TRH GAMEDAY 43 – NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Top Line TaLOLent
The LA Kings face-off against the team that will always hold a near and dear place in fans’ hearts tonight.
That’s right, folks, the New Jersey Devils are back in town!
But rather than focus on the joy that was the 2012 Stanley Cup Final from a Kings point of view, we’d instead like to point out how amazingly awful some of the first lines that are being trotted out by coaches on their respective teams.
Whereas Kings fans’ get to see Anze Kopitar center Marian Gaborik and Jeff Carter on a nightly basis, there are fans throughout the league who have to watch a bunch of has-beens and borderline NHLers play on their team’s top line.
So without further adieu, we present:
The Top 5 Worst First Lines in the NHL
Arizona Coyotes
Poor Antoine Vermette would be an ideal No. 3 center on a contender. Instead, he’s saddled with Martin Erat’s corpse on his left wing and Shane Doan’s anger management issues.
Ottawa Senators
The good news is that the Ottawa Senators acquired a first line winger in the Jason Spezza trade. The bad news is that winger is Alex Chiasson and his 26 goals in 125 career games.
Carolina Hurricanes
Eric Staal looks like he’s past his prime. Jordan Staal couldn’t make the transition from third line wunderkind into top-six success. And poor former No. 5 overall pick Elias Lindholm is already doused in the stench of the Hurricanes maligned organization.
Buffalo Sabres
This tremendous trio has combined to score 27 goals in a combined 129 games played this season. But they do have an All-Star on their first line. You have to give them that.
New Jersey Devils
Somehow, Adam Henrique is also an All-Star. Good for him. Beyond that, Scott Gomez wandered into the Devils training facility one day and Lou Lamoriello was just too nice to tell him to go home. And on the right wing … BAH GOD! THAT’S STEVE BERNIER’S MUSIC!!!!
I know I said I wouldn’t rehash any painful memories for the Devils fans, but come on you guys are just making it too damn easy…
Thanks for everything, Steve!
Thanks to our friends at Daily Faceoff for constantly updating each NHL team’s lineup!
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