Despite J.T. Miller being out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, Mike Sullivan wants to continue to utilize Will Cuylle on the third line.
During the New York Rangers’ Tuesday night game against the Washington Capitals, Will Cuylle started the night on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Gabe Perreault.
However, Sullivan moved Cuylle to the third line alongside Noah Laba and Taylor Raddysh.
Throughout the season, Cuylle has been playing on the team’s third line to help balance out the lineup.
Even with Miller out, Sullivan still feels the team is at its best with Cuylle serving a bottom-six role.
“We feel as a coaching staff, we've got the best version of Will Cuylle when we played him on that line,” Sullivan said. “That's one of the reasons why we keep going back to it. We've moved him up into the top six out of necessity sometimes based on where we're at, or what the injuries look like, or things of that nature, but we feel in this beginning half of the season, that the best version of Will Cuylle five on five we get when we play him with Labs (Noah Laba).
“I think when he does play in that line, it certainly allows us to create a little bit more balance through our lineup that I think makes us more difficult to play against. When that line can contribute offensively and bring conscientious play defensively, I think we're a much more difficult team to play against.”
Both Cuylle and Laba play a similar brand of hockey. They are strong players who provide a physical edge, but their speed also stands out as a critical part of their game.
Sullivan has emphasized trying to create pairs within the offensive line combinations. Zibanejad and Panarin make up the Rangers’ top offensive duo. Before Miller’s injury, he was playing alongside Vincent Trocheck, serving as the team’s offensive shutdown duo, matching up against the opposition’s top players.
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Cuylle has spent a large portion of games playing with Laba, and the two young forwards have begun to build chemistry with each other.
Even playing on the third line for parts of the season, Cuylle is still averaging 17:22 minutes, as he’s been utilized on the power play and penalty kill.
In 39 games this season, the 23-year-old forward has recorded 10 goals, 13 assists, and 23 points.