Player Discussion: PLD

[Howard Chuck]

I think that’s optimal:
X-Scheifele-Ehlers
Connor-PLD-X
X-Stastny-Wheeler
Perreault-Lowry-X

The X’s can vary, and can even give Perfetti a shot in a sheltered scoring role here or there.

That looks excellent. There are a lot of suitable x’s available.

 

[Howard Chuck]

Should have a read on the Jets' initial lines with PLD on Sunday.

This is not what I expect, but what I'd like:

Stastny-Scheifele-Ehlers (hate to take Copp off, but he's needed elsewhere. Stastny can support Scheifele)
Connor-PLD-Copp (Connor and PLD get the most reliable forward to support them, and Maurice hinted Copp could play RW)
Perreault-Lowry-Wheeler (Perreault and Wheeler usually play well together, and Lowry is at the top of his game)
Harkins-Lewis-Appleton (lots of speed, size and smarts, along with the PK)

I like this too. This really shows how many options we are going to have with PLD starting and a few players taking another step this season.

 

[pucka lucka]

Gus was much better tonight than he has been. I think he'll be good, but right now I think Harkins edges him out for a spot in the line-up.

This was the first game where Vesa and Gus looked like NHLr's.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Should have a read on the Jets' initial lines with PLD on Sunday.

This is not what I expect, but what I'd like:

Stastny-Scheifele-Ehlers (hate to take Copp off, but he's needed elsewhere. Stastny can support Scheifele)
Connor-PLD-Copp (Connor and PLD get the most reliable forward to support them, and Maurice hinted Copp could play RW)
Perreault-Lowry-Wheeler (Perreault and Wheeler usually play well together, and Lowry is at the top of his game)
Harkins-Lewis-Appleton (lots of speed, size and smarts, along with the PK)

I like this. My only minor edit may be to replace Perreault with Appleton if Appleton can play the opposite wing (and really, I don't see why not).

Unfortunately, I can't see Maurice placing Wheeler below the second line. However, it's not too bad if you switch Copp and Wheeler in your configuration. That way, Copp and Lowry are back together (although defensively, I don't like Connor and Wheeler on the same line, but I'm not Maurice).

 

[SCP Guy]

Time for a midnight skate at the iceplex?

 

[garret9]

I think the Jets are likely going to want to keep Lowry in a 3C role. Both for the purposes of more ice time and because he's playing well there.

Didn't we all say something similar in 2017-18? And lo and behold a playing even better than now Lowry was on the 4th line.

But I was doing should not would.

 

[Daximus]

Didn't we all say something similar in 2017-18? And lo and behold a playing even better than now Lowry was on the 4th line.

But I was doing should not would.

I don't know if Lowry has ever played better than he is now. Almost PPG, offensive and defensive beast. Production may not keep up but I've never seen Lowry play better right now than any other time in his career.

 

[garret9]

I don't know if Lowry has ever played better than he is now. Almost PPG, offensive and defensive beast. Production may not keep up but I've never seen Lowry play better right now than any other time in his career.

I don't know how people forget... the 2017-18 line with Lowry on it was so dominant it was ridiculous. Probably a top 5 performance by a bottom 6 centre in modern era.

Now they are barely at par and because of the North Division (and not playing MTL) the level of competition hasn't been that great:

 

[Jets 31]

I can just imagine the Flames thinking about having to face us with PLD.

Someone on their GDT said the same thing, the Jets did this to us without Laine or Dubois.

 

[Daximus]

I don't know how people forget... the 2017-18 line with Lowry on it was so dominant it was ridiculous. Probably a top 5 performance by a bottom 6 centre in modern era.

Now they are barely at par and because of the North Division (and not playing MTL) the level of competition hasn't been that great:

Having a much better team defence that year helps. What Lowry is doing right now is so much more fun to watch than anything he's ever done.

 

[garret9]

Having a much better team defence that year helps. What Lowry is doing right now is so much more fun to watch than anything he's ever done.

The first graph adjusts for that, while the later two do not.

I disagree. I watched him in awe in 2017-18. Now I just nod my head sometimes.

 

[Whileee]

Didn't we all say something similar in 2017-18? And lo and behold a playing even better than now Lowry was on the 4th line.

But I was doing should not would.

It was sort of a 4th line role for Lowry in 2017/18, but he had about the same ice-time in 2017-18 as he has had this season. It might work out well to have two 3/4 lines, one featuring Lowry and the other featuring Stastny. Stastny would get extra time on the PP, while Lowry would have the additional PK role.

I'm imagining the Jets re-signing Stastny and Perfetti being ready to contribute next season...

Copp-Scheifele-Ehlers
Connor-PLD-Perfetti
Vesalainen-Stastny-Wheeler
Harkins (Gus)-Lowry-Appleton

 

[Whileee]

The first graph adjusts for that, while the later two do not.

I disagree. I watched him in awe in 2017-18. Now I just nod my head sometimes.

The shot metrics were better in 2017/18, but Lowry has been fricken' amazing this season. Last night he single-handedly hemmed the Flames into their zone for 30 seconds, running them ragged. Scheifele picked off a clear, and ended up with the goal. Lowry got no Corsis and not even a GF, but that entire sequence was his.

