Calgary needs more from their third line

I’m not breaking any news when I say the Calgary Flames are in dire need of more scoring from their bottom six forwards.

Calgary’s biggest issue right now is their third line, because it’s being given every opportunity to succeed with very mediocre results. If things don’t start improving, the Flames might have no choice to make some significant changes.

Since the Nov. 7 return of Jaromir Jagr, Calgary’s personnel has been fairly consistent on the top three lines, save a couple of in-game adjustments and a suspension.

Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Micheal Ferland
Matthew Tkachuk-Mikael Backlund-Michael Frolik
Sam Bennett-Mark Jankowski-Jaromir Jagr

But while Monahan’s line continues to dominate on a regular basis and the 3M line remains one of the NHL’s top shutdown lines, the third trio hasn’t produced much at all. Plotted below are point totals for each line in the nine games Jankowski, Jagr, and Bennett have played together.

While those totals don’t look terrible, it’s important to note the 11 points put up by Jankowski’s line came in three games. Since Nov. 7, Jagr has gotten on the score sheet in three contests (four points), while Jankowski (four points) and Bennett (three points) have each done so in two games.

Really, Calgary’s third line has been a factor on only two nights since being assembled. Otherwise they’ve been largely ineffective, which has to be frustrating for the coaching staff. Head coach Glen Gulutzan has actively tried to get the Jankowski trio going by feeding them offensive starts and relatively easy competition. Below is a look at Gulutzan’s forward usage over the last nine games.

Nothing has really changed for the 3M line: they’re still taking on the toughest competition each night while being buried with defensive starts. Where we have seen a shift is with the top line, though, as Gaudreau, Monahan, and Ferland were all over 60% in the team’s first 14 games.

While Gulutzan has stopped sheltering his top trio as much, the leftover offensive starts have gone to the third line. Unfortunately, save two games, Jankowski, Jagr, and Bennett haven’t used that opportunity in a productive manner. It’s not like this group has been a victim of bad luck, either.

Those possession totals are somewhat concerning, especially knowing the players in question have the highest offensive zone start ratios on the team right now. Jagr, Bennett, and Jankowski aren’t scoring and are also struggling to create meaningful zone time on a regular basis. That trend can’t go on much longer without it being counterproductive.

When the Flames have their top line producing and the 3M line getting the job done, the team is typically competitive, at worst. Because those two lines have been so good to start the season, Calgary is sitting in a playoff spot and has scored enough goals to be a few games above .500. But those lines can’t carry the offensive load every single night.

Take Nov. 22 in Columbus for example. On a night the Flames weren’t very good, they were still one shot away from a win thanks to Mike Smith. It was a perfect night for an unlikely hero to emerge, as Gaudreau’s line was neutralized fairly effectively. Instead, though, Calgary was blanked in a 1-0 overtime loss and were let down by the bottom six again.

The usual suspects aren’t going to be able to score every night. Remember, the other team gets paid too, and going up against top shutdown lines and pairings will see Gaudreau et al silenced here and there. That’s why the Flames need some sort of viable threat beyond their top two lines, because otherwise it’s far too easy for opposing teams to key in on the top six via the matchup game.

It’s not like Calgary can count on a lot of production from their fourth line, either. Below is a look at the even strength point totals of the five forwards the Flames have rotated through on their fourth line, with none of them being threats to do much.

Other than Versteeg, though, it’s unfair to expect much offence from the above group. They’re fourth line players and counting on them to score semi-regularly is a lot to ask. Expecting that from the third line is a different story, though.

The trio of Jankowski, Jagr, and Bennett is being given every opportunity to score. If they start to take advantage of those opportunities, then Calgary becomes an extremely dangerous team to defend. If that doesn’t happen soon, though, the team needs to look at making some personnel changes.

That could mean an infusion or two from Stockton, a trade, or just a shuffling of the deck chairs on the bottom two lines. Regardless, though, the opportunity is there for the Flames to have a really effective third unit thanks to the good work being done further up the depth chart. Now it’s on that third line, however it’s constructed, to make that happen.