When at five-on-five and with last change, Jordan Staal's line was tasked with shutting down Boston's "Perfection Line" of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Per
NaturalStatTrick
, Bergeron played 11:16 at five-on-five Tuesday. Of that, 9:19 came against Staal, far and away the most opposed Canes player of his night.
For those in search of what's been a difference between games in Raleigh vs. games in Boston, there you have it.
Now, if you're reading this asking, "what does being at home versus being on the road have to do with this," fear not. There's room for all Canes fans on this boat, including the newcomers.
In the NHL, when you're the visiting team, you have five seconds in between whistles to decide your personnel for the ensuing faceoff. The home team? Eight seconds. So, each time Rod Brind'Amour has seen Bergeron and crew jump over the bench, that's an immediate signal for Staal, Jesper Fast and Nino Niederreiter to head out. When in Boston and Bruce Cassidy sees the Staal line jump out, that's his cue to go with anybody other than Bergeron.
"Does it really matter that much if it's Staal's line going against Bergeron's line?"
Yes. Although he doesn't get the national recognition deserved, Staal is one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Further evidence? Look at what Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak were able to accomplish during Games Three and Four when they got to avoid Staal and co. I'll spare you the research, 16 combined points and the X-Factor in their two wins.
"They're outstanding, all three of them," Max Domi began when shining light on the Staal trio Wednesday afternoon. "Staalsy is such a strong man. He's a responsible guy, two-way player and he doesn't make any mistakes out there. Good in the faceoff circle, as well. Nino and Jesper are two guys who personally, I didn't realize how good they were until I played with them. Quickie is probably the best forechecker in the NHL. He gets to pucks when he needs to and wins battles. He doesn't make any mistakes and he's fun to watch, too. Nino is a beast down low, too. He's such a smart player. He makes all the plays he needs to make and when you put all three together, it's a rock solid group."
If you ask them though, consistency has played a huge role in the line being as effective as they have been.
"We've played together for most of the season, so we understand each other," Jesper Fast spoke modestly when asked what he feels makes the group so successful. "We play the right way and we have trust in each other."
While all three are humble and prefer to let their work do the talking, the head coach may have had the most fitting description for #71 when asked about the line and what makes Fast, specifically, so successful.
"Heart. The guy's got it in there every day. Most guys can do it most of the time or part of the time, but it's hard to find guys that can do it all the time. That's what he does."
