Knights’ new lines start strong: ‘Can be really, really dangerous’
The San Jose Sharks had five defenders below the faceoff dots in their defensive zone as Golden Knights left wing Chandler Stephenson skated through the left circle Tuesday.
Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb were left uncovered at the point, giving the Knights’ forwards essentially a 3-on-5. The numbers advantage didn’t help the Sharks.
Stephenson sped by his man to create a passing lane at the bottom of the circle. Center Jack Eichel drew three skaters to the middle of the ice to give the puck space to get across the zone. And captain Mark Stone outmuscled his defender to get inside position, leading to an easy tap-in goal once Stephenson’s pass arrived.
The play gave the Knights a 4-2 lead that sealed their sixth win of the season at San Jose’s SAP Center, tied for the NHL lead. It also showed how dangerous their new top group can be. Coach Bruce Cassidy, after spreading his forwards out more evenly to start the season, has loaded up his top six the last two games. It’s working.
“We’ve got two lines now, if they’re going offensively, it can be really, really dangerous,” Cassidy said. “For a coach, it’s shaping up well if we can keep that production going.”
Cassidy started the year with Eichel, Stephenson and center William Karlsson each leading their own line in the hopes of having scoring throughout the lineup. He switched things up Saturday when the Knights trailed the majority of their 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and needed to catch up.
The new combinations have stuck. For good reason.
Stephenson, Eichel and Stone have dominated in their time together. The trio is outscoring opponents 4-0 in 27:27 at five-on-five, according to the website Natural Stat Trick. Putting three of the Knights’ five leading scorers together hasn’t been all about offense, either.
The line was great when matched up against reigning Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews in Monday’s 3-1 win against Toronto. The Knights had a 7-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances in the eight minutes when Eichel and Matthews shared the ice at five-on-five, in part thanks to the looks they created in transition.
“(Eichel and Stephenson) both have such crazy speed,” Stone said. “If I can make plays on the boards for those guys, they’re flying through the neutral zone, backing off defenders. That’s where we’re getting our chances.”
One side effect of the Knights’ new top line is it led to the inevitable. Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, also known as “the Misfit line,” are back together for the sixth straight season. But with a twist.
Cassidy has flipped the wingers by putting Marchessault on the right and Smith on the left. It may not stay that way for long. The coach admitted he just “wrote it down on the board that way” and he’ll let them decide what’s comfortable for them.
The old arrangement worked, with the group outscoring opponents 148-120 its first five years together. But Marchessault, who is a right shot, said it doesn’t matter much which side he plays. He sometimes lined up on the right side in the neutral zone anyway, and the trio frequently interchanges in the offensive zone. The defensive zone is all about who gets back first.
It’s often Karlsson, whose speed and smarts make him one of the best two-way forwards around.
“It doesn’t really matter who’s right or left,” Marchessault said. “But one thing we know, we want (Karlsson) down low.”
The Misfit line was on the ice for the Knights’ game-tying and game-winning goals against the Sharks on Tuesday, setting up Stone’s exclamation point. It’s clear both groups can score.
The trick will be making sure the lineup is strong enough below them to support the top-heavy approach. The Knights scoring goals with their top six won’t be enough if their bottom six can’t help out.
The early returns are promising. Every Knights forward that’s played so far has a goal. All but two — right wing Keegan Kolesar and left wing Paul Cotter — have multiple points.
“You can’t just have the top line scoring,” Cassidy said. “We’re getting balance scoring. … That matters. We’ve been in a lot of close games. You need something from everyone.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.