Line Combos: Lineup Combos we haven't seen that could work

[Spearmint Rhino]

Galchenyuk Plekanec Gallagher
Pacioretty DD Bourque/Briere
Bournival Eller Gionta
Moen White Prust

 

[MsChanandlerBong]

Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Bourque
Bournival-Plekanec-Gionta
Prust-White-Moen

You want to give our best producing and best overall forward Gionta and Bournival? Put him in a 3rd line checking role with someone who can't buy a goal and someone who can't seem to return to his hot streak?

 

[TT1]

galchenyuk-eller-gallagher
pacioretty-dd-bournival
briere/bourque-plekanec-gionta
prust-white-moen

markov - subban
emelin - gorges
tinordi - diaz

ideally:

galchenyuk-eller-gallagher
pacioretty-plekanec-bournival
bourque-briere-gionta
prust-white-moen

markov - subban
emelin - gorges
tinordi - diaz

gtfo dd

 

[TT1]

You want to give our best producing and best overall forward Gionta and Bournival? Put him in a 3rd line checking role with someone who can't buy a goal and someone who can't seem to return to his hot streak?

if we dont do that then DD is completely useless, he has pretty good chemistry with patches. we have to keep'em together, as long as their producing

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

You want to give our best producing and best overall forward Gionta and Bournival? Put him in a 3rd line checking role with someone who can't buy a goal and someone who can't seem to return to his hot streak?

That's why I put Pleks with the Gally's

For years the argument has been Tomas is a 1st line centre handicapped with crap wingers so we'll give him 2 of our best, would also be great for Alex to mentor under Pleks for his transition to centre

We can't put Gio & DD together (unless we are stacking players ) so Brian has to go with Eller

Since Lars doesn't pass and Gio can't shoot, they'll be perfect together as a shut down line that will get some individual goals from Eller and some rebound/tip goals from Brian


Then we just need to find a big-consistent winger to play with DD

 

[KoZed]

How about

3 offensive lines

1 purely defensive/energy line to match the top line of the opposition




Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher : offensive production, won't hurt you too much defensively. Need

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Bourque : offensive, both wingers can play in their zone to make up for DD sucking there.

Bournival - Plekanec - Briere : Pleky had a good time with Bourni and with Briere, so put all 3 together. Bourniv and Plek have speed to cover for Briere.

Moen - Prust - Gionta : defensive/checking line.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

I got a few somewhat unique suggestions:

Galchenyuk at C:

Briere-Plekanec-Gionta
Desharnais/Eller- Eller/Desharnais-Pacioretty
Bourque/Prust-Galchenyuk-Gallagher

Balanced:

Galchenyuk-Plekanec-Gionta
Briere-Eller-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Bourque/Prust

Galchenyuk with exploitation minutes and possibly C rotation:

Bourque-Plekanec-Gionta
Briere-Eller-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Desharnais/Galchenyuk-Galchenyuk/Desharnais

The thread is "lines we haven't seen before" so...

 

[tinyzombies]

if we dont do that then DD is completely useless, he has pretty good chemistry with patches. we have to keep'em together, as long as their producing

Also, this is a defensive team, so we need a power-vs-power line (a checking line that can counter).

We clearly aren't built to be a possession team (and maybe never have been since the last Cup win), which is what most of us seem to be complaining about lol. But if our recent drafts are to be believed, seems as tho we are moving towards becoming a possession team. In the past, we drafted small, skilled guys to counter-attack. That seems to be changing. But I guess you cannot just become a possession team without guys who can put the puck in the net or you end up middle of the pack like the Rangers.

I think some Montreal fans think that would be boring, but I really enjoy watching the Kings here.

 

[Milhouse40]

Pacioretty - Eller - Gallagher
Galchenyuk - Plekanec - Gionta
Bournival - Briere - Bourque
Moen - White - Prust

 

[FrontierPsyCHiatrist*]

Galchenyuk-Pleckanec-Gionta are playing OK together
Pacioretty-Eller-Gallagher has the potential to be better than the EGG line
Bournival-Desharnais-Briere the french connection
Bourque-Prust-Moen-White-Parros do wathever you want with that

My top 9 for the next game, I have no clue how the 4th line should look,, though.

