There's a great degree of comfort for a head coach in being able to depend on a solid trio up front - a line that consistently controls the puck while also scoring with regularity - day in and day out.
Below we rank the NHL's top 10 trios at even strength by examining their underlying numbers (Corsi For Percentage, Shots For Percentage, Goals For Percentage), while also considering their shooting percentages to account for a measure of luck working for or against. In order to qualify, a trio must have played at least 150 minutes together at five-on-five.
10. Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Jakub Voracek
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 315.12 | 55.99 | 54.64 | 69.7 | 11.5 |
Philadelphia is mired in a potentially season-altering losing streak, but the top line isn't the problem. Coach Dave Hakstol has shifted Giroux to the wing and allowed Couturier to emerge as an offensive force at center, but unfortunately not much else is working for the Flyers these days.
9. Leon Draisaitl - Connor McDavid - Patrick Maroon
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 206.08 | 56.42 | 54.55 | 60 | 9.09 |
When all else fails, put two of your best players together to get the offense rolling. Edmonton coach Todd McLellan did just that for a stretch of time, allowing Patrick Maroon to enjoy the benefits of playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. In recent games, McDavid has been skating with Milan Lucic and Mike Cammalleri to help spread out the offense, but it might be time to put him back with this line to help salvage the season
8. Evander Kane - Jack Eichel - Jason Pominville
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 174.58 | 54.13 | 57.92 | 56.25 | 7.69 |
As in Edmonton, not much is going right in Buffalo this season, but first-year coach Phil Housley can roll out this unit knowing they'll do more good than harm. The line of Kane, Eichel, and Pominville could be even more effective if and when their shooting percentage - and by extension their goals for percentage - begins to rise.
7. Brandon Saad - Jonathan Toews - Richard Panik
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75 | 57.67 | 53.14 | 57.89 | 8.66 |
Chicago's top line is giving up a fair share of shots and goals against, but gets the benefit of the doubt due to logging heavy defensive assignments and for a bit of bad luck, as evidenced by their low shooting percentage. Bringing Saad back into the mix has certainly benefited Toews.
6. Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 198.74 | 53.19 | 51.16 | 75 | 8.18 |
Toronto coach Mike Babcock recently moved Nylander to the fourth line and replaced him here with Connor Brown, which is curious considering how formidable this line has been in limited time. The low shooting percentage also suggests even greater success could be had should Nylander be bumped back up. Regardless, Matthews makes things happen no matter who he plays with.
5. Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 226.8 | 57.58 | 55.6 | 68.42 | 10.08 |
Gaudreau garners all the attention as Calgary's diminutive scoring giant, and there's no denying the chemistry he has with Monahan. Coach Glen Gulutzan did well to discover how well Ferland compliments this pair.
4. Jonathan Marchessault - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158.57 | 58.41 | 60.12 | 50 | 10.08 |
This line hasn't been together long, but Vegas appears to have struck gold. General manager George McPhee needs to thank the Florida Panthers for being willing to part ways with Marchessault and Smith while he was assembling the inaugural Golden Knights roster. And yes, this trio has been on the ice for an even share of goals, but the underlying numbers and the level shooting percentage skews on the side of dominance.
3. Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evegenii Dadonov
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 258.27 | 57.39 | 59.49 | 60 | 9.2 |
Florida will have to somehow make due without Dadonov, who'll be sidelined four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury. That's a huge blow to a team on the outside of the playoff picture despite this line's dominance, but Barkov and Huberdeau can certainly keep it rolling with whomever they play with in the meantime.
2. Filip Forsberg - Ryan Johansen - Viktor Arvidsson
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 186.45 | 57.25 | 59.8 | 72.22 | 10.66 |
One can't help but wonder what the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final would have been if Nashville had a healthy Ryan Johansen on their side. This line is basically as good as it gets across the board these days, with one exception.
1. Bradeyn Schenn - Jaden Schwartz - Vladimir Tarasenko
| TOI | CF% | SF% | GF% | Sh% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202.62 | 59.71 | 58.3 | 80.95 | 12.41 |
The only knock on this line at the moment is an inflated shooting percentage, but the trio is so dominant in terms of attempts, shots, and goals that it kind of makes sense, although some regression should probably be expected. GM Doug Armstrong hit the jackpot by adding Schenn in the offseason, as he's excelling alongside Schwartz and Tarasenko.
Honorable mention: It seems odd not to mention Tampa Bay's trio of Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Vladislav Namestnikov - a line that's outproduced all others so far this season. However, their success has been boosted by excellence on the power play, while their even-strength performance has them sitting behind the trios mentioned above. Their lower possession numbers and a somewhat inflated shooting percentage - along with a serious cool-off period as of late - means they rank 11th in a discussion that's focused on five-on-five play.
(Advanced stats courtesy: Corsica Hockey)
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