- Feb 15, 2005
- 5,090
- 3,755
Teams with a strong offense have players that move into, and out of, the right spots on the ice quickly, and move the puck quickly from those spots to the net with purpose (shoot to score or create a rebound or tip) or to another player that has moved to an even better spots attack-wise.
So you need a scheme that identifies where and how those spots are likely to emerge, players with enough offensive instincts to see those spots when they emerge, and that get there in a quick and timely way, and then to do something positive in a quick way.
You need players with good offensive instincts and players who are quick. The Caps today have a few players with decent offensive instincts - Ovie, Max, Mantha, Carlson, Oshie - but who are either not quick, slow, or actual boat anchors. They are rarely able to create space for themselves and are mostly reliant on D miscues and breakdowns - e.g. Ovi being left wide open last night was a gift (though Strome made a great pass from a danger spot). And when they do get to the right spot, they often lack the quickness needed to heighten danger for the opponent
There are a couple of guys who are quick but have few offensive instincts - Milano, Fever. And then there is everybody else who are neither quick nor gifted with offensive instincts, with the exception of maybe Strome and Sandin.
I don’t see how this is on Carbs. They won earlier in the year playing Hunter Hockey and having Lindgren play like 2012 Holtby. It’s a hard way to play, not much fun, and as soon as the run of success stopped the olds threw in the towel because they’re not used to playing as hard without the puck or on the D side of the ice as they do in the O zone.
As long as the team continues to be structured to have its offense run thru guys who are old and slow (or worse) - and now, no longer committed to playing a 200 foot game and clinging to the delusion that their previously successful way of playing can work again even though they are older and slower and less skilled - it’s going to be like this.
So you need a scheme that identifies where and how those spots are likely to emerge, players with enough offensive instincts to see those spots when they emerge, and that get there in a quick and timely way, and then to do something positive in a quick way.
You need players with good offensive instincts and players who are quick. The Caps today have a few players with decent offensive instincts - Ovie, Max, Mantha, Carlson, Oshie - but who are either not quick, slow, or actual boat anchors. They are rarely able to create space for themselves and are mostly reliant on D miscues and breakdowns - e.g. Ovi being left wide open last night was a gift (though Strome made a great pass from a danger spot). And when they do get to the right spot, they often lack the quickness needed to heighten danger for the opponent
There are a couple of guys who are quick but have few offensive instincts - Milano, Fever. And then there is everybody else who are neither quick nor gifted with offensive instincts, with the exception of maybe Strome and Sandin.
I don’t see how this is on Carbs. They won earlier in the year playing Hunter Hockey and having Lindgren play like 2012 Holtby. It’s a hard way to play, not much fun, and as soon as the run of success stopped the olds threw in the towel because they’re not used to playing as hard without the puck or on the D side of the ice as they do in the O zone.
As long as the team continues to be structured to have its offense run thru guys who are old and slow (or worse) - and now, no longer committed to playing a 200 foot game and clinging to the delusion that their previously successful way of playing can work again even though they are older and slower and less skilled - it’s going to be like this.
