It's more like a video game than real life. It's the kind of line you throw around in conversation: "Imagine if they all played together."
Well, the Lightning are doing it. Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov _ three of the league's top 13 scorers last season _ all on one line.
Coach Jon Cooper put his three best forwards together late in games when the Lightning needed a push, but Thursday was the first time they have started a game together.
It worked out well as that line put the Lightning on the board 2:28 in. Kucherov set up Stamkos for a one-timer, then Point scored on a scramble for the rebound. It wasn't quite a drawn-up play, but was still executed exactly how it should be.
Kucherov and Stamkos made a play, and Point was waiting near the net, ready to finish it off.
"Obviously that's a pretty good line," Toronto defenseman Morgan Reilly put it plainly before the 7-3 Lightning win. "They can all shoot the puck. It's tough."
The Lightning have been building up to this line since training camp, but hadn't been able to put it in place until Point returned from his hip surgery Thursday.
Putting this trio together late in games helped the Lightning pull out a few wins last year.
Take the March 25 comeback win over the Bruins. Six minutes into the third period, after the Lightning cut the deficit to a single goal, Cooper swapped Tyler Johnson for Steven Stamkos mid-shift.
A few shifts later, Stamkos set up Nikita Kucherov on the tying goal. The Lightning went on to win on a last-minute goal from Anthony Cirelli.
There was also the March 14 win over Detroit, when the Lightning scored four goals in the third period to pull out a win. In that game, Cooper made the switch in the second period and then the trio combined for two even-strength goals.
Stamkos pointed to that past success while also cautioning that just putting skilled players together doesn't automatically make a successful line. Sometimes what looks good on paper doesn't translate.
"The reason we did have success is because we were working hard late in games," he said. "We have to have that same mentality from the beginning."
Toronto coach Mike Babcock posed an interesting question for four players who each tallied more than 40 goals last season.
"I'm not sure there's enough puck to go around," he said before the game. "We can find out."
On Thursday, the answer was definitely. Point scored twice and Kucherov once even strength. Stamkos and Kucherov also each landed a goal on the power-play.
For a team with a tendency to over pass, the issue might be the opposite of Babcock's suggestion. They might be more likely to keep rotating the puck looking for the perfect shot than fight for the goals.
There's more to this line than maxing out skill for goal production, though. One of the thing Point does well is set the pace.
"The energy and the pace he plays with, you have to be skating to keep up with him," Cooper said. "He's good for the players around him because his pace of play is so high."
The combination requires Stamkos moving away from where he is most comfortable, though. He's a natural center who has only rarely played wing. The change requires a shift in instincts.
He's used to receiving the puck in certain places and is still adjusting to being on the outside. Center is more natural, he doesn't have to think, just react.
"But, in saying it, when you get a chance to play with a Point and a Kucherov," Stamkos said, "It's worth it."