Also, I'm still not sure that available models fully adjust for the impact of playing in front of Beaulieu et al. instead of Buff, Enstrom and Trouba in 2017/18.

 

[Daximus]

The first graph adjusts for that, while the later two do not.

I disagree. I watched him in awe in 2017-18. Now I just nod my head sometimes.

Yeah but what he's doing away from the puck isn't showing up on your charts and graphs. Dude's a beast right now, betta than eva.

 

[Daximus]

The shot metrics were better in 2017/18, but Lowry has been fricken' amazing this season. Last night he single-handedly hemmed the Flames into their zone for 30 seconds, running them ragged. Scheifele picked off a clear, and ended up with the goal. Lowry got no Corsis and not even a GF, but that entire sequence was his.

Also, I'm still not sure that available models fully adjust for the impact of playing in front of Beaulieu et al. instead of Buff, Enstrom and Trouba in 2017/18.

Exactly.

 

[Weezeric]

The first graph adjusts for that, while the later two do not.

I disagree. I watched him in awe in 2017-18. Now I just nod my head sometimes.

My recollection is that Lowry in 17-18 compared favourably with Bergeron. It was very impressive.

 

[JetsUK]

Having a much better team defence that year helps. What Lowry is doing right now is so much more fun to watch than anything he's ever done.

And Armia coming into his own as a strong possession player. CLA and CLT were both fun, savage lines.

 

[garret9]

My recollection is that Lowry in 17-18 compared favourably with Bergeron. It was very impressive.

Ya. It was just dominance. They were a top 10 line in terms of shot and chances. Some people are just totally underrating what Lowry was doing then. It was like his good moments now were all the time.

 

[Daximus]

Ya. It was just dominance. They were a top 10 line in terms of shot and chances. Some people are just totally underrating what Lowry was doing then. It was like his good moments now were all the time.

Give me offensive beast Lowry over defensive beast Lowry any day of the week and twice on sundays.

 

[garret9]

Give me offensive beast Lowry over defensive beast Lowry any day of the week and twice on sundays.

Lol his offense was more then too.
2.52 xGF/60 vs 2.08
The difference is is a 8.06 vs 10.57 oiSh%... a very unsustainable rate unless you view Lowry as a shot quality + finishing talent higher than McDavid.

He was scoring at 1.88 points per hour in 2017-18. That's above average for a 2nd line player while in a shutdown role. His offense was also ELITE then.

 

[Guardian17]

This is a really good article on PLD.

Pierre-Luc Dubois draws on past experience ahead of Jets debut

“What impressed me most was how powerful he was. Everything that he does, it’s all about power,” said Jean-Francois Fortin, who was an assistant coach with the Armada at the time of the trade. “He’s a freak of nature. He was not going around people but through people. It was really, really impressive for a big guy to be able to move like that. Not just north-south, but east-west, with his agility.

“There’s a reason why these guys are drafted there and it’s not just because they’re talented. Most of the time, I would say 90 per cent of the time, their work ethic is right on par with their talent. Pierre-Luc is one of those guys, it’s just work, work, work. On the ice, off the ice. I called him the terminator when he played for us. He was a machine.”

 

[ello]

Lol his offense was more then too.
2.52 xGF/60 vs 2.08
The difference is is a 8.06 vs 10.57 oiSh%... a very unsustainable rate unless you view Lowry as a shot quality + finishing talent higher than McDavid.

He was scoring at 1.88 points per hour in 2017-18. That's above average for a 2nd line player while in a shutdown role. His offense was also ELITE then.

Lowry wasn’t the same after his injury, that’s why he was pushed down to 4C. He was a ghost in the playoffs and really hasn’t regained any semblance of that form until now, so yeah I would also be really surprised if he wasn’t still our 3C once PLD slots in.

 

[Daximus]

Lol his offense was more then too.
2.52 xGF/60 vs 2.08
The difference is is a 8.06 vs 10.57 oiSh%... a very unsustainable rate unless you view Lowry as a shot quality + finishing talent higher than McDavid.

He was scoring at 1.88 points per hour in 2017-18. That's above average for a 2nd line player while in a shutdown role. His offense was also ELITE then.

Expectations < Reality.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I think that’s optimal:
X-Scheifele-Ehlers
Connor-PLD-X
X-Stastny-Wheeler
Perreault-Lowry-X

The X’s can vary, and can even give Perfetti a shot in a sheltered scoring role here or there.

Are these lines in order of minutes played? If so, you'd assume Mo would be running Lowry line more than the Stastny line. And fourth lines don't seem to get many minutes on our team.

Three scoring lines looks great to me, and actually plays to our strength, but this would be a departure in thinking for Mo, wouldn't it?

Edit: I see others have mentioned the same thing.

 

[ghyrti]

I think that’s optimal:
X-Scheifele-Ehlers
Connor-PLD-X
X-Stastny-Wheeler
Perreault-Lowry-X

The X’s can vary, and can even give Perfetti a shot in a sheltered scoring role here or there.

For road games a lineup with Copp, Ves, Harkins, Appleton as X1 through X4 would be a nightmare for opposing coaches to ever send the 4th line out other than after an icing call. On some teams their third lines would be our 5th...