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The New Defensive Formula
by Paul on 05/03/07 at 06:44 PM ET
Comments (3)
from Al Strachan at Fox Sports,
But alas, it was just a passing whim. By Game 2, with very few exceptions, playoff hockey reverted to what it has traditionally been — a battle of defenses. So far this postseason, the favorite score is 2-1. We’ve seen that 11 times going into Thursday’s action.
But even though the games are still being decided by defense, there is a change. This is not always your grandfather’s defensive formula. Or even your father’s defensive formula. For that matter, it’s not even your older brother’s defensive formula.
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Strachan’s memory is short. Who exactly does he think was Tampa’s “Norris Trophy candidate on the blueline”? (nice redundancy there, Al!) Boyle? Kubina? Sydor? Gimme a break.
Posted by shep from california on 05/04/07 at 09:03 AM ET
Guess I should have finished reading the article before commenting: the Rangers were *ninth* in defense, not second…but Al would have to look beyond his Eastern bias to notice that.
Posted by shep from california on 05/04/07 at 09:11 AM ET
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Gotta admit, Al’s bang-on with this assessment. I’d noted the success of the Hurricanes with their no-name blueline corps and wondered at the time if that could signal a potential trend, and I’m sure we’re not the only ones who took note.
It’s also been noted by more than a few people in this year’s playoffs that there’s a lot more shotblocking going on in this year’s playoffs than in years past, with everyone and their dog willingly throwing their bodies in front of shots. It’s going to take some creative coaching to find some way of beating that kind of system. The best way appears to be simply driving hard to the net and hope to cash in with a “garbage goal”. Cycling the puck or even using side-to-side passing doesn’t appear to be working anymore, at least not in the playoffs.
Thoughts, anyone?
Posted by Spector from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada on 05/03/07 at 09:49 PM ET