Is 4 line hockey the way to win in Today's NHL ?

[HamiltonNHL]

Is there a way to define 4 line hockey ?
Are LA, Boston, Chicago the best examples of 4 line teams ?
Seems like a balanced team is the way to win Lord Stanley.

Inspired by:

... rolling 4 lines is a philosophy change in that your bench isn't micromanaged by the coach like he's playing a video game controlling the players . By rolling 4 lines you plan to be pro active and have the puck more, play with speed and instinct as the beneficiary from puck possession, an in your face forechecking team playing in the offensive zone forcing turnovers which is what a micromanaged bench playing a hard matchup game takes away from a team as it makes them reactive, slow defense first team ie rope & dope.

Offensive faceoffs you'll see the top lines take them, PP you'll see the offensive guys take them. TV time outs or any faceoff you can start your top guys at any zone depending on the score as the deciding factor. By rolling the lines between whistles means your keeping everybody involved feeling like they're part of the team creating depth, keeping shifts shorter that means the players stay fresh and can COMPETE HARDER.

LA, Boston, Chicago are 4 line teams that roll lines but there top guys still get more TOI cause it's not a TOI mechanism.

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[SprDaVE]

If you can roll 4 competent lines, you'll have a better time then if you can roll 3 competent lines.

It's not complicated. It's actually pretty simple and logical.

 

[ACC1224]

This is hardly a revelation.

 

[Ace88*]

it's almost like it's a foundational pillar of team sport.

 

[Mess]

4 lines is all about balance and bringing all the elements together that a good hockey team needs to win.

Players know their roles and have different responsibilities and together it forms unity and team success.

Team defense and puck possession is the way to win in today's NHL and 4 line hockey is more about team depth then the recipe for success. Strong teams are generally considered deep teams in talent also.

In LA Mike Richards was their 4th line center, and Justin Williams won the Conn Smythe playoff MVP playing the 3rd line wing. That speaks more to team depth than simply rolling 4 lines.

 

[JackJ]

Been this way since the 90's.

 

[Quares27]

The way to win? of course not. At the very most they might play 10-12 minutes. As long as they contribute to the team in some way and arent a liability its good. They dont need to be great players like the Bruins have shown with their 4th line, they just need to be effective in their role. Its obviously different when you get to the playoffs as well. For example Nolan (who is pretty much just a fighter) played most of the season on the Kings 4th line and then never played in the playoffs.

 

[-DeMo-]

having 4 lines is great but your top players still take you where your going to go. those teams who have 4 lines also have among the best talent at the top of there lineup aswell.

 

[Schenn]

Quite obviously, yes.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

What is the definition of 4 line hockey ?

The 3rd and 4th lines play more minutes than other teams ?
There is more balance in player skill distributed on the 4 lines ? Assuming skill = cap hit, does a 4 line hockey team have a good balance in salaries on the 4 lines ?

Keep in mind, as you accumulate big cap hits (superstars) ... the chance for balance in the 4 lines goes down dramatically.

Malkin, Crosby, Letang = 25 million. Wouldn't it be hard to get a balance in 4 lines after that cap hit ?