http://faceoffcircle.ca/2018/03/24/the-leafs-ice-time-and-how-it-pertains-to-usage-not-record/
In response to people/media conflating ice time with team records, Jeff Veillette dives into what the bench does in different phases of the game this season.
Top Third, Middle Third, Bottom Third indicate chunks when the players down the left receive TOI that slots into the top, middle, or bottom third of the roster by the end of the game and shows the game results.
Just looking at the line-ups that Babcock puts together for the most part, he likes to build them with these situations in mind: driving for offense, and buttoning up a lead, with one line being the primary for each, and another line for being the backup. Because hockey is a flow game, most lines also have a tertiary role they temporarily take on due to circumstance.
This is why I've been saying the Plekanec trade is important down the stretch (and Babcock has said it a few times already); coupled with Kapanen and Johnsson's emergences, it gives us a 4th line that comes a lot closer to providing the shutdown minutes that Kadri's is relied on (with tertiary backup from Matthews). It's nice when they score, but their main priority is to take the puck out of their own zone and keep it in the OZ. They tried to do it with big and strong (Gauthier, Martin, Boyle), and Babcock is coming around to the idea that speed (mixed with smart gumption) can perform the same role even better at times. Our 4th line is awesome because they're all at least 3rd liners being pushed down the depth chart.
