Chicago Steelers Summary
Our 1st line is the best overall line of this match-up (Ovechkin-Fedorov-Alfredsson). IMO Ovechkin-Fedorov>Foyston-Boucher, but for those that think it's close we have an edge at the RW position with Alfredsson>Guerin. This line has Fedorov as an elite defensive presence with Alfredsson as a solid 2nd man. It has an elite goalscorer in Ovechkin complimented by two players that can be playmakers for him, but are also threats to score themselves. The speed of Ovechkin-Fedorov will be extremely difficult for defenses to handle, and Alfredsson is a good enough skater to not be left in their dust when he should join them, and responsible enough to hang back when it is appropriate. Ovechkin brings brings a physical presence which will an advantage when fore-checking and Alfredsson will also help with the "dirty work" along the boards.
Our 2nd line is also a balanced group that will provide good secondary scoring. Thompson is a higher end 2nd line LW that can do it all. Recchi is an above average 2nd line RW and is the primary playmaker playing with 2 guys that can put the puck in the net. Roenick and Recchi have proven chemistry and are both hard workers with a physical edge that should serve well doing work along the boards and in the corners. None of these guys are exceptional defensive players, but are all defensively responsible and should be fine with capable defensemen backing them up.
Our 3rd line is our best defensive line overall. McKenney is one of the best 3rd line centers in the ATD and plays a great two-way game. Lonsberry and McKenney are both very good defensive players. Lonsberry has plenty of experience in a shut down role, while McKenney is more of an anticipation/positioning type of defender which should work well against Gwinnett's offensive system. John MacLean is a plus player defensively and can even be more than that if asked to, as he became a defensive specialist later in his career (this change would no doubt sacrifice some of his offense). MacLean and Lonsberry provide a good physical presence on this line, with MacLean in particular being a punishing forechecker. MacLean's big shot and nose for the net along with McKenney's offensive skills is enough to make this line more than a pure defensive line and give it a threat offensively as well. It should be noted that McKenney and Lonsberry are both players who are known for elevating their game in the playoffs, which should make this a very good 3rd line.
Our 4th line is an offensive line, which has one of the best 4th line scorers in the ATD in Viktor Shalimov. Shalimov has 7 Top 10's in Soviet League scoring and has two Top 4 finishes in MVP voting to go along with his 2 All-Star Team appearances. He is supported by Slava Bykov, who is the typical Soviet center that plays a good two-way game. Bykov is on the small side, but still said to be able to play physical hockey, and has proven it by being one of the top performers in the 87' Canada Cup and out dueling a young Eric Lindros in the 92' Olympics. They are joined by John Sorrell, who is another goal scoring threat.
Forward Summary: We have three lines that can play in any situation and the best line overall of the match-up. Our 1st and 3rd lines are definitely above average defensively while our 2nd line is at least a plus defensively and will be able to handle themselves just fine with capable defensemen backing them up. Our 4th line cannot be used in defensive situations, but is definitely good enough to occasionally contribute on the scoresheet. Shalimov is good enough to take the occasional shift on one of the other lines to provide a fresh player with speed and goal scoring ability when needed.
D-Pair 1: Vasiliev-Savard is one of the best pairings defensively in the ATD. Both are large men that can play physically. Vasiliev in particular will punish Gwinnett's forwards with his crushing body checks. This pair will not create/add much offense, but is more than capable enough to get the puck up to our forwards in the transition. These guys should be able to play a lot minutes as a pair.
D-Pair 2: Another pair that is very good defensively, and can play physically (Tsygankov in particular). Talbot is an above average #3 and will be the main puck-mover of this pair, a role in which he is nothing overly special, but certainly adequate.
D-Pair 3: This pair is a lesser version of our 2nd pair. They are good defensively and can play physically. IMO Bubla is one of the better #5's and underrated in the ATD. The research presented in his bio says that he was known as a tough physical player with good mobility, sharp outlet passes, and a hard shot. He was named to consecutive WC All-Star Teams with competition like Vasiliev, Fetisov, and Kasatonov, being named Top Defenseman in one of those. Gregg is an average #6 that is a defensive player who will be fine supporting Bubla.
Defensemen Summary: We are very good defensively in the first two pairs and average to above average in the 3rd pair. We will not be physically intimidated by large opponents, in fact we will be the ones dishing out the punishment. Outside of being able to adequately move the puck up to our forwards, our defensemen in general will not contribute to the offense very much.
Special Teams: Not too much to say here. I feel we have great PKing and an average PP. If a larger net presence is needed on a PP unit Tarasov has the option of putting John MacLean out there who is particularly good in front of the net. These extra minutes can be compensated for by giving MacLean less ES time (Shalimov) and/or less PK time (Lonsberry to 1st PK unit).
Vs. Gwinnett
I want to start off saying that I will not talk about specific line match-ups or strategy, because that is our coach's job. Tarasov is one of the greatest coaches of all time...he will find the match-ups and strategy that works and out-coach Cecil Hart. Instead I will tell you what some of Tarasov's options are. Gwinnett's offense is a one-two punch with its top two lines and D-pairings. Tarasov has 2 forward lines that are very good defensively and can play against those top two units. He also has two D-pairs that are very good defensively and can play against those lines, and a solid 3rd pair that should be fine against one of Gwinnett's top 2 as long as it is supported by one of the the afformentioned two "defensively good" forward lines. The top D-pair is elite defensively, and should be more than ok facing either of Gwinnett's top 2 lines with our 2nd line, which is still a plus defensively, but not in the category of "very good." This gives Tarasov the option of playing pretty much any of the top 3 lines or 3 D-pairs against Gwinnett's top 2 lines given the right combination is in place. Tarasov should be able to use this to take advantage of our depth and exploit Gwinnett's 3rd line, whom I don't think can handle any of our Top 3 lines. An offensive system like Gwinnett's risks some defense to get extra offense. We have shown that Tarasov has the defensive tools/players to combat the offense of Gwinnett, but he also has what is needed to expose the risks that will be taken, which are two-way players and speed. The advantage of having two-way players is that when they break up plays defensively they have the skill to transition quickly to the counter-attack whether it's skating the puck themselves or passing up to a teammate. Our top line is one of the fastest in the draft and Ovechkin is the perfect weapon for the quick counter-attack role, and Fedorov, Alfredsson, and our D have the skills to create those opportunities for him. Our 2nd line is not in the same league as the first speed wise, but has good speed (Thompson in particular) and is dangerous offensively. The 3rd line as it stands will not be as fast as the first two on the counter-attack, but Tarasov has the option of giving Viktor Shalimov shifts on that line. Shalimov is another speedy winger that is a natural goal scorer, and Lonsberry and McKenney are good enough to handle the defensive responsibilities when Shalimov is out there.
Final Thoughts: Gwinnett is a well put together team, but the Chicago Steelers are the type of team that can beat them. We have a deep team with 3 very capable lines all filled with two-way players backed up by physical defensemen that have very strong defensive games. Gwinnett's lack of elite goal scoring will be an issue for them against a team as strong as Chicago is defensively. The combination of two-way players and speed up front will allow Chicago to score on Gwinnett. The top line belongs to Chicago and will be a handful for any of Gwinnett's lines. The Steelers have the advantage in net in this series with one of the best clutch goaltenders of all time. They also have the advantage on the bench where the legendary Anatoli Tarasov will out coach Cecil Hart leading Chicago to victory.
