" Best defense is offense "

[PunkinDrublic*]

Over the last week i have heard this 3 times. From MT himself ,Patches and Desharnais.

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.Dump and chase ??? Holy **** man control the puck, gain the zone and set up this so called offense first.

MB said he wants the games to be low scoring affairs, very defensive. ( live on RDS ). Is it me or are there contradictions everywhere here ?

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[PricePkPatch*]

Over the last week i have heard this 3 times. From MT himself ,Patches and Desharnais.

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.Dump and chase ??? Holy **** man control the puck, gain the zone and set up this so called offense first.

MB said he wants the games to be low scoring affairs, very defensive. ( live on RDS ). Is it me or are there contradictions everywhere here ?

The idea is that the more time you spend in their own zone, the more you tire them out and the less likely they will be to score on you.

Not entirely false, and to be fair that's exactly what happened in the Maple Leaf game. We controlled their zone for quite a while and got beat during our transition game.

 

[Winter Eclipse]

Over the last week i have heard this 3 times. From MT himself ,Patches and Desharnais.

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.Dump and chase ??? Holy **** man control the puck, gain the zone and set up this so called offense first.

MB said he wants the games to be low scoring affairs, very defensive. ( live on RDS ). Is it me or are there contradictions everywhere here ?

No, it's not just you. This team talks out of its ***.

"Offense is the best defense" is Habs code for: We hung Carey Price out to dry, got some lucky bounces / played a cold goaltender and somehow lucked out a win!!

"We want a low scoring affair, very defensive 2-1 games" is Habs code for: Therrien believes in having only 1 offensive line and 3 defensive lines, so us being unable to reliably score at 5-on-5 or more than 2 goals is all part of the plan!!!

 

[PunkinDrublic*]

Tough to play offense with such a small, mediocre team.

 

[Moen is Gone]

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.

"Best defense* is offense"

*in our own zone

- Michel Therrien

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

Problem is, our forwards are too good at losing the puck in the neutral zone, before they even get a chance to decide whether to carry it in or dump it. Kind of alarming how often opponents' break-outs/transition game seems to start in the neutral zone as opposed to their zone or behind the net.

 

[PunkinDrublic*]

"Best defense* is offense"

*in our own zone

- Michel Therrien

haha nice.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Ironic considering our best offensive player is a defenseman.

 

[Teufelsdreck]

The Penguins can also play "the best defense is offense" game, and they've got better guns. The Habs' best hope is that Price outplays Flowery.

 

[Uber Coca]

If that's the mentality they're having it fails. In order to have an efficient offense, you need a good transition from defense to offense. I mean, cycling the puck in the offensive zone is nice and all but every passing lanes are eventually covered against good defensive teams.

The Canadiens had success last year because the defensemen we're efficient at leaving the zone. This is not happening this year.

 

[beowulf]

Ironic considering our best offensive player is a defenseman.

Indeed in terms of current point production.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

...funny how having a small team playing dump & chase in a division of bigger teams is not very conductive to this philosophy...maybe we should make an adjustment??...

 

[overlords]

The idea is that the more time you spend in their own zone, the more you tire them out and the less likely they will be to score on you.

Not entirely false, and to be fair that's exactly what happened in the Maple Leaf game. We controlled their zone for quite a while and got beat during our transition game.

Not necessarily about tiring the opposition out, but you can't get scored on when you're in the offensive zone. Well, unless your name is toskala. That makes it the best possible defense. Which is why transitioning out of the defensive zone is so important and it blows my mind at how underrated a skill it is.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Not necessarily about tiring the opposition out, but you can't get scored on when you're in the offensive zone. Well, unless your name is toskala. That makes it the best possible defense. Which is why transitioning out of the defensive zone is so important and it blows my mind at how underrated a skill it is.

This is why despite Subban not being the very best in his own zone, he's still the best (or one of the best) overall defensemen in the game. He spends so much time in the opposing zone and drives the play that way so well that some minor warts in his defensive game are almost irrelelvant.

That quote from Tippett about puck movers vs shut down guys is relevant too, essentially he tells a story about a Murray type and a Diaz type, and while the Murray type was good at defending he could not move the puck out of the zone and the Diaz type was the more effective player even if his defensive game wasn't the greatest, because he was so rarely hemmed in his own zone "defending".

I'd say it's less that the best defense is offense and more that the best defense and offense is holding the puck.

 

[WeThreeKings]

This is why despite Subban not being the very best in his own zone, he's still the best (or one of the best) overall defensemen in the game. He spends so much time in the opposing zone and drives the play that way so well that some minor warts in his defensive game are almost irrelelvant.

