Dissecting the NHL’s five best bottom-six forward groups this season

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When you look at the National Hockey League’s top goal-scoring teams this season, you will notice a familiar trait if you dig into their lineups. That trait is depth, which has become more common in today’s game. It’s more prominent for a team to run four lines, and its bottom-six players have the intangibles to not only play like traditional bottom-six defensive forwards but also adapt to the offense and speed of the game. Although, it should be noted that if a team does not have an elite top-six group, there will be no team success.

According to MoneyPuck.com, here are the seven teams with the most Goals-For this season in all situations; we will dissect a handful of them and teams outside of this list with bottom-six groups that have excelled this season.

Edmonton Oilers

Everyone knows Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are leading the charge in Oil country with 58 and 44 goals, respectively. However, the depth has been present, and a handful of players, notably, have stepped up to the plate. The line of Derek Ryan, Devin Shore and Klim Kostin has spent 105:03 of ice time together and averaged an expected goals percentage (xG%) of 44.6%, scoring four goals on 2.56 expected goals per-60 minutes. Kostin has become a staple for the Oilers’ bottom six; he has notched a career-high 10 goals and 19 points with five fighting majors in 45 games this season.

One fourth-line experiment that seemed to have its moments was Shore, Ryan, and Ryan McLeod. The trio spent 26.9 minutes of ice time together over 13 games and had a 57.9 xG%. In fact, during the previous five games together, that line combined nine points in that frame. Ryan is up to 12 goals and 17 points on the year, and McLeod has notched a career-high 11 goals and 22 points. Meanwhile, Shore has nine points this season, but four have come in the last 10 games. That trio also played well defensively, allowing 1.78 expected goals against per-60 minutes.

Players like Mattias Janmark and recently acquired Nick Bjugstad have also played a pivotal role. Throughout Bjugstad’s first eight games, he already has three goals and one assist. That’s the type of depth you want heading into the playoffs. McDavid can’t just do everything for the Oilers; that’s when Kostin, Ryan, McLeod, Shore, Bjugstad, Janmark and Warren Foegele come into play. Of the Oilers’ 274 goals this season, the bottom six have contributed 68.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins’ bottom six has been one of the best groups consistently all year around. You can’t be the fastest NHL team in history to 50 wins without every player on the roster dialled in each night. Before Taylor Hall’s injury, the line of Hall, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic was dominant. Through 35 games and 163.9 minutes together, the trio posted a 60.3 xG% while allowing 2.12 goals against per 60 minutes. Hall was up to 16 goals and 36 points in 58 games, on pace for a second straight 20-goal season. Coyle is up to 40 points in 69 games, while Frederic has posted a career-high 16 goals in 67 games and tied for first league-wide with 11 fighting majors. Another line combo that found success for the B’s was A.J. Greer on a line with Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek. The trio combined for 60.3 xG% while allowing just 1.67 expected goals against per-60. Before Foligno was injured, he had notched 10 goals for the first time since 2019-20 when he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Jakub Lauko has emerged as a bottom-six threat while getting reps on several lines. The 22-year-old has registered five points in 16 games throughout his rookie campaign and saw some success on a line with Foligno and Nosek, who allowed 1.9 expected goals against per-60. Garnet Hathaway has been a breath of fresh air for the bottom-six group. While with the Washington Capitals, Hathaway played on what was statistically the best fourth line in the league with Aliaksei Protas and Nic Dowd. The trio was tied for first league-wide with 1.52 expected goals per-60 minutes in 29 games and 193:00 of action. Since joining the Bruins, Hathaway has tallied two goals and two assists in 13 games, recently playing on the fourth line with Nosek and Lauko. Out of the 261 Bruins goals this season, the bottom six have contributed to 70 goals.

Buffalo Sabres

It’s not just the Tage Thompson show in Buffalo this season. Everyone is chipping in, and the playoff dream for the Sabres is alive. If you want to make the postseason, let alone compete for a Stanley Cup, depth has to be present, and Sabres head coach Don Granato has done a great job playing Tetris this season, building the lines. 

Firstly, let us look at the line combo of Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo and Peyton Krebs, arguably the best line for the Sabres’ bottom-six group. Through 43 games and 322:08 minutes of ice time, the trio combined for a 46.9 xG% and are third league wide with 2.06 expected goals against per 60 minutes among lines with 300-plus minutes played. Krebs has notched 22 points in 60 games and is bound to set a career high, captain Okposo has notched 24 points, and Girgensons is up to 16 points.

One line combination in which Granato succeeded was J.J. Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn. While they played many minutes in the top-six, recently, they’ve played the third line. Through 42 games together and 337:01 minutes, the trio posted a 56.9 xG% while allowing 2.76 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Among NHL lines to play at least 300 minutes this season, they rank ninth in expected goals per 60 minutes with 3.5. Cozens has notched a career-high 27 goals, Peterka is up to nine goals and 18 assists, and the rookie Quinn has 13 goals and 32 points in 63 games. Keep in mind these three are all under the age of 23.

Of Buffalo’s 247 goals this season, the bottom six have contributed a whopping 123. Other players who have rotated into the bottom six this season are Casey Mittelstadt, Viktor Olofsson, Tyson Jost, Vinnie Hinostoza and recently acquired Jordan Greenway. Mittelstadt has notched a career-high 32 assists and 42 points in 68 games this season and seems to be finding his game; Olofsson has recorded a career-high 26 goals this season and has seen ice time on the second line as well. 

