Defense update: Letang and Maata pairing
“Originally when we started the season in training camp we had Maatta and Letang together for several training camp games, and we made the change (because) we just thought at that time Cole and Letang were a solid pair,” Johnston said.
“Much like juggling lines, I think you’re going to see defense pairs on our team switch around a little bit from game to game. You’re trying to get balance in your pairs. You’re not trying to generate more offense on one pair than another. We’re mainly looking for balance is what we’re looking for in our three groups.”
Because Maatta and Letang already had that familiarity with each other, it helped them adjust on the fly.
“We played a couple of times together last year and in preseason we had some shifts together,” Maatta said. “So I think we have a little bit of chemistry together. We felt good.”
While Maatta and Letang will likely continue to play together over the weekend, Johnston cautioned that they might be separated from time to time depending on the situation.
