A lot has been made about the Dallas Stars putting their three main offensive weapons on the same line.
Some think that kills the depth that was the purpose of getting Jason Spezza in this summer’s trade. Others think it could work — after all the Ottawa Senators made it to the Stanley Cup finals with one top heavy line years ago.
But while the top trio of Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn may account for 50% of the goals on the team, they are no Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings have a line that has been nicknamed “That 70’s Line” made up of Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. Combined they account for a ridiculous 76.2% of the Kings’ total goals scored so far this season.
That is something the Stars need to keep in mind when they face the Kings next Tuesday here on home ice. You better believe there will be some major line matching needed to minimize that line’s threat. Will we see another 6-5 game that night?
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Fresh links, get ’em while they’re hot!
The St Louis Blues have had some kind of bacterial infection going around their locker room. Let’s hope it stays on that side… [Arch Authority]
While we may not see Paul Statsny tonight, looks like we’ll see Carl Gunnarson on the blueline. [KSDK.com]
Lindy Ruff is saying all the right things concerning Anders Lindback. But there are other options should Lindback continue to struggle. It’d be nice if he lets in less than five goals against in his next start, which could come this weekend in a back-to-back set versus the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild. [Pro Hockey Talk]
“And the Dallas Stars might have the most thrilling trio with the makeshift Super Line of Jason Spezza between Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.” Bonus quote comes from Joffrey Lupul who said the Toronto Maple Leafs have the quietest building in the league. [SI.com]
Less than ten games in and there are already articles about the Leafs needing to overhaul basically everything? It really is hockey season! [TSN]
Wishing a fast recovery to 20-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins Olli Maatta. He’ll have surgery on a tumor that is likely cancerous. He’s expected to make a full recovery. [TribLive]
This site has the Stars listed as a top-eight power team right now. I’m guessing that it’s due to the offensive potency and not the goals against being allowed recently. [isportsweb.com]
The Stars helped Frans Nielsen to earn an ‘NHL Three Stars’ award this week. Probably because he scored a hat trick (and three of his four goals on the season) last Saturday. [Lighthouse Hockey]
The Washington Capitals have some male models/budding fashionistas on their team. The photo of Mike Green sitting on the boards has sparked some epic memes on Twitter. [Russian Machine Never Breaks]