[Lysowski] – Comment Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway et Dylan Cozens ont donné aux Sabres deux meilleurs trios

2 Comments

1. Spiritual_Bourbon 1 an ago

   https://archive.ph/xBP3Z

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   Through seven games, Thompson’s line with Greenway and Cozens on the wings has controlled 65.57% of the shot attempts and 76.4% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. They’ve earned 11 high-danger scoring chances in those situations and, as impressive, they’ve only allowed four while often skating against the other team’s top players.

   The line was formed late last season while Thompson was dealing with a bothersome injury that hindered his ability to take faceoffs. He shifted to the wing, while Cozens centered the Sabres’ leading scorer and Greenway, who played through a shoulder injury last season. The trio only produced three goals at 5-on-5, but controlled play seemingly each time the line was on the ice.

   Sabres coach Don Granato reunited Thompson with Greenway and Cozens recently to build a balanced lineup with more trios that get to the net. They have a combined six goals and 13 points through seven games entering a Friday night matchup against Lindy Ruff’s New Jersey Devils. Their emergence as an effective top line moved Granato and his staff closer to its goal of having two groups of forwards that can create matchup problems for an opponent.

   Casey Mittelstadt created a turnover on both of Jeff Skinner’s goals Tuesday in the 6-4 win at Ottawa, while Alex Tuch broke through for one goal and two assists. Their line has endured a slow start at 5-on-5, but they were exceptional together late last season while Thompson was with Greenway and Cozens.

   “You mention top line, and the key is to not have a top line,” Granato explained. “The key is to have top lines. With Mittelstadt, Tuch and Skinner, you have that. I say that because we aren’t the ones to decide who our top line is. It’s the other team and who they are matching against. Are they matching against the Thompson line or are they matching against the Mittelstadt line? Their top defensemen, their top checking line. We’ve seen that alter a bit, which means that you’ve got two top lines – two lines that preoccupy the opponent.

   “I’ve talked about the importance of that and the importance of offensive depth for that reason. If we can get that going better, that’s a very, very powerful thing that we have not yet gotten to the point where we can. That’s a bit of an initiative for us, to move in that direction.”

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   Though Thompson has three goals and four points, he leads the Sabres with 32 shots on goal. A different line and approach haven’t limited his impact. His 3.14 shots on the rush per game ranked third in the NHL entering Thursday, according to Stathletes. The key, Thompson said, has been earning chances through hard work in the defensive zone.

   “We’ve been, I think, really rock solid in the (defensive zone),” Thompson said. “We’ve been strong on pucks. I think that’s why we get so much offense, is just how strong we are in those 50-50 battles. Those are so important. Greeny and Cozy are really strong, heavy on pucks. They win a lot battles. I think we’ve just been playing simple hockey. We don’t really force many things. Just kind of letting offense come naturally to us off other teams’ mistakes.

   “When we do get it, I think we’re smart at the blue lines. We’re getting pucks out of our zone, we’re getting pucks behind them, and from there, we just work really well on the forecheck. It’s just simple, direct shots, getting bodies to the net and you can wear teams down and open up space and make plays from there.”

   The Sabres are a dangerous offensive team that can create off the rush, but Granato needs his players to deploy the simple approach that has been the foundation for the Thompson line’s early success. Doing so will allow them to beat any opponent, no matter how it chooses to defend.

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   Skinner’s five goals were tied for fifth in the NHL entering Thursday, while Mittelstadt, who has one goal and five assists, is second on the team with 37 points in 40 games dating to Feb. 1. Tuch isn’t going yet. He has five shots at 5-on-5 through seven games, though the game in Ottawa was his best of the season. The emergence of the Greenway-Thompson-Cozens trio, and the approach it is deploying to create offense, is another step toward the Sabres having the balanced lineup they need.

   “We know the goals will come,” Cozens said. “We know we’ve had lots of chances. We know there’s going to be games where we score lots of goals, and others where the puck isn’t going in. As long as we’re possessing the puck in the O-zone and not stuck only playing defense and hemming teams into their zone, it’s going to be good for us.”

2. TheFerricGenum 1 an ago

   As much as I loved the dominance of the Skinny Thompson Tuch line, I like this balanced approach better. Hopefully both lines light the lamp a lot this season. Curious to see how it works when Quinn returns.