 

[Video Coach]

Briere - Plekanec - Gionta
- The vet line. They can take lots of defensive starts, subbing Moen or Prust in for Briere when necessary, and provide some offense.

Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
- This line has always worked well together. Give them starts all over the ice and let them create offense.

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Bournival
- I think Gallagher works well with DD and Patches because he keeps the line moving. Bournival would do the same. Mostly offensive zone starts.

Prust - White - Moen
- Energy line. Can start all over the ice.

 

[Talks to Goalposts]

Also, this is a defensive team, so we need a power-vs-power line (a checking line that can counter).

We clearly aren't built to be a possession team (and maybe never have been since the last Cup win), which is what most of us seem to be complaining about lol. But if our recent drafts are to be believed, seems as tho we are moving towards becoming a possession team. In the past, we drafted small, skilled guys to counter-attack. That seems to be changing. But I guess you cannot just become a possession team without guys who can put the puck in the net or you end up middle of the pack like the Rangers.

I think some Montreal fans think that would be boring, but I really enjoy watching the Kings here.

Montreal has been a solid puck possession team at numerous points since Subban and Pacioretty broke out simulanously in 10-11. Maybe not to the degree as Western Conf powerhouses, but several stretches of being very strong compared to the Eastern conference. Particularly last season and they were solid to start this season as well.

But not currently. Good lord the transition system has gone from solid to terrible awfully fast. Long stretch of being the team that plays to for Carey Price to win it for them.

 

[Mr. Hab]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - White

(I know it looks weird, like something Carbo would try?!!, but...just for one game or two, no?? White can cause some distraction on that line to let Pacio+DD do their thing...White can do all the blue-collar work, go to the net...do many things while staying disciplined...and just let DD and Pacioretty do their thing, no?! felt bad that Gallagher had to do all the hard work on that line... White could be up to the task/mission/temporary promotion).

82 games during the season...good to try out some line changes here and there (in case of injuries, to be better prepared for playoffs so everyone is accustomed to each other,etc).

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - White

(I know it looks weird, like something Carbo would try?!!, but...just for one game or two, no?? White can cause some distraction on that line to let Pacio+DD do their thing...White can do all the blue-collar work, go to the net...do many things while staying disciplined...and just let DD and Pacioretty do their thing, no?! felt bad that Gallagher had to do all the hard work on that line... White could be up to the task/mission/temporary promotion).

82 games during the season...good to try out some line changes here and there (in case of injuries, to be better prepared for playoffs so everyone is accustomed to each other,etc).

White has shown less offensive skills than Cube somehow but hey why not, not like we can score less than we are now

 

[FXBrassard]

Pacioretty Eller Briere
Bourque Galchenyuk Gallagher
Gionta Plekanec Prust
Moen White Bournival

It is time we groom our future #1 center by actually playing him at center. The best way to learn how to play center in the NHL, is to actually play it. Just by substracting DD of the line up we are no longer weak and small and we have a team that can compete physically. I have no doubt this would be a better offense than what we have now.

 

[Mr. Hab]

White has shown less offensive skills than Cube somehow but hey why not, not like we can score less than we are now

I do like Moen-White-Prust(+Parros VS Bruins/Leaves,etc) ...great playoffs line, but breaking it up to use one or two of those forwards to add to the other lines for more grit (or in case of injuries) is always possible.

As for the trial of a Pacioretty-DD-White line...I wouldn't expect White to rack up the points...it would be more of a 1 game trial (maybe 2 games?) to see if White could do all the dirty blue collar work and also be a major distraction (ex: going to the net) to the opponents so DD+Pacioretty can do their thing,etc.
Then again...maybe Prust can be good with DD+Pacioretty.
Lots to try...still lots of time left!! (long season!).

Not sure coach Therrien would ever try it though (Pacioretty-DD-White)...wouldn't be surprised. I'm just happy White is getting some good 4th line duty here and there and is staying disciplined (but a strange part of me misses the ''crazy-let-it-all-loose'' White!! well...I'd miss that part of him without so many penalties since he gets punished for it).

 

[WestIslander]

Here it is!

