The Big 4......

[mboyan]

....had a quiet weekend.

wingman said:

None of the Rocket goals are by the big 4 (Walker, Morrison, Latal, Doyle). Nice to see.

This comment in the game thread got me thinking, so I did some research.

On this weekend trip to Quebec, the Rocket had a total of 12 G and 18 A for a total of 30 points.

Of this, the "Big 4" had

Walker - 1G - 1A
Morrison - 1G - 2A
Latal - 1G - 1A
Doyle - 0g - 2A

for a total of 9 pts. They had a total of 38 SOG (44% of total SOG (86))

By comparison, the "Next 4"

Gallant - 1G - 1A
McKinley - 2G - 1A
Kana - 2G - 1A
Lachaine - 1G - 1A

for a total of 10 pts. They had a total of 19 SOG (28%)

While those are just numbers, and don't prove anything yet, the Gallant-Lachaine-McKinley line played well all weekend, and their efforts payed off. A nice third line that can cause havoc, create turnovers, and be physical when needed. I hope that they keep this line together, and give them the ice time they deserve.

[wingman]

Actually in the game night I thought that it would have been good for Jean to reward guys like Lachaine, MacKinley with ice time at the end of the 3rd and in the OT. Not intended to be punishment for Walker, Morrison, etc but instead to show confidence in players like MacKinley, Lachaine, etc. These are the guys that kept the team in the game and should have been there at the end for the shot to win it for the team. I know you should have your big guns on the ice at times like that but at this point of the season, plus being on the road, it wouldn't have hurt to show that kind of confidence in your other players too. Things like that can go a long way in getting your secondary players to feel like they can contribute more than being 3rd and 4th line players.

[IslandersHKY]

Just wanted to say that I have been really impressed with the way McKinley has been contributing over the past few games and he is really starting to show that he can be a solid 3rd line player for us.

Over the past five games:

Games Played - 5
Points - 2 goals & 4 assists
Hits - 9
Plus - 2

Keep it up Lucas and with Gallant on the other wing we now have a solid checking line who can hit and contibute on the score sheet.

[bois]

I think most of those points have come playing with the big guys tho haven't they?

I really think it's time for Jean to play everyone.... stop running the big 4 into the ground..