Red Wings’ Third Line Critical to Playoff Push – The Hockey Writers – Detroit Red Wings

As it currently stands, the Detroit Red Wings are three points back of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have 14 games left to make up this ground, plus hope for a little help from other teams around the league.

While the Red Wings can’t control the outcomes of other games, they can take steps to optimize their own performance. One way they can do that is to jumpstart their third line, which currently consists of J.T. Compher, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Jonatan Berggren.

Red Wings Need More from the Third Line

To illustrate the need for more offense from the third line, I took each player’s goals per 60 at five-on-five and added linemates’ numbers together. Here’s the scoring pace for the top three lines:

• Soderblom – Larkin – Raymond: 2.15 goals per 60
• DeBrincat – Kasper – Kane: 2.32 goals per 60
• Berggren – Compher – Tarasenko: 1.27 goals per 60

Five-on-five individual expected goals per 60 paints a similar picture.

To be fair, the players on the third line are there for a reason – there are six more qualified forwards slotting in above them. Still, you want to see more production from what is technically a scoring line.

The reality, though, is that Tarasenko, Compher, and Berggren have all underperformed this season. All three were expected to spend time on Lines 2 and 3, plus the power play, yet their counting totals are less than what I predicted, even with age, contract status, and other variables factored in as well. 

Here’s a look at the preseason projections for the three players in question:

It should also be noted that Tarasenko, Compher, and Berggren have been deployed pretty evenly against top, middle, and bottom competition throughout the season, according to PuckIQ. They’re not getting special, sheltered treatment, nor are they being relied upon to shut down opponents. 

Suffice to say, these three need to score more.

Red Wings Need More Goals

Since the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Red Wings have scored 2.69 goals per game. That’s 20th-best in the NHL during that span.

But, if you take out their seven-goal outburst against the Buffalo Sabres, that number drops to 2.33 goals per…