As seen by the recent success of teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins, the key to winning in the NHL is depth.
The Blackhawks were able to win the Stanley Cup because they had a lineup that included great players on every line. Whether it was a player like Dave Bolland scoring the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup, or a player like Michael Frolik anchoring the penalty-killing unit all season, the Blackhawks had many solid players to compliment superstars like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith.
Another team that has used its depth to succeed the last few seasons is the Boston Bruins. As well as having stars like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton, the Bruins also had a fourth line that was able to frustrate opponents and play a regular shift. Their usual fourth line of Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille was a key to their playoff success, and it often changed the momentum of games.
Unfortunately for the Minnesota Wild, this depth has been lacking the previous few seasons. Instead of having a team that is strong top to bottom, the Wild has been relying far too much on ...
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Article written by Chris LaPrade
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August 10th, 2013 by Chris LaPrade Leave a reply »
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