Orange County Register

November is hardly a time to dissect line matchups. Such strategy always  comes under the microscope during the playoffs, when teams play chess in an intense series.

There was no ignoring the matchup on Saturday night, though, when San Jose’s newly-formed top line of Joe Thornton-Dany Heatley-Patrick Marleau line went against the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry-Bobby Ryan in a game with spring-like intensity.

“They’re top line is unreal,” Thornton said. “They’re big. They’re strong. They play a 200-foot game. I don’t know what line won, but our team won.”

Ducks fans might remember their team neutralizing Ottawa’s ”Big Line” of Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

Of course, that Ducks team had two Norris Trophy winners in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger and a shutdown line featuring Selke Trophy candidate Sami Pahlsson to throw out against the Big Line.

These Ducks are a different breed, and if Saturday’s matchup was a boxing match, San Jose took round one. 

The Thornton-Heatley-Marleau line had a combined two goals and three assists and produced the game-winning goal, by Thornton, in a 3-2 victory. They accounted for 10 of San Jose’s 36 shots on goal.

The Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan line had two assists and was a minus-2 on the night, and Getzlaf dished out four hits.

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had the option of sending out his line last to take a faceoff, and he sent out Getzlaf’s line against Thornton most of the game.

“They’re world-class players,” Carlyle said. “We think we have a pretty good line in Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan. Is it head-to-head? Quite possibly.

That seems to satisfy us from a standpont that you have to monitor in the game. And then if not, then you try to take some of the more defensive-minded forward and play a shutdown role. They had a big night last night and I’m sure they’ll look to continue to do that.”

San Jose coach Todd McLellan, who didn’t put together the top line until recently, was pleased with how his group responded to the challenge.

“If you’re lucky enough, and I stress lucky, to stop the Getzlaf line even strength you have a real good chance at beating them,” McLellan said.

“And that doesn’t happen very often.”

Heatley, who scored his NHL-leading 18th goal and assisted on the game winner. But he said the more important measure was how they stacked up defensively.

“When you’re matched up with two lines like that, the key to the game is not letting the other team get set up,” Heatley said.

“We want the puck in their end, they want the puck in our end. If you get enough time, either line, to move it around in the other and cycle it, you’re going to get chances. Both lines did a pretty good job at times of setting up shots and getting chances.”

Heatley was asked if the Ducks looked like the last-place team in the Western Conference.

“It’s just numbers,” he said. “They’ve got enough firepower in there, they’ve got enough good players. They’re always dangerous.”

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