3rd and 4th Line Appreciation Post
Nearly all defensive zone face-offs have been taken by the 3rd and 4th line, which isn't unusual for an NHL team, but in doing so, not a single goal against has been scored while the 3rd or 4th line has been on ice. With that being said, only 1-2 goals have been scored for while they've been on the ice, and they came from the 4th line.
If these two lines continue to be deployed as they have, I expect the Mammoth to have more games like the first two. While its an incredibly small sample size, I'd still like to note that when the 3rd line takes the opening face-offs each period, the team wins. Not only does the 3rd line prevent goals, they are capable of setting the tone for the game. So next time you see a post about Hayton or McBain being useless, think back to how well they've been contributing to the defensive side of the game. Different players have different rolls, and the 3rd and 4th line has been fulfilling theirs perfectly. That's not to say how much the team would appreciate an occasional goal from them, but its also a lot harder to score when you're starting in the defensive zone for nearly every face-off.