Forward Line Combos/Discussion

[LeftWinger 4,962]

IMO, this should be the lines tonight...

Larkin-Z-Abby

AA-Datsyuk-Mantha

Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco

Helm-Richards-Glenn

I sit Nyquist to send a message not only for him stealing money from the team, but that play the other night needs to be addressed in this manner.

The D is a vortex of s***ty players right now. Can't bench them all.

[joesuffP 1,746]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Mantha

Larkin-AA-Abdelkader

Nyquist-Sheahan-Tatar

Rich-Glen-Helm

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Mantha

Larkin-AA-Abdelkader

Nyquist-Sheahan-Tatar

Rich-Glen-Helm

I switch Abby and Mantha.

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[LeftWinger 4,962]

AA is practicing on the 4th line today with Richards and Glendening. WTF is Blashill's problem? I am begining to hate this guy with each passing day.

[sjr2012 439]

Z Larkin Abby

AA Dats Mantha

Tats Shehan Jurco

Helm Glen Richards

[kickazz 5,459]

AA is practicing on the 4th line today with Richards and Glendening. WTF is Blashill's problem? I am begining to hate this guy with each passing day.

Maybe he wants 4 scoring lines? I mean it would be nice if our players showed up to score the entire 60 minutes. Our offense is weaaaaak

Edited March 18, 2016 by kickazz

[VM1138 1,921]

Putting a scorer in each line unfortunately does not make each line a scoring line. It just reduces the ability of said scorer.

[kickazz 5,459]

Putting a scorer in each line unfortunately does not make each line a scoring line. It just reduces the ability of said scorer.

The thing is the 4th line basically has two "scorers" now with Richards and AA - on paper at least. Glendening seems the odd one out of those two.

I'm not sure exactly what Blash is doing but that's how I'm interpreting it.

Edited March 18, 2016 by kickazz

[TripleS 46]

According to MLive for Florida (http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/03/detroit_red_wings_notes_niklas_2.html#incart_river_index):

Helm - Datsyuk - Mantha

Abdelkader - Zetterberg - Larkin

Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar

Athanasiou - Glendening - Richards

[kickazz 5,459]

According to MLive for Florida (http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/03/detroit_red_wings_notes_niklas_2.html#incart_river_index):

Helm - Datsyuk - Mantha

Abdelkader - Zetterberg - Larkin

Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar

Athanasiou - Glendening - Richards

Those are 4 scoring lines on paper alright.

Helm should be switched with AA.

[Buppy 1,720]

Those are 4 scoring lines on paper alright.

Helm should be switched with AA.

Glendening and Richards should be switched with Jurco and Pulkkinen

[DickieDunn 2,571]

FFS Blashill is a mouth breathing moron. Helm shouldn't EVER be used on a scoring line

Glendening and Richards should be switched with Jurco and Pulkkinen

Richards should be swapped with someone in Toledo Edited March 19, 2016 by DickieDunn

[matt198913 932]

4 for 31 on the PP since Feb 29th. Don't change a thing

[kickazz 5,459]

Glendening and Richards should be switched with Jurco and Pulkkinen

One of those combo swaps will likely happen next season. When Richards is gone.

[joesuffP 1,746]

Blashill doesn't trust the rookies defensive game

[poel 28]

Larkin, Datsyuk, Jurco

Abdelkader, Zetterberg, Mantha

Athanasiou, Richards, Pulkkinen

Tatar, Sheahan, Glendening

Play our best Centers in the middle, please. I also think that Nyquist deserves to be benched for a while. He's been nothing but terrible.

Eurotwins NEED to play on the same PP-unit though:

PP1: Kronwall, Pulkkinen, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Mantha (net front)

PP2: DeKeyser, Jurco, Larkin, Richards, Abdelkader (net front)

Edited March 19, 2016 by poel

[Aethernum 276]

According to MLive for Florida (http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/03/detroit_red_wings_notes_niklas_2.html#incart_river_index):

Helm - Datsyuk - Mantha

Abdelkader - Zetterberg - Larkin

Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar

Athanasiou - Glendening - Richards

I actually really like these lines. I'm not sure about AA on the fourth line, but if Blashill is worried about his defensive game I would trust in that assessment. Bottom line, I think these are our 12 best guys to have on the ice. Maybe I'm the only one around here who thinks so, but I don't hate Richards. He hasn't scored much this year, but every goal he has scored has been timely:

Goal One: 33 seconds left in 1st period against Nashville. Made the score 1-0. (Won 5-4 in OT)

Goal Two: Few minutes into the second period against Buffalo. Made the score 1-0. (Lost 2-1)

Goal Three: Unassisted, second of three goals to take lead against Calgary. Made the score 2-1 (Won 4-2)

Goal Four: Halfway through first period against Buffalo. Made the score 1-0. (Won 4-3)

Goal Five: Power Play goal halfway into first period against Islanders. Made score 1-0. (Won 4-2)

Goal Six: Few minutes before end of second period against Ottawa. Made score 2-1. (Lost 3-2 in SO)

Goal Seven: Game-winning goal with one minute remaining against Colorado. Made score 4-3. (Won 5-3).

