Quoting: DDM
You can't tell me Leafs 3 line with Spezza is better then ours. Diff uses maybe we use ours as shut down then it's meant for offensive pressure. The AVS 3rd line is nothing special at all.
As to using Rosy as 2c I'm not sure he knows enough or is strong enough yet. Id use Copp there before Rosy and keep Wheeler on right with Ehlers on 2 left. But I do agree we need more def scoring.
Does the defense match up?
Morrissey Reilly
Pionk Berrie
Then we lack a bit against Muzzin (but he's been out with injury)
Again it's it there 5-6 D that make the difference?
Yes Spezza and the Leafs 3rd line is better then ours, this 3rd line shutdown nonsense is flawed logic and won't work but it's typical of a Maurice coached team. Take a look at the players the Leafs have in their bottom 6 and they're all contributing, you can't tell me anyone on the Jets 3rd line is as good as Kapanen and Gauthier who centers the Leafs 4th line is on pace for the same amount of production as Lowry is in 6 minutes less ice time a game.
All of the Avs bottom 6 players are on pace for solid production for where they are in their lineup compared to the Jets bottom 6 players. Compher and Calvert are on pace for 45 point seasons, Nieto, Bellmare and Nichushkin are on pace for 30 points and Jost is 26, all pretty typical 3rd line numbers except for Jost.
Now compare that to Copp projecting to 35, Perreault at 26 and Lowry at a measly 18 and there's the stark difference, no one else in the Jets bottom 6 is even worth comparing. I firmly believe the problem is mainly Lowry, he's just not a 3C, there's not enough offense in his game and people can tout his possession numbers all they want but if you can't score with all that offensive zone possession time you're just a waste of time, someone else with more skill has a better chance of actually scoring with that ice time. Just imagine if the Jets 3rd line guys were producing at the same rate as those other teams 3rd line's, that's likely a few more victories at least. Those teams come with at least 3 lines of offense and even their 4th lines can chip in, meanwhile the Jets have 2 lines of offense and 2 lines of wasting time, there's the difference.
The Leafs 3rd pairing is better then the Jets but that's not gonna be the difference, it's that their lineup is just better then the Jets on a whole and they play an offensive game. I see Maurice has put Harkins back in the lineup so that's good, should help a bit and the 4th line is decent now but what he should really do is make Copp the 3C and put Perreault and Harkins on the wings, that's a line that might be able to generate some offense but unfortunately Maurice actually thinks Lowry is good at hockey therefore nothing changes.