Line Combos: With A Healthy Forward Corps Now (sans Kozun), What Line Combos Do You Expect To See?

[thewave]

L1: Komarov Kadri Lupul
L2: JVR Bozak Kessel
L3: ---- Holland Clarkson
L4: ---- ---- ----

 

[KingTY]

JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Santorelli
Komarov-Holland-Clarkson
Panik-Winnik-Booth

I like Zeke's as well

 

[AuGsY]

Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
JVR - Kadri - komarov
Santo - Holland - clarkson
Booth - smith - winnik


I feel Lupul should be given a shot at the top line again, he was PPG there in the past.
Also, Komarov has earned a shot at the top 6 with his recent play, hes been much more effective than clarkson.

 

[HellasLEAF]

Komarov - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bozak - Lupul
Winnick - Holland - Santa
Booth - Smith - Panik/Clarkson

 

[Dirty Dan]

Lupul-Bozak-Kessel
JVR-Kadri-Santa
Komarov-Holland-Winnik
Panik-Smith-Clarkson

JVR-bozak-kessel line needs to go

 

[Mess]

Whichever center plays with wingers Clarkson and Winnik seems to struggle offensively.

I would swap Lupul -- Booth and Winnik and Clarkson and have Holland with the first pair and Smith with the second.

 

[Porn*]

Panik has proven that he deserves more ice time not less... poor decision.

 

[hotpaws]

Whichever center plays with wingers Clarkson and Winnik seems to struggle offensively.

I would swap Lupul -- Booth and Winnik and Clarkson and have Holland with the first pair and Smith with the second.

David "net presence" Clarkson has been a line killer wherever we've played him . Winnick can least cover defensively and do the spade work for his more offensive line mates .

It's time to stop trying to justify the contract we gave DC and just play him how/where he belongs and that's on the 4th line with no pp time .

 

[indigobuffalo]

I really liked the lines from yesterday's game vs the Pens. Would stick to a balanced attack and let Lupul/Booth carve up the worst defensive pairings on each team, or else allow one of Holland/Kadri/Bozak's lines to do it.

It's how this team should have been rolling all season.

 

[ryno23]

I think it is time to break up the Bozak line for a bit and see if we can balance out that line with a guy who can help in the D zone.

Kessel - Holland - Lupul
JVR - Bozak - Clarkson
Komorov - Kadri - Santo
Booth - Smith - Winnik

Yes Clarkson on that line they played together a while back and seemed to generate some chances and really cycled the puck well. Also allows Carlyle to play Bozak and check the other teams top guy....he has done well with shutting down Stamkos and Crosby( Crosby 2 points were on the PP and OT 4 on 4)

Holland centering Kessel and Lupul allows both of the other guys to play offensive and Holland is a bigger body who can work the D zone.

Kadri's line is good so far and really creates good cycle and chances

Smith's line can play 10 mins and has responsible players who Carlyle can trust.

I think these 4 lines would be able to cycle and wear down the opponents and also breaking up the Bozak line they won't get pinned in their D zone for longs stretches and if they play the other way Kessel has more left in the tank during a shift and not spent defending.

 

[Nithoniniel]

As many others here, I want offense spread out and first line broken up. Four lines approach:

Komarov - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bozak - Clarkson
Lupul - Holland - Panik
Winnik - Santorelli - Booth

 

[frankthetank91]

I expect the lines to be changed up frequently this year because of the depth we have.

All I ask is that players play their natural position as much as possible.

I see alot of people penciling Winnik as a center. While he can and has played it in the past, he looks alot better as a winger, same for Komarov.

 

[hotpaws]

Komarov - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bozak - Winnick
Lupul - Santo - Holland
Panic - Smith - Clarkson

 

[Hocks95*]

I expect the lines to be changed up frequently this year because of the depth we have.

All I ask is that players play their natural position as much as possible.

I see alot of people penciling Winnik as a center. While he can and has played it in the past, he looks alot better as a winger, same for Komarov.

I agree with this. However I think I'd much rather have Winnik as a centre than Holland. Holland is amazing but can't take a faceoff to save his life right now. Until unless he gets better at that he can never be a respectable 2nd/3rd line centre.

 

[Kearsley21]

What happened to percy? Why isn't he playing instead of holzner?

 

[buttman*]

Komarov deserves to be on the second line and should have been on the ice with Kadri in overtime, not Santa.

JVR Bozak Kessel -- because they won't change it anyhow
Komarov Kadri Lupul -- good mix, of grinding, passing and shooting
Booth Santa Clarkson -- apparently they played real well together in Vancouver. Clarkson also doesn't belong in the top 6 and they won't play him on the 4th.
Winnik Holland Panik -- Winnik and Holland see time on the PK. Panik needs to step up or be replaced by Kuzon.

 

[Mess]

What happened to percy? Why isn't he playing instead of holzner?

He is currently injured with the Marlies.

However in 5 games in the AHL he has 0-0-0 points and -7.

 

[zeke]

David "net presence" Clarkson has been a line killer wherever we've played him . Winnick can least cover defensively and do the spade work for his more offensive line mates .

It's time to stop trying to justify the contract we gave DC and just play him how/where he belongs and that's on the 4th line with no pp time .

What's funny is that everyone was raving about the Komo-Santo-Clarkson line to start the year, and talking about how great their forechecking was even though they weren't creating much offense.

And then, of course, Komo and Santo have exploded offensively since Clarkson was removed from that line. Surprise, surprise.

On the bright side, Clarkson could be a legit good 4th liner for us this year if we can ignore his contract.

 

[ShameOnYouZidlicky]

Komarov Kadri Kessel 17 mins
JVR Bozak Lupul 17 mins
Booth Holland Panik 11 mins
Winnik Santorelli Clarkson 15 mins

 

[New Liskeard]

What's funny is that everyone was raving about the Komo-Santo-Clarkson line to start the year, and talking about how great their forechecking was even though they weren't creating much offense.

