It’s no longer a question, or a topic of discussion inside the dressing room. For the EdmontonOilers to get where they’ve been trying to go for years, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have to play on separate lines. (SportsnetSpec)
, the one player who has spent the most time with the duo in recent years. “When they’re together, they’re very dynamic. But when you play them apart it’s tough for opposing teams to get the matchup they want.If you’re trailing after 40 minutes and not much is going on, then sure — come out in the third period with a Draisaitl-McDavid line. That’s a bullet you have when you play them apart, and one you surrender when you play them together.
“Look at the Pittsburgh model,” Kassian said. “ Crosby carries his line, Malkin carries his. One of them is not going to have the top D pairing, one of them is not going to have the top checking line. It makes us a better team — a more balanced attack in the Top 6. And if you’re behind you always have that bullet, that dynamic to switch things around.
“They’re going to get their powerplay time together — they’re out there for the full two minutes. They play together four-on-four. But from a team standpoint it makes us a better team, and that’s what we’re trying to build here. We’re trying to get into the playoffs and make some noise.” We’ve watched over the past few years as head coaches Todd McLellan, then Ken Hitchcock, and now Dave Tippett danced the dance of the under-staffed Oilers coach, separating the two when it became clear that the support scoring just wasn’t there, then reuniting them when it became obvious that neither player could be maximized without the other as a linemate.
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