It's a Trap!!

by Eric Berkenpas

Picture found here

There are several variations of the defensive scheme of trapping in hockey, all of which are used to some extent by almost every team. The idea behind a trap is to force the puck to a condensed area of the ice and limit, ideally to the point of elimination, any option other than dumping the puck for the offensive player. In the broad scope of things, there are three different types of traps. There is the Low Trap, the High Trap and the Neutral Zone Trap. Since this article will be covering the Neutral Zone Trap, I will refer to it in the future as the NZT.

The idea of the NZT is that the center forces the puck carrier towards either board and cuts off good passes towards the middle of the ice. the strong-side winger then pinches up and takes away the boards forcing the carrier to get rid of the puck by either dumping it in or making a pass to the middle of the ice. Should a pass get through, the weak-side winger and defender will cut off options for the new puck carrier forcing him to make another pass or dump the puck in. In doing this, the defense is 1) forcing potential bad passes to the middle of the ice which can lead to a good odd man rush, 2) forcing an early dump in which may lead to icing and/or 3) slowing down the faster, more skilled players who like to carry then puck through the neutral zone. The best part about the NZT is that there is no good option to easily counter it every time. The NZT will be tough to break every single trip up the ice.

Picture found here

Jacques Lemaire, head coach of the New Jersey Devils from 1993-1998 and then again from 2009-2011, was the first coach to officially implement the NZT. The Montreal Canadiens used a form of it back in the day but never officially named it, so we will stick to saying that it officially started with Lemaire. Lemaire saw quick returns in New Jersey as he lead his team to their first ever Stanley Cup victory in the abbreviated 1995 season. Lemaire instilled a defensive minded approach to hockey in New Jersey from the moment he stepped behind that players bench and it has remained there to this day. After the Devils won their first Stanley Cup, complaints emerged throughout the NHL over the NZT that the Devils played and they were criticized for "making the NHL boring". It doesn't take a hockey genius to notice that any time you are watching the Devils play anyone, the game is slow, boring and low scoring. Even recently, there were instances of revolt against the NZT. Just last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning under head coach Guy Boucher, adopted a 1-3-1 version of the NZT. The following video shows what Chis Pronger and the Philadelphia Flyers thought of this:


                  


Jacques Lemaire started something in the NHL that has really gotten under peoples skin even in present day. After the 2004-2005 lockout, the  NHL eliminated the 2-Line pass rule and added a trapezoid behind the net that goalies could not play the puck outside of in an attempt the quicken the pace of the game and weaken the effectiveness of the NZT among other things.

Regardless of rules that the NHL puts into place, the New Jersey Devils will insist on playing the NZT and will be very careful to sign players who fit right in to their style of play. It helps to have a world class goaltender in Martin Brodeur in net to clean up any lapses in defense, but New Jersey, since the tenure of coach Jacques Lemaire has been a heavily defensive minded team and have been very successful. Over the past several seasons, the team has lost the likes of Brian Rafalski, Paul Martin, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Bobby Holik, Scott Niedermayer, Zach Parise, Scott Stevens and Petr Sykora among others. Those are some very good players who most teams would feel the loss of. New Jersey, however, has always been able to manage after losses of key players. This is directly related to the style they play and the players they get who fit into that style. Call it cheap if you want, but the Devils organization from top to bottom is built to perfection around defense, specifically, the Neutral Zone Trap. Other teams have tried it and done well with it, but none will ever be as persistent or successful with it. If you want to beat the Devils, you will have to find a way to break the trap.

Goals of the Week: 1/27 - 2/02

by Eric Berkenpas

Let's take a look at the top 3 goals from week 2 of the 2013 NHL season:

3. Antoine Roussel notched his first NHL goal of his career  in the first period against Phoenix to open up the scoring in that game. To truly capture the greatness of this goal, watch all the slow motion replays following the goal. Roussel made a quick move to the backhand and was able to elevate the puck over the glove of Mike Smith.





2. Initially, the goal may not look too impressive and it was a shootout goal. But the more you watch it, the speed with which Carter went forehand to backhand and elevated the puck over Luongo's blocker was astounding. There are not too many players who can pull that move with that kind of speed.





