Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith has been among the best lines in the NHL this season.
According to Corsica, only 19 lines have been trusted enough to play over 200+ 5v5 minutes together this season.
If you can believe it, Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith hasn't enjoyed an incredible amount of puck luck compared to rest of this select group. They've scored, but they've also given up a lot of goals. Their 52.0 Goals For % as a unit is third to last; Brayden Schenn-Jaden Schwartz-Vladimir Tarasenko tops the league with an unsustainable 80.95 (Vegas line has scored 13 5v5 goals, allowed 12; St. Louis trio has rang in 17, given up just four).
Here's where the Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith line shines statistically.
They're second in Corsi For % (59.25) to Matthew Tkachuk-Michael Frolik-Mikael Backlund (59.27). They're second in Relative Corsi For % (+9.11) to Aleksander Barkov-Evgeny Dadonov-Jonathan Huberdeau (+11.43), which underscores their importance to the Golden Knights. They lead the league in Expected Goals For % (60.54), which suggests that their 52.0 Goals For % should be much better.
In short, when they're on the ice, they're controlling shots and scoring chances at a pace well ahead of their teammates and the league.
People are starting to recognize this, as they're starting to draw more consistent attention from the opposition's best defenders. Just for example, Cam Fowler (Hampus Lindholm was hurt) played more 5v5 minutes against this group than anybody else on Tuesday night.
"We're going to see a lot more of that," acknowledged Marchessault. "They did a good job to shut us down."
Especially in the second period, Anaheim bottled up the line's transition game, holding them to just one shot on goal. Karlsson and Smith, who are underrated along the boards, were also unable to get in on the forecheck effectively.
Anyway, I was curious about what the Ducks did to hamper this line's transition game. These were three things which jumped out:
* Stay on top of the puck
* Form layers for the opposing puck carrier to navigate through
* Use selective aggressiveness to prevent transition from starting
This certainly isn't a definitive guide for stopping Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith, more general defensive principles to rely on at all times.
Between Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, and Francois Beauchemin, there are three clear layers of Anaheim defense for the puck carrier Karlsson to contend with. Up ahead, Marchessault must also be covered too, as Karlsson opts to hit an activating Schmidt with a pass. Schmidt gains the zone, but Anaheim forms a living defensive wall.
A key component of the Golden Knights' lauded transition game is hitting Marchessault flying up the neutral zone with the pass. The Ducks, however, were quick to literally surround the puck carrier, limiting his options.
For the most part, Anaheim was not overly aggressive, relying on their skating to stay in front of Marchessault's speed.
But being selectively aggressive is also important to choking off the opposition's transition game. In this case, you don't allow transition to even start:
Look how low Bieksa pinches to keep Smith from advancing the puck. He's parallel with the dot! Credit Rakell for recognizing and covering for his defenseman.
In summary, the Ducks repeated these actions to keep the Golden Knights' top line from firing up in transition.
* Stay on top of the puck
* Form layers for the opposing puck carrier to navigate through
* Use selective aggressiveness to prevent transition from starting
Eventually, Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith came through in transition and on the forecheck, as they forced the icing which set up the Erik Haula late tying goal.
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