Sunday, December 21, 2008

Ennis moving as Quinn shuffles deck

With Dana Tyrell falling to knee injury in Friday's win over Sweden, Team Canada coach Pat Quinn will be trying different line combos when his Nats take an exhibition skate with Finland on Sunday. Left wing Tyler Ennis was originally placed opposite Tyrell with #1 center John Tavares down the middle, with the thought that the banging Tyrell would create space for his offensive mates to create. Ennis will get a different look on Sunday.
As a result of Tyrell's absence at Saturday's practice, Quinn will have to juggle the lines for Sunday's game with Finland. Chris DiDomenico will move up with Tavares and Jamie Benn, Brett Sonne will play with Angelo Esposito and Tyler Ennis, while defenceman P.K. Subban could see some time on the wing with Stefan Della Rovere and Patrice Cormier. The Hodgson line, with Jordan Eberle, and Zach Boychuk will remain intact.
It's interesting that P.K. Subban is being penciled in as a potential wing. Remember, Team Canada carried an extra defensemen in power play specialist Ryan Ellis as opposed to a spare forward. Still, Canada has enough fire in their top three lines to shoulder most of the load. They lost a chunk of tenacity in Tyrell though, and one should wonder what they'll do to replace it.