Goal Eight: Power Play goal in garbage time in the third period against Chicago. Made score 1-3. (Lost 5-2).

Goal Nine: Game-tying goal with 30 seconds remaining against the Rangers. Made score 2-2. (Won 3-2 in OT).

So every goal he scored with the exception of the one against Chicago either tied the game or gave us a lead. Half were the first goals of the game, which we all know is really important for this team. He's also got some game-winning/game-tying goals, and most of his goals are right at the beginning or ends of periods, which help with momentum. It's the exact same role he played in Chicago last year - not a primary goal-scorer, but definitely a supplementary type guy for your bottom six who chips in when we need it most.

There's also the fact that outside of the 7 guys who seem to rotate in and out of our top six (Z, D, Larkin, Tatar, Nyquist, Abby, Helm) he's the next leading scorer. He's tied for 4th in +/- on the team. And he has the fewest penalty minutes of anyone who has played more than 30 games for us (fewest on the team except AA, Miller, and some AHL guys).

I'm not saying he should have top line minutes or anything, but of our Bottom 6 guys, he might actually be my favorite. He seems to be responsible defensively with the puck, and he's the type of veteran guy that you want your new kids learning from. Good attitude, steps up his game when it matters most, plays two-way, error-free, smart hockey...he seems to me like a player whose game is ten times more complete than Jurco or Pulk. I'd put him in before either of those, for sure. Just my two cents.

The lines outlined above are the ones I'd go with.

Edit - Some people have also said to swap out Glendening. Now, I don't love how much Blashill uses Glendening, but do you know who the best faceoff guy is on this team? One hint: It's not Pavel Datsyuk.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Aethernum

[Jesusberg 1,256]

I don't mind the move, honestly. I'm not the biggest Helm fan, but it makes sense. He's not the ideal NFP, but he's one of the best guys on the team at getting to loose pucks around the net and creating issues for the oppositions defense. If he's around/behind the net jarring pucks free, it means Mantha's going to have more time to focus on getting open.

At this point, AA is going to get the same amount of minutes wherever he's at. It has more to do with special teams than anything else. He strikes me as a guy who does less with more right now, anyway.

[e_prime 1,936]

Solid post Aethernum. ...and don't worry, for all those bitching about where AA and Helm are slotted in... AA won't be on that fourth line for long.

Blashill will swap those lines up so quickly we'll have forgotten what they originally looked like on paper.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Solid post Aethernum. ...and don't worry, for all those bitching about where AA and Helm are slotted in... AA won't be on that fourth line for long.

Blashill will swap those lines up so quickly we'll have forgotten what they originally looked like on paper.

You're giving him way too much credit

[Jesusberg 1,256]

Guess they were just messing around in practice?

The Wheel Deal ‏@Bill_Roose 32s32 seconds ago

The #RedWings lines in pregame: Abdelkader-Zetterberg-Larkin; Tatar-Datsyuk-Mantha; Nyquist-Sheahan-Athanasiou; Helm-Glendening-Richards.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Guess they were just messing around in practice?

The Wheel Deal ‏@Bill_Roose 32s32 seconds ago

The #RedWings lines in pregame: Abdelkader-Zetterberg-Larkin; Tatar-Datsyuk-Mantha; Nyquist-Sheahan-Athanasiou; Helm-Glendening-Richards.

Good

[e_prime 1,936]

You're giving him way too much credit

Oh right, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be bitching and complaining about EVERY move our rookie head coach is making now that he's in the bigs. 'specially in practice.

Good

Glad to see you had a bright spot in your day today.

[LeftWinger 4,962]

Keeping with the theme that Abby is a top 3 player (debatable) I would still like to see this:

Larkin - Z - Abby

AA - Dats - Manth

Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar

Helm - Richards - Glenny

...not dissing anyone with any kid of demotion, I would just love to see Dats with AA...plus AA and Mantha had great chemistry in GR. Doesn't mean it'll translate into the NHL, but I would like to see that line be experimented with.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Abdelkader

AA-Larkin-Mantha

Jurco-Sheahan-Pulkkinen

Helm-Glendeing-whoever

Doesn't matter who you roll out on d they've all been crap

Bench Richards, Tatar, and Nyquist for a game or two, rotate one of the three on the 4th line for those games, and play the kids more than 11 minutes a night, and tell Helm and Glendening if they aren't a pain in the ass on every shift they're not going to play another shift as a Red Wing. Live with the kids making mistakes or die with the vets playing like they don't care.

Edited March 27, 2016 by DickieDunn