Galchenyuk - Plekanec - Gallagher
Bourque - Eller - Gionta
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Prust
Moen - Briere - White

Markov - Gorges
Subban - Emelin
Murray - Diaz

Price
Budaj

 

[otto bond]

I'll play:

Patch-Eller-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-Plekanec-Bourque
Bournival-DD-Briere
Moen-White-Prust
Gionta

PK-Emelin
Groges-Markov
Diaz-Murray

Price
Budja

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Galchenyuk - Plekanec - Briere
Max Pac - Desharnais - Gallagher
Bourque/Bournival - Eller - Gionta

I'd try these lines.

 

[Andy]

Bourque Plekanec Gionta
Bournival Eller Gallagher
Pacioretty Galchenyuk Briere/Desharnais
Moen White Prust

or

Bourque Plekanec Briere/Desharnais
Pacioretty Galchenyuk Gallagher
Bournival Eller Gionta
Moen White Prust

 

[tinyzombies]

Montreal has been a solid puck possession team at numerous points since Subban and Pacioretty broke out simulanously in 10-11. Maybe not to the degree as Western Conf powerhouses, but several stretches of being very strong compared to the Eastern conference. Particularly last season and they were solid to start this season as well.

But not currently. Good lord the transition system has gone from solid to terrible awfully fast. Long stretch of being the team that plays to for Carey Price to win it for them.

But don't you agree that most of the people on here seem to put lines together under the assumption that we are a puck possession team, which we are not. You can't just put any combination of players together without taking into consideration the overall group and the style we must play (or are designed to play).

And it's doubtful that MB will be able to alter this roster significantly enough by the playoffs to make any great changes in our style of play (if he even wants to). Seems as though we'd have to wait for our younger big players to develop for that to happen.

We are a defensive, counter-attack team that plays a collapsing lowzone 2-3 defensive scheme with a two-man forecheck (if we can). As we always have been (minus the forecheck, which Therrien installed, or tries to install, or lies about). The Fenwick/Corsi possession and the PDO numbers show this for years and this year also. The post-lockout teams to win a Cup with this style were Pittsburgh (and maybe Boston?). And Vancouver came close.

I heard the Kings announcer say that they prefer to have the centerman on the puck down low and have the two dmen in front of the net, but I think our D is too small to play that.

We rely on Price, our powerplay and on counterattack scoring and leave the rest to overload and forecheck pressure. But big possession teams aren't scared off by that, they'll just keep coming in groups. So that leaves Price once the tempo is taken away from us, since we will be taking penalties not drawing them. The reason we lost to the Kings was we played a lazy zone and the ref screwed up three times.

That's my impression.

 

[Talks to Goalposts]

But don't you agree that most of the people on here seem to put lines together under the assumption that we are a puck possession team, which we are not. You can't just put any combination of players together without taking into consideration the overall group and the style we must play (or are designed to play).

And it's doubtful that MB will be able to alter this roster significantly enough by the playoffs to make any great changes in our style of play (if he even wants to). Seems as though we'd have to wait for our younger big players to develop for that to happen.

We are a defensive, counter-attack team that plays a collapsing lowzone 2-3 defensive scheme with a two-man forecheck (if we can). As we always have been (minus the forecheck, which Therrien installed, or tries to install, or lies about). The Fenwick/Corsi possession and the PDO numbers show this for years and this year also. The post-lockout teams to win a Cup with this style were Pittsburgh (and maybe Boston?). And Vancouver came close.

I heard the Kings announcer say that they prefer to have the centerman on the puck down low and have the two dmen in front of the net, but I think our D is too small to play that.

We rely on Price, our powerplay and on counterattack scoring and leave the rest to overload and forecheck pressure. But big possession teams aren't scared off by that, they'll just keep coming in groups. So that leaves Price once the tempo is taken away from us, since we will be taking penalties not drawing them. The reason we lost to the Kings was we played a lazy zone and the ref screwed up three times.

That's my impression.

When this group is playing well, is typically on a strong transition game on an efficent break out and forwards that are good at breaking up the other sides attack up the ice. It results in a strong shot differential, is focused on controlling the puck directly or indirectly and the team tends to control the puck more than the other side so I'd call them a puck possession squad. If your working on another definition of a puck possession team, that's fine, its a mere matter of semantics. My definition is basically just a team that is good at controlling the puck (by any means) and has favourable zone time and shot ratios.

