Quote:
Originally Posted by 442scotty
Flames need to move Coleman off the second line and replace Pitlick on the third. That second line needs someone with a lot more offensive skill don’t you think? Unless Coleman is still finding his way… Too much pressure on the top line and Mangiapane to carry all the load.
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It's a fine line. That line's whole identity is that they play a strong 200-foot game, so you can match them to the other team's elite players and pin them in the offensive zone. Part of that is not trying to thread sauce passes through layers of traffic in the slot and not trying to carry the puck on entries without numbers. Even though it comes across as Mangiapane "carrying the load" it's really three guys who make sure they start and finish their shifts in the offensive zone - and they accomplish that. The less the Flames dominate, the more likely it is that this line's chance quality will increase because it'll be less cycle and more rush opportunities. The more the Flames dominate, the less this line might produce, but maybe they can trickle their possession dominance into success for another line (maybe a 1by1 line change where the Gaudreau line can exploit some tired bodies, or an offensive zone faceoff for the bottom six)
So I'm not concerned about Coleman-Backlund-Mangiapane needing more skill. Their strength is in their 200-foot game and as long as they're not getting scored on, they've done their job. The last time I felt the Backlund-Mangiapane line wasn't doing its job was the 2020 playoffs - because the undersized Reider seemed outmatched in that role particularily on breakouts. Coleman is far better suited to this role.
I am far more concerned about Dube-Monahan-Pitlick and Lucic-Richardson-Lewis. Both these lines really seem to lack either speed through the middle or playmaking on the wing. They're lines that really don't bring much most nights (yes I know Lucic-Richardson-Leeis were positive goal differential against Boston and Chicago - but they don't pass the eye test).
You can live with the 4th line not bringing much offensively (though it'd be a
lot nicer if they could bring even half of what Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway did a few years back... Lucic can but need to upgrade and get younger at 4C and 4RW) but that third line is a mess.
Three players who seem to each play a different style, yet are all shoot-first guys. Individually they're all decent, but as a collective, they're less than a sum of their parts. Dube and Pitlick might work together if you have a playmaking centre like Coyle, Dube and Monahan might work if you have a playmaking winger like Kessel. Lucic and Dube might work if you have a good centre too (I mean, they did work. Lucic-Bennett-Dube was an awesome line in the bubble, and I thought their struggles last year had more to do with Geoff Ward).
But these three - Dube-Monahan-Pitlick - just don't generate much quality together.
The only other thing Sutter could do, is go back to the early season lines of Coleman-Backlund-Pitlick and Dube-Monahan-Mangiapane. But Backlund makes Mangiapane better IMO. And Monahan at centre is still a weak link.
Jets 4 Flames 2
