Good, but not great.
Roope Hintz The Dallas Stars’ first line, led by The all-experienced “Captain America” serves as Hintz’s piers Joe Pavelski39, and also born in the United States Jason Robertson24.
There has been no big conflict from the trio’s sticky play, because as a team, Dallas, with its deep player material, has quietly made a good mark. The star jerseys are tied with Winnipeg and Colorado at the top of the NHL’s central division, fighting even to win the entire Western Conference.
But something is holding the top chain back.
Last season, the goal difference of Dallas’ first team was a fantastic +28. The trio dominated the ratio of scored goals by more than 68 percent, being a top 10 chain in the regular season. Now the goal difference reads +4 and the goal distribution is 53 percent. Even with these readings, the feet stay dry, but there was no way last year’s glory was on offer.
What are you talking about?
– That’s a very good question, Urheilu’s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen even a little excited.
– The first thing is that such players and chains are marked very carefully. Every team there knows exactly that there is an absolutely insane direct attack chain, so there are quite often four defensive players under the game. With a player like Hintz, you have to stay between the man and the goal and gain speed by wedged away. That is done well against them, Lehkonen begins.
The game won’t start
The attention would seem to be in the right direction through eye evidence.
The trio led by Hintz is known specifically for their direct attacking, but this season the momentum has stopped more often in the middle area than in previous years. As a result, the flow of the game has often been towards own goal. When Dallas’ top chain created around 17 dangerous goal chances with five-on-five per one hour two years ago, now the number is 11 goal chances on the surface.
At the same time, the opponent has shot more against “Hintze” than in previous years.
– It is also the case that they don’t start the game like before. It starts with the opening play of the defenders. They used to come under pressure quickly, but now they don’t want to leave easily. Earlier, they broke through a lot of pressure, but now it’s difficult to let go. Credit also goes to the opponents for that, their actions are so precisely marked.
During the last few weeks, it has seemed to get even more difficult. During the previous twenty matches, the chain has played five-on-five with a draw (10-10) and actually lost the goal posts from the first sector.
– There is now a big place for discussion in coaching, whether that chain should be broken, Lehkonen spins.
So, are Robertson and Pavelski the right guys to play with Hintz?
On the surface, the duo seems to have worked well and in front of the goal, Pavelski is still the best in the universe at directing pucks into the net. On the other hand, for example, the developed data of the Evolving-Hockey website says that the added value produced by Pavelski has dropped significantly – as far as the defensive game is concerned, it has actually collapsed.
– I can’t get hold of Robertson myself. He is neither fast nor a general skater, but he has an unfathomable eye for the game and good timing. But this isn’t the first time he’s been hit with a longer side slide either, says Lehkonen.
The head coach Pete DeBoer has of course mixed threads before. For example, the pilot previously replaced Pavelski with a 20-year-old Canadian Comet by Wyatt Johnston. With Johnston, Hintz and Robertson have forged a handsome score of 9-1 in just over 100 minutes.
– Matt Duchene and Jamie BennLehkonen throws chain friends at Hintz.
“Hintz is gaining experience”
Even though Dallas as a team is in good shape, so to speak, it needs to get Hintz in particular up and running before the playoffs and find a clear hitting weapon for the first chain. There is nothing to point out in the overall playing of the team’s number one center.
The Ilves-raised player has started with an efficiency of over 55 percent and he is also the best in the team in the power statistics, but his results are declining. The balance of the previous twenty matches is a modest 4+5.
In January-February, the Finnish star played a period of 14 matches, making only one hit. On the scale of the entire season, Hintz, who scored 37 goals in the two previous seasons, has a slower rate of goals and points than in previous seasons, although otherwise his playing is reliable and of high quality.
– You can’t question Hintz in general, and it’s not worth it. He shines with the desire to win and you can trust him. The most important thing is that Roope doesn’t get anxious or start bumping. Maybe the coach needs to sit down with him and think about how to proceed. Now we have to go through the usual game things and then the chain friends. Maybe Roope states that “these are my guys and I want to find ways to help them”. Even that can sometimes be enough, Lehkonen says.
In the larger picture, Lehkonen sees Hintz as still in college, which still shapes many experienced star players.
– Hintz is still gaining experience. This is the accumulation of a bank of experience that someone (Alexander) Barkov too went through in time. The fact that he is marked really carefully in such a league should be taken as a compliment and a tribute. All you have to do is keep the computer ticking all the time, wondering how to solve this and that situation when the opponent won’t let us play “Rati riti ralla”. Playing as a center in that series is really hard jazz, Lehkonen’s line.