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Originally Posted by nutshot2
defensive zone strategy questions:
for these questions, assume a basic zone defense. also assume we are looking at the ice from behind the goalie (so "left" = the goalie's left, etc).
a) assume that the offensive team has established possession in the zone. if the puck is passed to a player behind the goal line on the right (RD's) side, i assume he goes to that player to defend. where does everyone else go?
kinda ugly drawing on my part, but assuming i understand what you're saying, something like:
(O's are offensive players, X's are defensive players)
edit: yeah bad drawing really, probably should have done and before and after to illustrate the player movement instead of just the pass and "after" positioning, but w/e...
the blue line behind the net represents the pass, the other one where that player skates after making the pass. then again he might be more likely to support the puck behind the net. as always with these scenarios, and poker hands, and everything else in life...it depends. it depends on a lot of stuff, and what everyone else is doing out there. especially the center, where he goes and what he does can dictate a lot of this (like it'd probably influence where the passer goes from there).
but yeah, generally the wingers cover the points, usually fairly loosely to help defend the forwards if they can. some teams collapse their wingers more than others, some pretty much all the way to the net to create a 3-on-5 situation (especially with teams who don't have good offensive D, or don't use them well). that's the simple part. then the D and the center generally defend the forwards, on teams that don't collapse the wingers much this will be a 3-on-3 situation. there can be a lot of switching here, as cycling and stuff happens.
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b) now assume the puck is passed from that player behind the net to a player who's just above the goal line on the left side. how does this rotation work?
not sure where the puck has gone now exactly, i mean if he passes to the center or winger (or pinching D i guess) to the spot you're saying, then that's probably a goal. if you can explain further maybe i, or someone else, can answer this.
here's the template if anyone else wants to try drawing this stuff up with MSPaint or whatever:
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finally, c) what are some basic defensive zone principles that every team should follow?
positioning! you want to be between your man and the net, once he gets behind you, you're screwed, and it could be time for a goal or penalty hooking/holding/etc him. but then again a lot of teams are trying new, riskier stuff like "fronting" the man around the goal. it can work out well, but it can also backfire badly if/when the puck gets through (or gets cycled, or someone takes a Lidstrom-esque intentionally wide shot for the rebound, etc). but a lot of teams are pretty comfortable if they can keep the offensive players to the outside, even with sustained puck control. it's not the worst thing in the world if everyone is doing their job properly.
Last edited by 72off; 09-15-2011 at 11:33 AM.