Red Wings’ Third Line Picking Up Where it Left Off
The Detroit Red Wings’ third line of Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer are continuing their role as a shutdown unit their team can turn to early in the season
When last season’s playoff push went down to the wire, the Detroit Red Wings knew who to turn to when they needed to tighten up their defense. They continually relied on the third line of Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer to clamp other teams’ aces.
Don’t expect Detroit to think any different about the third line this year.
"I don’t know if it's so much chemistry,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters Saturday. “(It’s) more of acceptance and want from those guys. A couple of those games last year we gave them some really tough checking assignments they really embraced and did a really good job for us.”
In reality, this unit did the best job among all Detroit’s units at limiting opponents. The trio allowed just 2.14 expected goals against per 60 according to Moneypuck, which significantly led the second-best unit’s 2.30. And this success exists within the broader context of facing some of the toughest matchups of each game. Make no mistake, the Red Wings really have something with that line.
So, entering training camp with a different cast of players working on a clean slate, Lalonde is going back to the third line as an option. They skated together in all of the line drills, as did most of the combinations. And even if they don’t play together in Sunday’s Red and White scrimmage, Lalonde explained that he plans to put every line through the blender during it to gather the most information on his roster. Expect the third line to reunite when the real games start.
“I think those three really embraced that role down the stretch last year,” Lalonde said of the unit’s shutdown prowess. “Led us to some nice wins down the stretch and they were a big part in driving that.”
If not for their individual success, keeping the third line together makes sense for a number of reasons. Primarily, the unit is the living embodiment of all the defensive progress that Lalonde wants his team to make. They block shots, they put sticks in lanes, they cover their assignments and they don’t flee the zone too quickly. They also create offense — at a rate of 2.31 expected goals for per 60 — by cycling the puck and scoring.
What is especially useful about knowing the cohesion of the third line is that the unit can immediately come together in key moments for Detroit. Instead of having to discover their efficacy through trial and error, Lalonde and his staff can turn to them right away. When every point matters, as last season’s near-miss playoff push showed them, the Red Wings have a defensive line that can make earning those wins easier.
This benefit extends beyond just the third line Lalonde kept his best scoring line — Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond — together during training camp, too. In a game where knowing a linemate’s tendencies and abilities matters so much, being able to use last year’s familiarity is an advantage for Detroit. And especially when the unit plays such an important role as the third line, the Red Wings are in a favorable position to keep them together.
The unit has the potential to be even better this season, too. Its members looked good individually in the early days of training camp. Copp looked faster than usual coming out of the offseason, while Fischer’s shot showed some improvement from the one that got him just five goals last season. Improvement from the individual members can make this line even better.
So it makes absolute sense why Lalonde is leaning on the group, and it doesn’t appear that will change much this season. Expect Rasmussen, Copp and Fischer to be frequent linemates this season.
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