It is getting later into October, and the NHL season is still in its early stages, with each team having gone through at least four games. The Calgary Flames, however, have played six as of this writing and currently sport a record of 2-3-1. The organization is optimistic that there will not be a repeat of last season, when the team missed the playoffs after going 38-27-17. There are undoubtedly multiple concerns with the squad, but many aspects worthy of recognition as well. Namely among them is the immensely positive performance of the new-look fourth line, composed of Yegor Sharangovich centering Walker Duehr and A.J. Greer. They have been dubbed the “WAY” line (Walker, A.J., Yegor).
The 25-year-old Duehr was an undrafted Flames signing who debuted last season, while the other two men are more recent additions. Sharangovich was the primary piece coming from the New Jersey Devils in return for Tyler Toffoli this offseason. Greer, on the other hand, was a waiver wire pickup from the Boston Bruins shortly before the Flames’ season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. Together, they create a formidable group that has been among the most successful for the Flames thus far. Let’s have a look at just how good the line has been, as well as what makes them so outstanding.
Fantastic On-ice Production
The trio was first placed together by new head coach Ryan Huska in the team’s second game of the season, a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that game, the line had 16 shot attempts for compared to just three against while getting six shots on goal. Their strong efforts earned them more playing time to the tune of a 12:23 average time on ice (ATOI). They continued their solid play in the following contest against the Washington Capitals, which ended in a 3-2 shootout loss. The next matchup, a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres, was where the “WAY” line finally broke through. At 10:15 of the first period, Duehr scored on a nifty tip pass from Greer that was originally off the stick of Sharangovich.
The three would finish that game with five shots on net, three hits and positive possession numbers once again. Huska would again increase their ice time. The Columbus Blue Jackets would solve Duehr, Greer and Sharangovich in the next game, as they were on the ice for a goal against and posted regressed possession stats, thus playing under 10 minutes. However, in game six of this season against the Detroit Red Wings, Sharangovich would score his first as a Flame, assisted by Duehr and defenseman Nikita Zadorov. All told, Sharangovich sits at one goal, one assist through six games, Greer has one assist, and Duehr a goal and two assists. Not bad for a fourth line.
Size Makes All the Difference
The line’s success is predicated on its excellent blend of physical size and speed. Greer stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 208 pounds, Duehr is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, and Sharangovich is 6-foot-2, 196 pounds. However, all three men have sneaky good speed and the ability to make quick decisions well. Having their size aids in the capacity of shielding the puck from attackers tremendously.
In fact, all of the “WAY” members rank highly on the Flames roster in terms of Corsi for percentage, a stat that measures shot attempt differential. Duehr is second at 60.9 percent, Greer is sixth at 56.9 percent, and Sharangovich is 10th at 54 percent. Notable Flames such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and Dillon Dube are below the trio in this category.
Most prominently, the “WAY” line starts almost all of their shifts in the defensive zone — sixty-seven percent of the time, on average, to be precise. This means that more often than not, they neutralize opposition chances, regain control of the puck, and take it the other way and create an offensive chance. They use their aforementioned size and length to push opponents off pucks and/or punish them in the corners and neutral zone.
In addition, the three players have combined for three minor penalties, which would normally be rough. But given the amount the entire team has been taking, they look swell. Given their low ice time in proportion to the other forward lines, they are far and away the best Flames line in terms of analytics.
Only time will tell if the recent success of the Flames’ fourth line will be a prosperous experiment or just a splash in the proverbial pan. After all, hot lines come and go in the NHL like fad diets in society. The “WAY” line, however, has all of the tools necessary to remain effective and provide the Flames with some much-needed secondary offense. Hopefully, Greer will be the next to score his first as a Flame soon, and hopefully, this line continues to dominate.
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