The Jets get caved in at 5v5 from a chance perspective Matthews gets piles of good looks every game. Lowry isn't a good shut down guy. Boston still sends out Bergeron against the other teams best. Pittsburgh sends out Crosby. The Leafs should send out Matthews. Any team they does send out a 3rd line against a top line is just hoping to limit damage and then hope their top line can wreck a 3rd line. Which is a best case scenario. If the Leafs play Tampa, and they send Gourde out against Matthews, I will take they match up all day. Matthews will win it over 7 games by a wide margin. But Matthews vs Point? They will need to be far more careful. This is what every team does. What you are likely seeing that is swaying your decision is isolated situations on the road. The other team had last change and throws their stars out against the 3rd line or they are trying to get a favorable matchup elsewhere. When the game is on the line though, Gourde is never going to be out in a tie game with 4 minutes left to shutdown another teams top line, it's going to be Point double shifting trying to score

Tell that to Jon cooper who used gourde line as a shut down line last year in the playoffs, you’ve got no idea what you’re talking about🤦‍♂️

Cool story, Gourde is not worth 5 million dollars.

Man every time you comment I’m like he can’t get anymore wrong but time and time again you prove me wrong. I’m convinced you don’t even know what hockey is

You're just a Tampa fan, everyone had a great contract and everyone is a top liner on every other team. Enjoy the ride.

I’m Just somebody who understands hockey maybe one day you will to

I very much understand hockey of they I am very confident. Gourde is a good depth piece, worth about 3.5 million tops. Why? Because on a down year when he's lower in the lineup he's a 30 point player. You just can't pay depth guys for points they get when playing with better players.

His line mates right now could also be considered depth pieces by your logic yet he’s on pace for almost 60 points