I came across a helpful tool and wanted to pass it along to everyone. I found this on dobberhockey.com and they have posted the line combinations for the last three games.
The reason I mention this is it gives a real good idea who is out on the power plays. It also lets you see if teams are using four forwards and a defenseman or five forward at times on the man advantage.
For example, Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Coyotes has been on the ice for 60% of the teams power plays while Keith Yandle has been out there for only 22%. Phoenix tends to run a three-forward, two-defenseman power-play unit but other teams (like Tampa Bay) will run four forwards with Matt Carle as the primary defenseman on the man advantage.
It’s certainly worth a look to see how players are being used and who they are being paired with. A tool like this could help you with those tough line-up decisions.