Basically, this was a horrible puck possession orgainization until they got Subban. Then, except for the Randypuck era, they were solid at possession 5 on 5 essentialy once the kid hit the ice in 2010.

I get what your saying as it depends on a counter attack style on forward, because the strong 5 on 5 game in MTL depends on
1) an effective power v power matchup line centered around Plekanec.
2) scoring line set up to slaughter soft minutes that Plekanec opens up, which carries a lot of the 5on5 scoring load. Pacioretty and Desharnais have featured prominently here.
3) 2 other reasonably effective lines, one often being veteran bottom sixers that are pretty good at defense.

Its a strategy based on countering where the opponent is strong and blowing up their weak points to make up for the fact that none of the forwards are world beating threats on their own. So it doesn't work nearly so well against the Western elite teams because those teams tend not to be weak at any point in their top nine and have top level threats to counter. Plus the ability to pin a team on the defensive and keep a guy like Subban from taking over.

So your completely right that lines can't be made just on who would play well with who. Each line is set up to have a particular role and the players have to fit in with that role to be effective. Which is why most effective lineups are going to have Gionta with Plekanec for example, and why I think the team loses a dimension they need when they break up an effective 4th line to put Parros in the mix. It also goes to why Briere I think Briere was a particularly poor pickup, he doesn't really fit into the line system, particularly with Desharnais in the mix. There are a specific number of spots for pure offensive players in this set up and he's an expensive redundancy. Otherwise, the system runs on having a lot of players good at both sides of the puck, which he clearly is not.

The best he's done is being the LW offensive vulture capitalizing on Pleks-Gio's 3 zone play, but he isn't nearly as good at it as Ryder was, and I think both Galchenyuk and Bournival have shown more in the job this season.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Galchenyuk - Plekanec - Gallagher
Patches - DD - Bournival / Briere
Bourque - Eller - Gionta
Moen - White - Prust

Gorges - Subban
Markov - Emelin
Murray - Diaz

 

[Kimota]

1st like Max Pac - Eller - Gallagher
2nd line Bournival - Plekanec - Bourque
3d line Prust - Gallchenyuk - Gionta
4th line Moen - White - Matias

-Our five best forwards are Max Pac, Eller, Gally, Plek and Chucky. I place four of them amonst my Top 6.

-I place Chucky on my third line cause I want him to be center and he's not ready for Top 2 lines center duties. But he would get used to being center for the remainder of the season.

-Gionta at this point of his career, he's the perfect veteran third liner with both offensive and defensive duties. Prust is capable to complete a third line.

-At this point in time both Bourque and Bournival are capable to contribute on a second line and they have the skills and size to be a factor. I don't expect miracles however but it's good to have decent-sized guys at these positions.

-I waive Briere and Parros and trade DD for Matias.

 

[tinyzombies]

When this group is playing well, is typically on a strong transition game (that) results in a strong shot differential."

I've seen no evidence of this. Our Fenwick and Corsi numbers are middle of the pack. Our PDO (shooting %/save % differential) is 6th. That's what makes us win. It's not the shotblocks and collapsing, it's that we finish (harder to do in the playoffs when big teams tighten up and play tough), have an excellent PP (which is mostly a regular season device), and get big saves. We are definitely not a puck possession team in any sense of the word (other than PK).

I guess line combinations are utopian thinking. There is no set combination to land on and you cannot become too predictable anyway. And there are matchups to consider.

If we are talking about playoffs though, and we want another Cinderella run, I think we have enough to hang onto a top 3 spot and win a first round matchup. Then it's Pittsburgh, then Boston most likely.

Then either LA, Chicago or San Ho. Big puck possession teams with skill.

So, we really need two lineups built into one. One to get out of the East, one to win the Cup? And we just saw what our small lineup would do against LA. Imagine now it's game 3 of the Final against LA and we've managed to steal one and it's 2-1 for them. But we are beat up from having to play Boston and LA back-to-back... and we can't try to beat them at their own game either...

I"m sure you've all seen this:
http://deadspin.com/this-wonderful-graphic-proves-that-in-the-nhl-puck-pos-470045959