Pete DeBoer has dabbled in the Tomas Hertl as a third line center experiment since the Czech forward returned from injury, but Saturday provided some solid data for keeping Hertl as the 3C long term. DeBoer gave Hertl’s line first-line minutes, and for good reason. Hertl played with Joel Ward and Timo Meier to form the Sharks’ best line at even strength; hell, the group consistently provided San Jose’s best chances all morning long.
This is a line we need to see more of, starting tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils. Our data is admittedly limited, so let’s stick with what we saw against the Flyers today.