Buffdog
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2019
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- 20,297
Yet CSV is hardly dominating their 5v5 matchups in terms of GF% and xGF%, despite all of what you're saying being true (although you're correct in saying that they are improvedI try to call it like I see it, and use summary data to better understand trends. I noted earlier this season that I thought it was reasonable to see how CSV worked this season for the first 15-20 games and if they went back to some of their earlier habits and results that Arniel would likely need to change the line combinations. But I think it's pretty evident that CSV have been much more proficient at zone exits and transition, and have avoided the kinds of turnovers that led them to trouble in the past. As a result, they are spending less time defending in their own zone and are getting more offensive opportunities. In summary, they are playing better, and it's evident from watching them and in their metrics.
Of all your examples, I think that Tarasenko - O'Reilly are the closest comparable to Schief - Connor that I see, with the * being that O'Reilly was an amazing 2 way centre that Schief can't quite compare too. That said, they'd isn't have a F who was over a point per game that seasonWell, looking at past Cup winners and contenders, the teams that get there often have pretty dominant top lines. Barkov-Reinhart for Florida. McDavid-whoever for Edmonton. Vegas had Eichel-Marchessault. Avs had MacK-Rantanen. TBL had Stamkos-Kucherov. Tarasenko-O'Reilly for the Blues. Bergereon-Marchand for Boston. Backstrom-Ovechkin for Washington. Marchessault-Karlsson in Vegas first season.
There are a handful of teams that won a conference final where I can't think of their dominant top line. (so-youre-telling-me-theres-a-chance.gif) But I don't think any of those won the Cup (2016-17 Preds? 2020-21 Habs? 2011-12 Devils? And they probably did have dominant 1st lines, I just can't remember them like Toews' lines in Chicago or Crosby's in Pittsburgh or Kopitar's in LA).
That team also had Bennington go on a once-in-a-lifetime tear that 2nd half/playoffs and a solid d corps including peiterangelo, parayko (before he fell off) and Bowmeester
Our team this year, on paper, is much more talented AND deep than that team, which should give us hope that it can win as it's constructed despite the fact that we don't have that dominating top line that other cup winners have had