Comparing the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars offensive lineups

Dallas Stars offensive lineup

Edmonton’s top line versus Dallas’

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That is the motto that the Oilers will continue to use. The top line in Games 4 and 5 consisted of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Zach Hyman. These three guys combined for 193 points in the regular season, 73 goals and 120 assists. McDavid posted 100 points, Nugent-Hopkins ended up with 49, while Hyman finished the season with 44 points.

This first line has continued to see some success in the playoffs with 34 points in just 11 games. This means that the top three are producing an average of three points per game. You could also say that each guy is averaging a point per game as well. Something interesting to note is that McDavid has 17 points on his own, while Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman have 17 points combined—nine and eight respectively.

With the Dallas Stars being as deep of a team as they are, their first line has been very solid. Mikael Granlund, Roope Hintz, and the newly acquired Mikko Rantanen have all been powering the top line. These three stars combined for 176 points through the regular season, 67 goals and 109 assists. Rantanen posted 88 points, Hintz ended up with 67, while Granlund finished the season with 21 points.

This first line has proved to be stellar in the postseason and it is all thanks to one player and the lines 36 points in 13 games. Rantanen has been a man on a mission with 19 points, 18 of which have been put up through his last nine games. Granlund and Hintz have put 17 points on the score sheet through two rounds—seven and 10 respectively.

How do the second lines square up

The second line has Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl, and Kasperi Kapanen. These three Oilers combined for 143 points in the regular season, 65 goals and 78 assists. Draisaitl who was the Oilers leading scorer and Rocket winner posted 106 points, Podkolzin ended up with 24, while Kapanen finished with 13.

Line two has done well in the playoffs with 23 points in only 11 games played. These next three, are producing an average of  just over two points per game. Draisaitl has posted 16 points of his own, with Podkolzin and Kapanen having seven points—six and one respectively.

The Stars second line had some success in the regular season. The three here combined for 152 points by the end of the regular season, 55 goals and 97 assists. Matt Duchene who was the Stars leading scorer posted a point-per-game season with 82, while Jamie Benn ended up with 49 and Tyler Seguin producing 21 points himself.

The postseason second line brought some new light for the Stars lineup and had 13 points. An average of a point per game in 13 games played. Duchene and Seguin have 10 points together—five and five respectively, while Benn has produced a hat trick of points himself with three.

Comparing both team’s bottom six

Time to look at the bottom-six. Evander Kane, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown have all done what they can for the Oilers. These three put up 57 points combined, I mean it was really two guys that were able to put up those points. Brown had 30 points and Henrique had 29. Kane didn’t play games in the regular season due to an apparent injury.

The postseason bottom-six saw some action and were able to put 18 points on the board. Kane and Brown each had seven points a piece, while Henrique was able to muster up a total of four points himself, hence bringing their total up to 18 on the season.

Let’s talk about the Stars’ third pairing offensive players. Mason Marchment, Wyatt Johnston, and Jason Robertson had all taken charge in the regular season and compiled 198 total points. Based on the lineups that I am looking at, they are easily the best third line in this matchup and maybe across the league itself. 90 goals and 108 assists. Robertson had 80 points, Johnston put up 71, and Marchment ended the season with 47.

This is probably one of the best third lines in the playoffs so far, with a total of 13 points combined. Johnston has eight points so far, Marchment has half of that at four and Robertson has only been able to put one apple on the score sheet.

Time to look at the three players who don’t get much ice time. Trent Frederic, Mattias Janmark, and Corey Perry have all been playing on the Oilers fourth line. These guys combined for 48 points in the regular season, 21 goals and 27 assists. Perry put up 30 points, while Janmark had 18 and unfortunately Frederic had zero, but only played one game.

In the postseason, here is how these three have fared so far. With a combined total of 13 points, Perry has been on fire with seven, while both Janmark and Frederic have three points each. This fourth line has been able to see lots of success which is exactly what the Oilers need in the playoffs.

The Stars fourth line was decent in the regular season. Sam Steel, Evgenii Dadonov, and Alex Petrovic all managed 65 total points, 26 goals, and 39 assists. Dadonov had a great season with 40 points, while Steel put 25 points on the board and after playing only five games with the stars, Petrovic was held off the score sheet.

Not playing much in the playoffs, these three put up a combined total of 12 points. That is pretty good for the fourth line minutes that they typically get. Steel has six points, Dadonov has two less at four and Petrovic has half of that with two points.

With both Dallas and Edmonton having shown a lot of depth so far in the playoffs, who has the best top-nine heading into the Western Conference Final? Let us know in the comments section.