That quote from Tippett about puck movers vs shut down guys is relevant too, essentially he tells a story about a Murray type and a Diaz type, and while the Murray type was good at defending he could not move the puck out of the zone and the Diaz type was the more effective player even if his defensive game wasn't the greatest, because he was so rarely hemmed in his own zone "defending".

I'd say it's less that the best defense is offense and more that the best defense and offense is holding the puck.

Which is why Scotty Bowman coached Red Wings never dumped the puck in to change, they gave it back to their D, made the forwards change, forwards got the puck in and the D changed.

 

[Edgy]

Over the last week i have heard this 3 times. From MT himself ,Patches and Desharnais.

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.Dump and chase ??? Holy **** man control the puck, gain the zone and set up this so called offense first.

MB said he wants the games to be low scoring affairs, very defensive. ( live on RDS ). Is it me or are there contradictions everywhere here ?

Is the puck not in the other team'z zone? When the player chases it, is he not in the offensive zone? There is your offense. No body said anything about scoring goals, ok! (MT Logic)

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

Is the puck not in the other team'z zone?

Not usually. It almost gets there, but too often gets turned back around before getting to/across the opponent's blueline, leaving at least 1 charging forward actually in their zone while their defense decides whether or not to jump into an odd-man rush the other way. That's part of the problem. Even pucks that actually get to the blue line and should be chipped in deep are getting turned around before they get to the top of the circles because of poor execution, and that puts the defense in a hard spot as well.

 

[Teufelsdreck]

Offense is the best defense = The Charge of the Light Brigade

 

[LePoche69]

I always found that "the best defense is offense" thing pretty funny when put side by side with the "defense wins championships" thing.

Except for the "out of this world" offenses like the Gretzky's teams had or the Lemieux's teams had, I find that "defense wins championships" has been true more often.

And even Gretzky's teams had very reliable d-men like Randy Gregg and Kevin Lowe, and a clutch goaltender like Fuhr.

 

[Nicko999]

Ironic considering our best offensive player is a defenseman.

Not for long... Patches will catch him up before the Olympic break.

 

[Analyzer*]

Best defense is offense?

Quickly, put Travis Moen on the top line.

 

[teh doors]

Over the last week i have heard this 3 times. From MT himself ,Patches and Desharnais.

So someone must explain to me how the system they are playing is an offense first system.Dump and chase ??? Holy **** man control the puck, gain the zone and set up this so called offense first.

MB said he wants the games to be low scoring affairs, very defensive. ( live on RDS ). Is it me or are there contradictions everywhere here ?

Those two actually said that? Maybe they forget what leading a team to 15th in the conference feels like.

 

[JAVO16]

I always found that "the best defense is offense" thing pretty funny when put side by side with the "defense wins championships" thing.

Except for the "out of this world" offenses like the Gretzky's teams had or the Lemieux's teams had, I find that "defense wins championships" has been true more often.

And even Gretzky's teams had very reliable d-men like Randy Gregg and Kevin Lowe, and a clutch goaltender like Fuhr.

Meh, I've always found that both these sayings are true meaning that you can't have only one part of the equation right.

 

[Sorinth]

I always found that "the best defense is offense" thing pretty funny when put side by side with the "defense wins championships" thing.

Except for the "out of this world" offenses like the Gretzky's teams had or the Lemieux's teams had, I find that "defense wins championships" has been true more often.

And even Gretzky's teams had very reliable d-men like Randy Gregg and Kevin Lowe, and a clutch goaltender like Fuhr.

Well if we look at where the last 5 cup winners rank in terms of Goals For/Against

Chicago - 2nd/1st
LA - 29th/2nd
Boston - 5th/2nd
Chicago - 3rd/6th
Pittsburgh - 6th/17th

So for the most part you need both. The key is being able to generate offence without opening yourself up defensively which pretty much has to come from possesion.

 

[LePoche69]

Well if we look at where the last 5 cup winners rank in terms of Goals For/Against

Chicago - 2nd/1st
LA - 29th/2nd
Boston - 5th/2nd
Chicago - 3rd/6th
Pittsburgh - 6th/17th

So for the most part you need both. The key is being able to generate offence without opening yourself up defensively which pretty much has to come from possesion.

Yeah, I think you need both too. But I'm a firm believer that "offense starts with defense" (another funny saying)

Having a good offense won't make your defense better. But having a good defense do make your offense better by generating better transitions and counter-attacks.