The Minnesota Wild entered their playoff series with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, a strong two-way combo. John Hynes can use them to erase a line on the opposing team and get some goals. Hynes gets an opportunity to set matchups throughout Games 3 and 4. That allows him to engineer favourable situations for scorers such as Kirill Kaprizov. He also gets to decide which line he’ll use Boldy and Eriksson Ek to stifle throughout the game.
Robertson’s Line a Priority for Minnesota
The Dallas Stars have scorers throughout their lineup, even without Roope Hintz and Tyler Seguin. Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen are on Dallas’ top line, and Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene are just behind them. After the first two games, Robertson’s line is the clear priority for Boldy and Eriksson Ek.
Marcus Foligno commented on the Stars’ play after Minnesota’s Game 2 loss. “They’re looking to play five-on-four,” he told the media. “I mean, that’s their game. They can’t hang with us five-on-five.”
Minnesota out-scored Dallas 4-2 at 5-on-5 over the first two games. They kept most of Dallas’ best players in check, with the exception of Robertson.
Breaking Down the 5-on-5 Stats
Robertson, Duchene, and Mavrik Bourque have played 19 minutes, 43 seconds together at 5-on-5. In that time, they’ve held a 12-to-5 lead in scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Without the Robertson line on the ice, the 5-on-5 scoring chances are dead-even: 24-to-24.
Glen Gulutzan appeared to be targeting the Kaprizov line and the Jonas Brodin-Jared Spurgeon defence pairing. Robertson’s biggest weakness is his speed, but that problem is mitigated when facing Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko, Brodin, and Spurgeon.
Kaprizov Matchup Could Benefit Wild
Putting Robertson head-to-head against Kaprizov also forces the Wild’s superstar to defend. Robertson is the best player on the Stars in terms of grinding down opponents on the cycle. His offensive-zone possessions can be long, with defenders having to chase his 6-foot-3 frame all over the zone.
Robertson doesn’t even have to score to succeed against Kaprizov’s line.