And then, of course, Komo and Santo have exploded offensively since Clarkson was removed from that line. Surprise, surprise.

On the bright side, Clarkson could be a legit good 4th liner for us this year if we can ignore his contract.

yet Clarkson has 1 less goal than both those players combined. Nice try though.

 

[Nithoniniel]

What happened to percy? Why isn't he playing instead of holzner?

Percy is an LD, Holzer is a RD. That's pretty much what happened. Holzer tonight was good, so it's not like it's a decision they should regret.

I agree with this. However I think I'd much rather have Winnik as a centre than Holland. Holland is amazing but can't take a faceoff to save his life right now. Until unless he gets better at that he can never be a respectable 2nd/3rd line centre.

Then you play Holland center duties and have a winger with good faceoffs with him.

 

[zeke]

yet Clarkson has 1 less goal than both those players combined. Nice try though.

Komo's scoring at a 60pt pace.

Santo at a 45pt pace.

Clarkson at a 25pt pace.

and clarkson's the only one of them getting PP time.


In November (12gms), after their line was split up:

Komo 68pt pace
Santo 48pt pace
Clarkson 21pt pace

 

[dbc920]

JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Komarov-Kadri-Lupul
Booth-Holland-Santorelli
Winnik-Smith-Clarkson

 

[New Liskeard]

Komo's scoring at a 60pt pace.

Santo at a 45pt pace.

Clarkson at a 25pt pace.

and clarkson's the only one of them getting PP time.


In November (12gms), after their line was split up:

Komo 68pt pace
Santo 48pt pace
Clarkson 21pt pace

So is it points or goals? Or whichever suits your argument. As much as you dislike Clarkson, he has almost as many goals as both above mentioned players combined. If you want to talk about production, make sure to paint the entire picture, not just the one that supports your bias.

 

[Delicious Dangles*]

Lupul - Kadri - Kessel
Komarov - Bozak - Santorelli
JVR - Holland - Clarkson
Winnik - Smith - Booth/Panik

Based off of chemistry we've seen, and good meshes for style of play and role, I think these are the best lines to go with at this point in time.

Here is my rationale:

1st line: This line is the pure skill line. Lupul-Kessel have worked well in the past (it raised Lupul's game considerably - and would raise his eventual trade value), Kadri-Lupul works well, and Kadri-Kessel has shown flashes in their brief stints together. These are our 3 most individually skilled forwards, and while maybe not the best defensively on the wing, Kadri has developed a lot (his face-offs have also greatly improved) in that regard. The best defense is being able to control the puck offensively, and this line should be able to do that. If Carlyle does his job, they should also be going up against the secondary defensive pairings at every opportunity. This line has a passer (Kadri), a shooter (Lupul), and a hybrid (Kessel). This would ideally be deployed the same way that Chicago deploys the Kane line, or Boston deploys the Krejci line, or Anaheim deploys the Getzlaf line.

2nd line: This is the shutdown line. Komarov-Santorelli have been maybe our best pairing this year. They work off each other very well, relying heavily on the cycle, and Bozak should be able to fit into that style seamlessly. Bozak has taken that next step since the beginning of last year, and I think that he can finally hold his own away from Kessel. In fact, I think Bozak and Kessel are both better when apart. All 3 are anywhere from decent to great defensively, with Komarov being a key part of the PK and a great forechecker. These guys should be going up against the top offensive players on the opposing team every night, tasked with shutting them down. Both Bozak and Komarov should be very familiar with playing against these quality of players, and Santorelli has held his own against anything thrown at him this year. Bozak is also our best face-off guy, who is used to going up against the best opponents, which gives us an advantage. Komarov has shown to be great at getting players off their game. Who better than their stars? This would be deployed much like a Bergeron, Toews, Kesler line.

3rd line: This is our Hybrid line. JVR-Clarkson looked decent in their short stint together this season, and both Holland and Clarkson have looked their best while on the 3rd line. All 3 players are big at around 200 pounds, range from 6'1" to 6'3", can play physical, and should have an easier time barreling through weaker defensive pairings. Holland is not the greatest at face-offs, but he will now have two strong wingers that can help win the puck out of a scrum, while also going against guys that aren't necessarily as good at that aspect. This line should go against the weakest defensive pairings/forward lines on the other team. This also makes JVR the primary offensive guy on his line, which I think he needs. He has been putting up the points this year, but he has not been dominating games like we know he can and has in the past. I think he needs that push, and going against weaker defenses should also help. All 3 are capable of playing a strong north-south game and maintain possession with their size and strength. This also gives Holland somebody of skill to play with, so that we know what we have. Ideally, this line would be deployed similar to how Chicago, Anaheim, Boston deploy their 3rd lines, or how we deployed Kadri when he first joined the team in a permanent role (only hopefully we wouldn't have our other secondary line offensively dead).

4th line: This is our 4th line. Basically what else can you say. Primarily defensive guys who are needed for the PK. Winnik is our top guy in that regard. All 4 have shown flashes of offense in the past too. Booth was a 60 point guy at one time. Winnik held his own and made some nice plays when with Kessel. Smith helped us through our center disaster last year and played above expectations. And Panik has shown an ability to score with limited minutes this year. All have something to prove and/or a contract to play for. Personally, I would replace one of Smith/Booth/Panik with Kozun once he is healthy. He provided an incredible spark, and was a good PKer. Perfect 4th line guy. While they aren't going to do much offensively, and let's face it, probably won't get many 5 on 5 minutes, they will get PK time, and most importantly, they are good enough defensively that Carlyle doesn't need to be scared to put them out 5 on 5 should the need arise.