New Jersey Devils

The Devils have been one of the hottest teams in the Metropolitan Division all year, so let us dissect them. Jack Hughes is up to 37 goals this season, and Nico Hischier cracked the 30-goal mark for the first time. Meanwhile, Newfoundland’s pride and joy Dawson Mercer has taken the league by storm totalling 22 goals and 28 assists this season while also going on an eight-game goal streak. The Devils have shuffled a few lines in the recent trade for star sniper Timo Meier, but the chemistry seems to be present.

With the acquisition of two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat, the Devils may have recently formed one of the best third lines in the NHL. Recently, Palat has played on a line with Erik Haula and Jesper Boqvist. The trio has only played 10 games together, logging 70:04 of ice time and posting a 74.6 xG%. That is a line head coach Lindy Ruff should keep together. The trio has played well defensively, allowing 1.28 expected goals per 60 minutes. 

Palat has totalled eight goals and 19 points this season, Haula has 33 points and Boqvist has notched 16 points. Haula is ranked sixth on the team in high-danger goals, and Palat is ranked 11th, allowing Boqvist to do what he does best, play the forechecking game, and create opportunities. The line combo has been consistently good.

The fourth line, comprised of Nathan Bastian, Michael McLeod and Miles Wood, or the “BMW” line, was solid throughout their 38 games. They averaged 2.51 expected goals against per 60 minutes, the second lowest among Devils line combos. The fourth line has recently fluctuated due to Bastian dealing with an upper-body injury and being healthy scratched. Yegor Sharnagovich has notched 12 goals this season and is shooting at 11.1%, and Fabian Zetterlund also got reps on the fourth line; he had 20 points in 45 games before heading to San Jose in the Meier trade. The Devils’ depth is noticeably present out of the 244 goals this season. The bottom six have contributed 79. The Devils can use their bottom-six group in reliable situations to help get the job done as they try to finish first in their division and make a run in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning

It should be no surprise to see the Lightning up in this list. Nikita Kucherov has 72 assists and hit the 100-point mark, Steven Stamkos has notched another 30-goal season, and Brayden Point has surpassed the 40-goal mark. But the Lightning also possesses a bottom-six group with all tools necessary to get the job done. General manager Julien BriseBois added to that group by acquiring Oxbow, Saskatchewan product Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators for Cal Foote and five draft picks, a shocking trade. Think about their original Stanley Cup run in 2020 against the Dallas Stars; they bolstered up with Pat Maroon, Blake Coleman, and Barclay Goodrow. Last season, they acquired Nick Paul, who scored a major goal for the Lightning against the Maple Leafs in game 7. It’s all part of the plan.

One of the best defensive lines for the Bolts this season was the combo of Corey Perry, Pierre-Edourard Bellemare, and now-traded Vladislav Namestnikov; the trio posted 1.9 expected goals against per 60 in 28 games together and were ranked 11th league-wide. There have been a few line variations this season, primarily due to injuries. But, the line combination of Maroon, Paul and Ross Colton were together for 23 games and 194:31 of ice time; they posted a 48.6 xG% while recording eight goals. The trio allowed 2.83 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Paul has set a career-high of 17 goals and has tied his career-high 32 points.

Jeannot has started to find his ground in Tampa, he briefly played seven games on a line with Paul and Colton, and the trio combined for 50.00 xG% and allowed 1.78 goals against per 60. Anthony Cirelli has also found himself on the third line this season in different roles; he has notched 11 goals and posted 1.16 expected goals per 60 minutes. In recent years, BriseBois has built the Lightning for long labor-intensive playoff runs, and they look geared up to do it again. Out of the 245 goals this season, the bottom six have contributed 67 goals to that total. You don’t win Lord Stanley back-to-back years without every player pushing their limits.

Honourable Mentions

The Colorado Avalanches’ third line was comprised of Andrew Cogliano, J.T. Compher and Logan O’Connor. The trio played 49 games and 227:06 minutes together, posting a 58.2 xG% while allowing a league-wide third-best 1.61 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Compher is now solidified as the No. 2 center, however, and Lars Eller has taken his spot on the third line.

Seattle Kraken’s third line of Eeli Tolvanen, Yanni Gourde, and Oliver Bjorkstrand has posted a 53.1 xG% while allowing 2.43 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Since being claimed off waivers, Tolvanen has tallied 13 goals and 23 points in 36 games.

Carolina Hurricanes’ third line of Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast has posted a 61.9 xG% while allowing 1.96 expected goals against per 60 minutes, ranking first among lines over 300 minutes league-wide. Martinook has notched a career-high 29 points. According to Elite Prospects, Staal is on pace for 19 goals which would be the highest mark since the 2017-18 season. 

Lastly, I want to highlight the New York Rangers third line: Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko. They have posted a 48.5 xG%, scoring a combined 23 goals in 58 games. Chytil has recorded a career-high 20 goals and ranks fourth on the team, while Lafreniere and Kakko have set career highs in the points department. The trio has played well defensively, allowing 2.35 expected goals against per 60 minutes. With “showtime” Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko now in the Rangers mix with Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, the Ranges are fit for a long playoff run.