Third line = Shutdown line?

IceManCat

#TheFloridaPanthers
Jul 13, 2006
6,087
2,551
The Rat Den
We are having a friendly debate over on the Panthers forum about third lines in the year 2018-19.


Is your team's third/fourth line primarily tasked with stopping the other team's top line ?

or

Is your teams third/fourth line asked to prove secondary scoring leaving the top lines to go against the opposing top lines ?
 

DRW204

Registered User
Dec 26, 2010
22,098
26,697
The Jets roll 3 lines tasked primarily with scoring (listed on depth charts as 1, 2 and 4) and a defensive/shutdown line (which is line 3).

the numbering imo is a bit irrelevant, it's the way the lines are deployed and what they are tasked on doing which gives them their identity
 

DannyGallivan

Your world frightens and confuses me
Aug 25, 2017
7,561
10,107
Melonville
Yes, the Jets' third line of Lowry-Copp-Tanev generally goes against the other team's top line (or our top line of Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler, depending on the situation).

The good news is that Lowry line has recently been quite dangerous at putting the puck in the net (based on last season's playoffs and the first game of the season). They should all score in the double digits this year, with at least one threaten to break the 20 goal mark.
 

Goptor

Registered User
Jun 30, 2016
2,201
2,552
It depends what you mean by third line. A lot of teams' defensive/shutdown line would be 2nd in minutes played but 3rd talent wise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pure

jetsforever

Registered User
Dec 14, 2013
27,201
23,056
Yeah, by time on ice our "3rd line" is probably the shutdown one
By scoring though, they'd probably be the 4th line
 

HanSolo

DJ Crazy Times
Apr 7, 2008
96,405
30,656
Las Vegas
I feel like the designated "shutdown line" has lost its popularity in the years since Anaheim won the cup. Lots of teams use the third line as a secondary scoring outlet and a lot of the time the top 6 is tasked with more defensive responsibility.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tage2Tuch

Mitchy

#HFOutcasts
Jul 12, 2012
14,477
5,962
The Citadel
Leafs' 3rd line is a matchup line. Will be deployed against top comp, but they won't necessarily shut them down. They're content to trade chances.
 

GirardSpinorama

Registered User
Aug 20, 2004
21,042
9,676
We are having a friendly debate over on the Panthers forum about third lines in the year 2018-19.


Is your team's third/fourth line primarily tasked with stopping the other team's top line ?

or

Is your teams third/fourth line asked to prove secondary scoring leaving the top lines to go against the opposing top lines ?

Bourque-soderberg-nieto is solely a shutdown line, with soderberg skilled enough to drive offense. Expect 15+ goals from him and and 10+ from Nieto.

Matched against top lines.

4th line is asked to be a two way skating line. Not sheltered much. Grind it out.

2nd line is asked for secondary scoring and sheltered away from top lines
 
  • Like
Reactions: tucker3434

Dr Quincy

Registered User
Jun 19, 2005
28,684
10,516
Ideally it's:
1st line:Top offensive line
2nd line:Secondary offensive line
3rd line:Two way line that can do a bit if everything
4th line:Grinding,energy line.

Why would that be ideal?

To me ideal would be:

1st line: Good offense, good defense
2nd line: Good offense, good defense
3rd line: Good offense, good defense
4th line: good offense, good defense
 

cactusjack

Registered User
Apr 3, 2015
945
429
for Mtl, i'd say it's pretty much 4 lines playing the same system, no real checking line, and no energy line either. 4 speedy line trying to produce secondary scoring. It's only one game, so we'll have to wait and see.
 

Seanaconda

Registered User
May 6, 2016
9,546
3,318
There is a somewhat large consensus on the Panthers board saying that most if not all teams match their top lines against each other for example McDavid line versus Tavares line regularly. I adamantly disagree with the occasional exception. Feel free to chime in


https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/panthers-lightning-oct-6-hockeys-back.2549649/page-7
Depends on how the team is built / what the coach is like. Most teams have a power vs power line tho .

But some coaches would prefer to try and get their most gifted offensive players as much offensive starts as they can get / against weaker opposition .
 

Lays

Registered User
Jan 22, 2017
13,559
12,630
for Mtl, i'd say it's pretty much 4 lines playing the same system, no real checking line, and no energy line either. 4 speedy line trying to produce secondary scoring. It's only one game, so we'll have to wait and see.
Rangers are pretty much the same-
Kreider-Zib-Buch
Vesey-Hayes-Zucc
Spooner-Chytil-Fast
Namestnikov-Howden-Lettieri
All lines are offensive, no shutdown line
 

Tripod

I hate this team
Aug 12, 2008
78,743
86,024
Nova Scotia
Giroux Couts Konecny: Go head to head against top lines
Lindblom Patrick Voracek: 2ndary scoring
JVR Vorobyev Simmonds: Philly finally has a 3rd line that can provide offense
Laughton Lehtera Raffl: Played a great game 1 vs Vegas....better than our 3rd lines in years past
 

Empoleon8771

Registered User
Aug 25, 2015
80,386
77,969
Redmond, WA
The Penguins tend to use their 1st and 4th lines against another team's top-2 lines. Their 3rd line is Simon-Brassard-Rust, which they tend to use in a more offensive role.
 

trick9

Registered User
Jun 2, 2013
12,076
4,949
The Caps shutdown line is probably the 2nd line.

I don't think they have a line for that to be honest. They go power-on-power a lot with Ovi-Kuznetsov-Wilson and they are very comfortable throwing Eller's line out there against opposing teams top lines too.
 

izzy

go
Apr 29, 2012
86,760
18,732
Nova Scotia
blues jumble the lines so much its impossible to really tell most of the time

but schenn and ror are solid two way C’s better defensively than bozak (the 3rd line c) so i guess technically no
 

maacoshark

Registered User
Jul 22, 2017
9,629
3,723
I don't think they have a line for that to be honest. They go power-on-power a lot with Ovi-Kuznetsov-Wilson and they are very comfortable throwing Eller's line out there against opposing teams top lines too.
But when they matched lines in the playoffs it was Backstrom and Oshie against the top lines.
And that's how the Caps have started this season too.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->