1. Just a great individual effort. Marchand showed quick acceleration as he powered around Tyler Myers and then showed skill and concentration to be able to drag the puck around Jordan Leopold. Ryan Miller didn't even know how to play the puck and found himself floundering in the crease. Marchand showed a pure goal scorer's patience and waited for the best time to backhand the puck into the net. A great goal from start to finish.





Honorable Mention: Henrik Zetterberg gets the honorable mention this week. This goal completed the hat trick. The great thing about the goal is that T.J. Oshie took a blatant interference call and knocked Zetterberg down to prevent him from getting his hat trick but nothing was going to get in the way of Zetterberg and his goal.






Stay tuned next week for the top 3 goals from week 3.

NHL: Power Rankings (2 weeks in)

by Eric Berkenpas

Two weeks into the season and there have already been some surprises! While several teams seem to be way ahead of the pack right now, a case could be made for at least 10 teams for a Stanley Cup victory this year. So far this is one of the most exciting seasons in the last several years. Anyway, this is how the rankings look two weeks into the season:

1. New York Rangers (even)- Not the start the Rangers were looking for, but don't expect this slump to keep up for long. They have played the Penguins twice who always play them really tough. If you watched the first goal that Gaborik scored against the Bruins on 1/23, you can see what the Rangers are capable of.
2. St. Louis Blues (up 1) - It has been a season of dominance thus far as expected. Their only loss was to the Blackhawks who have been one of the best teams in the league thus far. The 6-0 shellacking of the Red Wings to open their season was most impressive.
3. Boston Bruins (up 2) - Tied with the Senators for 1st in the East, the Boston Bruins have been dominant so far. Their only flaw is the amount of goals they have been letting in. The defense and goaltending is going to need to improve if they want to keep up their pace.
4. San Jose Sharks (up 7) - Marleau and Thornton are challenging Crosby and Malkin for the title of Two Headed Monster and have led the Sharks to a 7-0 start with a +17 goal differential. This is one team that no one wants to play right now. They are dominating every angle of the game.
5. Chicago Blackhawks (up 4) - They were in a competition of the Sharks for the last undefeated team left before losing to the Wild in a Shootout. So far, Corey Crawford has been great and has been the reason for the early success on top of very good special teams at both ends of the ice. If Crawford can maintain this kind of consistency, the Blackhawks are a serious threat in the West.
6. New Jersey Devils (up 4) - The Devils had a great 3-0 start but have lost 3 in a row in OT since. With a tough 6 games ahead of them against the Penguins three times, Islanders, Rangers and Lightning, we will really see what these Parise-less Devils are made of.
7. Los Angeles Kings (down 5) - Kings started off the season getting blown out by the Hawks at home and haven't really regained themselves. The skills is still there and signs of it have come and gone, but they have certainly not picked up where they left off.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins (down 4) - Another hyped team with a slow start. A glimmer of hope emerged out of the most recent win in Madison Square Gardens but so far it's been a season of ups and downs where the Penguins have been playing at the level of their competition. With a lot of new personnel though, a slow start could have been expected.
9. Vancouver Canucks (down 2) - Luongo is still creating drama in Vancouver but the Canucks seem to be unaffected by it.  Schneider has been pretty good so far, good enough the keep the Canucks as one of the top teams in the West.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (up 6) - Steve Stamkos and St. Louis have been great and Lindback has been the answer to prayer in Tampa Bay. The Lightning have conceded only 2.5 goals per game in their first six. This is a great start for a Lightning team that wants to prove they can play for a Stanley Cup.
11. Minnesota Wild (up 2) - A good start again for the Wild. The big question is, can they keep it up this year? Zach Parise has been impressive in the early going as well. 
12. Detroit Red Wings (down 4) - Defense is the issue in Detroit. The Red Wings look like they are missing the presence of Lidstrom and Holmstrom. In a short season, there isn't time to figure out a fix. Things are going to need to change fast or the Wings are going to fall behind the pack in the Central.
