favour Monahan’s line because overall it has better defence, faceoffs, and forechecking.