One advantage the Carolina Hurricanes might have over most other teams next season is the ability for the coaching staff to mix and match forward line combinations as needed in game situations. Several of the forwards have a lot of versatility and they are flexible enough to be able to move around and play different roles with different teammates. How did this work out last year? Let's take a look at the top scoring lines for the 2008-09 season.
According to DobberHockey.com, the Staal-Samsonov-Ruutu line was on the ice the most together and scored more points than any other Carolina line. Here are the most used lines with their points during even strength play:
| Line | Shifts | Points | Point per | ||
| Combo | Together | Together | Shift Ratio | ||
| 1 | Staal-Ruutu-Samsonov | 2329 | 48 | 2.1% | |
| 2 | Staal-Ruutu-Cole | 955 | 25 | 2.6% | |
| 3 | Brind'Amour-Walker-Whitney | 803 | 11 | 1.4% | |
| 4 | Cullen-LaRose-Whitney | 797 | 19 | 2.4% | |
| 5 | Staal-Ruutu-Whitney | 496 | 6 | 1.2% | |
| 6 | Brind'Amour-Eaves-Samsonov | 462 | 7 | 1.5% | |
| 7 | Cullen-Williams-Whitney | 363 | 9 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Jokinen-LaRose-Whitney | 343 | 7 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Bayda-Cullen-LaRose | 302 | 8 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Staal-LaRose-Whitney | 96 | 8 | 8.3% | |
Somewhat surprisingly, the Staal-Samsonov-Ruutu group played more than twice as much together as any other line combination. They proved to be the most productive line in total points as well, but when Erik Cole was acquired and inserted in place of Samsonov, the production percentage went up even more.
The Cullen-LaRose-Whitney line was also very productive and we should see much more of them as a group this year. Staal, LaRose, and Whitney were not on the ice together very often, but when they were matched up they were very successful.
Now let's look at the powerplay forward lines:
| Line | Shifts | Points | Point per | ||
| Combo | Together | Together | Shift Ratio | ||
| 1 | Staal-Ruutu-Samsonov | 354 | 18 | 5.1% | |
| 2 | Staal-Ruutu-Whitney | 245 | 10 | 4.1% | |
| 3 | Brind'Amour-WIlliams-Whitney | 171 | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 4 | Staal-Ruutu-Cole | 127 | 12 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Brind'Amour-Samsonov-Whitney | 79 | 5 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Brind'Amour-Staal-Whitney | 63 | 9 | 14.3% | |
| 7 | Brind'Amour-Cullen-Samsonov-Whitney | 49 | 10 | 20.4% | |
| 8 | Brind'Amour-Walker-Whitney | 41 | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 9 | Brind'Amour-Staal-Whitney-Samsonov | 39 | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 10 | Staal-Ruutu-Samsonov-Whitney | 25 | 10 | 40.0% | |
Once again, Staal-Ruutu-Samsonov had the most shifts together. But just like during even strength, insert Cole in place of Samsonov and the percentages go up. (9.4% versus 5.1%). You can see the enticement to put four forwards together during the man, (or two man), advantage. The percentages really go up, but so could the goals against.
How about they play the Staal-Ruutu-Samsonov-Whitney foursome more often seeing that they scored earned points on 40% of their shifts together?
After looking at these stats you can really see the value in re-signing Tuomo Ruutu. Not only does he bring the obvious physical element to the game, but he is involved in most of the high scoring lines as well.
Having Erik Cole at his side helped Eric Staal to succeed late last year, but number 12 spent more time on the ice with Ruutu, (906:01) than with any other player. They scored about a goal for every 20 minutes they were together.
These stats are from Hockey Analysis.com.
| Even Strength Goals For with Eric Staal and Teammates | |||
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| Player | ES TOI | GF | GF/20 |
| TUOMO RUUTU | 906:01:00 | 42 | 0.927 |
| SERGEI SAMSONOV | 622:45:00 | 27 | 0.867 |
| JOSEPH CORVO | 517:26:00 | 24 | 0.928 |
| JONI PITKANEN | 446:05:00 | 25 | 1.121 |
| TIM GLEASON | 444:13:00 | 25 | 1.126 |
| DENNIS SEIDENBERG | 365:42:00 | 14 | 0.766 |
| ANTON BABCHUK | 291:19:00 | 19 | 1.304 |
| RAY WHITNEY | 250:24:00 | 19 | 1.518 |
| NICLAS WALLIN | 230:42:00 | 12 | 1.04 |
| ERIK COLE | 228:41:00 | 13 | 1.137 |
| FRANTISEK KABERLE | 97:08:00 | 5 | 1.03 |
| PATRICK EAVES | 79:43:00 | 4 | 1.004 |
| RYAN BAYDA | 66:16:00 | 2 | 0.604 |
| CHAD LAROSE | 63:14:00 | 8 | 2.53 |
| JUSTIN WILLIAMS | 61:10:00 | 1 | 0.327 |
| ROD BRIND'AMOUR | 28:58:00 | 2 | 1.381 |
| MATT CULLEN | 27:11:00 | 1 | 0.736 |
| SCOTT WALKER | 24:05:00 | 3 | 2.491 |
Staal really lit it up when on the ice with Whitney and LaRose, even though their time together was fairly short.
There are a lot of interesting stats to check out on this site. Simply click on the player's name to see how they did when paired up with other players. I just checked "goals for" but you can also see the "goals against"
Tomorrow, we will look at the defensemen.