Anaheim Ducks Coach Boudreau Has Found Success In Flipping Cogliano To Right Wing
For the Anaheim Ducks, line juggling has been prevalent ever since Bruce Boudreau took over as the teams head coach. Continuos trial and error has created numerous line combinations during Boudreau’s time in Anaheim, some combinations have worked while others have not.
Boudreau’s most recent switch has worked flawlessly, the decision to flip Andrew Cogliano over to the right wing.
By doing so, Boudreau has created an incredibly effective line combination of Carl Hagelin, Shawn Horcoff and Andrew Cogliano.
Cogliano is a selfless player that can excel at any position. He’s proven that during his time playing center in Edmonton and playing on both wings in Anaheim. Flexibility is his strong suit and it makes him a guy that 29 teams around the league wish they had.
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In flipping Cogliano to the right wing, Boudreau was able to combine his speed and two-way game with left winger Carl Hagelin’s similar attributes. It also allowed Boudreau to create a third line that is capable of slowing down opposing forwards while simultaneously using their speed to generate offense and scoring chances.
However, the thing Hagelin, Horcoff and Cogliano have done best since joining forces on the Ducks third line, possession.
When looking at the advanced statistic possession numbers, you get a feel for how well the three have played together.
In their first game together at Carolina, all three were above 50% possession and the average corsi percentage between the three was 50.8%.
In their second game together at Nashville, all three were above 65% possession and the average corsi percentage between the three was 71.8%.
In their third game together at Florida, all three went over 55% possession and their average corsi percentage was 60.4%.
They have been the Ducks best possession line since being put together. Their offense has not been lacking either.
The Hagelin-Horcoff-Cogliano line has 9 points and 18 shots on goal, accounting for 22.2% of the Ducks shots on goal since their first game playing together in Carolina. The Ducks as a team have scored 9 goals over that same span of time.
For comparison, the Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry line has 6 points and have accounted for 25.9% of the Ducks shots on goal over the past three games.
So no lack of production for that new look third line, they’ve been the Ducks best over the past three games.
Boudreau’s line juggling is often questioned for being over done but if it weren’t for experimentation, there would be no reward. That’s what has happened here, Boudreau experimented and it has paid off.
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It’s a move that has supplied depth scoring and that same production will be needed moving forward, especially tonight against a speedy Tampa Bay team.