Our New "Third Line" Thread

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I'd like to see Lindy rip Greenway a new one for playing like he's 6'1 190lb when he's really 6'6 230lb.

If he doesn't get it going, maybe we could give his spot to one of the youngsters who's hungrier and has a lot more upside than Greenway's 10 goals a year.

But if Greenway continues to play strong defensively, adds a mean streak, and chips in 14-18 goals, then Lindy likes him.  

[mjd1001]

The more I think about it, and the more I read some posts above, the more I think this team isn't going to have a dedicated 3rd or 4th line.  I think Lindy is going to change up those guys so much that every week any of the bottom 6 can be playing with anyone else on the bottom six, getting 3rd line minutes one week and 4th line minutes the next. I even expect some of those guys to be playing Center one game, then on the wing the next.

I really think its going to be a case of mix and match on a night to night basis.  If a line works, you keep them together, once they have one or two bad games, Lindy will shake them up and move everyone in the bottom 6 around.

[bob_sauve28]

On 9/7/2024 at 10:30 AM, mjd1001 said:

The more I think about it, and the more I read some posts above, the more I think this team isn't going to have a dedicated 3rd or 4th line.  I think Lindy is going to change up those guys so much that every week any of the bottom 6 can be playing with anyone else on the bottom six, getting 3rd line minutes one week and 4th line minutes the next. I even expect some of those guys to be playing Center one game, then on the wing the next.

I really think its going to be a case of mix and match on a night to night basis.  If a line works, you keep them together, once they have one or two bad games, Lindy will shake them up and move everyone in the bottom 6 around.

Do you think that will work? A bunch of guys on bottom six working and competing for ice time might just be the trick!

[French Collection]

2 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Do you think that will work? A bunch of guys on bottom six working and competing for ice time might just be the trick!

The 13th forward can sit in the press box and feel shame.

Competition for ice time is great. I also hope that Kulich and Rosen have a great camp and are sent to Rochester with a get out of jail pass as soon as there is an injury.

[PerreaultForever]

On 9/6/2024 at 8:41 PM, Pimlach said:

But if Greenway continues to play strong defensively, adds a mean streak, and chips in 14-18 goals, then Lindy likes him.  

Except why would he add the mean streak? He's shown little sign of that being his game so far in his career. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Except why would he add the mean streak? He's shown little sign of that being his game so far in his career. 

Don’t know.  I can dream though.  

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Don’t know.  I can dream though.  

I agree, and it would be nice, and he'd be a better player if he did, but I think it's a lot like with Tage. It's just not in their DNA. Big guys who at any given moment COULD step up, but in general they are not going to be instigators. 

[SABRES 0311]

I have to go with Greenway McLeod Benson. Some speed, size, skill, and tenacity. I don’t see how those three would not compliment each other.

[bob_sauve28]

9 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

I have to go with Greenway McLeod Benson. Some speed, size, skill, and tenacity. I don’t see how those three would not compliment each other.

I can see that line getting under the oppositions skin, forcing turnovers and creating chances. Not sure if its the best place to put Benson to use his talents but its good to have options 

[SABRES 0311]

8 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

I can see that line getting under the oppositions skin, forcing turnovers and creating chances. Not sure if its the best place to put Benson to use his talents but its good to have options 

I totally understand on Benson. If he can show improved finish during camp then I’m all about him on the second line. I never paid much attention to Zucker so I don’t know how well he’d do on the third line.

[Night Train]

On 9/6/2024 at 11:41 PM, Pimlach said:

But if Greenway continues to play strong defensively, adds a mean streak, and chips in 14-18 goals, then Lindy likes him.  

He's a top penalty killer. At least he fills an identifiable role. Many others are just trying to find one role. 

[DarthEbriate]

Too soon. Ruff hasn't even held a single practice.

We could still see a Benson - Thompson - Quinn top line, Cozens - McLeod - Tuch second, and Zucker - Lafferty - Malenstyn third line that wouldn't be on anyone's radar.

[dudacek]

Pending camp developments, and trying to apply Lindy's tendencies, this is my forward lineup:

"Top line"

One thing that hasn't got a ton of attention around here is the improvement Tage made in his own zone last year. He's no longer a liability, and, in terms of overall possession, he was the Sabres most effective forward. I'm going to use him as straight up 1C, and be comfortable with him lining up against either the other team's top checkers, or their strongest lines. In order to do that he not only needs wingers with offensive chemistry, he also needs them to be reliable in their own zone.

Tuch is a no-brainer on one side of that kind of line, He's probably our best 2-way forward, he's got a rare size/speed combination for winning matchups, and he has proven chemistry with Tage. Ideally, I want the LW to have the skill to keep up with them and the brains to exploit and complement their physical tools. I want that guy to be on the right side of the puck for them, get pucks to them and then get to the net to convert the chances they will create. The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that guy is Benson. Yes, I realize it's more "concept of Benson" than actual Benson at this point, but the fit is too perfect and the player too good at defying doubters not to give it a chance.

"Scoring line"

This is your Roy/Afinogenov/Vanek combo, the line you are constantly sending out against 3rd pairings in order to skate and skill them into the ground. Peterka/Cozens/Quinn has proven chemistry and enough experience under their belts to take the next step. They're pace-setters and dangerous counter-attackers and should be able to embarrass slow-footed defenders and reignite some of the rush magic last year's team lost.

Peterka fits better here than on the first line because his lack of defence won't hurt as much as it might with Tuch and Thompson, and his offence elevates the danger quotient of Quinn and Cozens in a way no other player on the roster can. Two years ago we could see the potential this trio had to score a lot of goals. Now they should be advanced enough to turn potential into reality.

"Matchup line"

I like the idea of a line that can turn a shift into a non-event, basically disrupt the other team's rhythm and force them to spin their wheels. I also like the idea of a line that can set a tone, by beating the opposition to pucks all over the ice, finishing their checks and creating frustration, even against upper echelon opponents. A line that can both be a checking line and energy line would be a valuable tool.

Their histories suggest McLeod between Lafferty and Malenstyn could be that line, setting the tone with a forecheck or bringing that one-goal lead home in the third. There's a ton of speed and a nice mix of responsibility and edge.

"Options"

Lindy's interview from the summer really stuck with me, about how what he wanted his lineup is to have tools, players he can tap for specific roles and situations. A Krebs/Zucker/Greenway line could be exactly that.

You've got three guys who you can trust defensively: a versatile, high-energy guy with some playmaking skill, a forechecker with some finish, and a leviathan. Together, they can be a pretty decent bottom six line you can roll out every 4th shift if that's what the game calls for. Individually, you've got 3 different types of players you can tap to move up the lineup when one of the other 3 lines needs something different in a particular situation, or on a particular night.

I'm not ignoring Aube-Kubel, he can and would be rotated in as a 4th "option" with a 4th skillset. He starts in the press box partly because he's probably the 13th-best forward and partly because of how I structured the 1st 3 lines.

I'm expecting wide variations in game-to-game deployments and ice time under Lindy, a more basketball-style approach to bench coaching based on matchups and situations, as opposed to the Granato preference of locking in 4 lines and trying to stick with them for stretches. I think we may see a lot of games were Lindy starts with the idea of 3 preferred lines then substitutes in the options depending on what he's seeing.

Edited September 11, 2024 by dudacek