13. Nashville Predators (down 7) - The Predators have also struggled out the gate and it's been the ineptitude of their offense that is to blame as well as a less than stellar defensive effort.
14. Edmonton Oilers (up 7) - Is this the year that the Oilers do it? So far they have been very good and Dubnyk has been solid. They are going to need to prove to the league and themselves that they can compete with the top teams in the West.
15. Philadelphia Flyers (down 3) - Is it panic time in Philadelphia yet? It's a little early to say, but there hasn't been too much good happening for the Flyers yet. It looked like they were getting back on track with a win against the Rangers and 7-1 steamrolling of the Panthers, but they have now lost two straight and look to be back to their struggles.
16. Ottawa Senators (up 4) - They would have been much higher in this list if not for the loss of Spezza for two months. Anderson is going to need to keep up his stellar play if the Senators are going to keep winning.
17. Buffalo Sabres (down 3) - Thomas Vanek is in beast mode right now and just notched a hat trick and two helpers to put away the Bruins 7-4. If they could keep the puck out of their net, they would be near the top in the East.
18. Phoenix Coyotes (down 3) - Trouble is brewing in Phoenix. While the fight the keep the Coyotes in Phoenix continues, the team is performing at a low level and not making much of a case for why they should stay. Don't expect things to change much for the better.
19. Anaheim Ducks (up 3) - Well the Ducks keep finding ways to win. Selanne is off to a slow start and may be showing signs that his time in the NHL is drawing to a close. Once the Ducks start playing stronger opponents, things may go downhill fast.
20. New York Islanders (up 6) - Just like the Oilers, the Islanders seem to be breaking out this year. They have already beaten the likes of Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Pittsburgh this year. Those were all games that they can build off of. This does not bode well for the rest of the Atlantic who already have issues with beating up on each other. Oh, and the Islanders are leading the league in Power Play percentage.
21. Toronto Maple Leafs (up 4) - Nazem Kadri has been leading the Maple Leafs so far this season and has been doing all he can to keep up with the amount of pucks getting past their goaltenders. They are sitting in the 7 spot in the East right now but that won't last long if the goaltending continues to struggle. And where in the world is Phil Kessel?
22. Colorado Avalanche (up 1) - Matt Duchene and PA Parenteau are off to good starts in Colorado. If they keep up their play and Paul Stastny picks up his play, they will only have defense to worry about. Varlamov has been good so far and Giguere so far has been a good backup. Things may not be so bad in Colorado after all.
23. Carolina Hurricanes (down 6) - The Hurricanes are gonna have to start scoring goals sooner or later. Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin are having trouble getting started in their new home.
24. Montreal Canadiens (up 5) - Andrei Markov is a wizard on the Power Play. Special teams is what has given Montreal success so far this season. They currently rank 6th in Power Play percentage. Carey Price and the defense in front of him have been very solid too. Definitely an unexpected good start for this Canadiens team.
25. Washington Capitals (down 7) - Alexander Ovechkin currently has 2 goals and an assist and is 5th on his team in points. Need I say more? They look like the worst team in the league right now.
26. Florida Panthers (down 2) - This is just a bad team right now. They have conceded the most goals in the league and are having some trouble finding the back of the net. Don't expect a flukey playoff appearance again.
27. Winnipeg Jets (up 1) - The Jets have actually looked pretty good this season. The win over the Penguins was very impressive especially after having fallen down 2-0 early. Evander Kane and Tobias Enstrom are having themselves good starts to the season.
28. Dallas Stars (down 9) - They simply can't score. They average less than a goal a game. Lehtonen had a pretty amazing save on Jack Johnson though! Sorry, I had to say something good.
29. Calgary Flames (down 2) - They lack skill, excitement, defense, goaltending and coaching. It's time for a rebuilding in Calgary.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (even) - Calgary can thank the hockey gods for the Blue Jackets or they would find themselves at the bottom of this list. About the only thing good going for the Blue Jackets is that they have somehow scrounged two wins on the season. A minus 12 goal differential is the worst in the league though and it's not getting any better.

NHL: Power Rankings

by Eric Berkenpas

 

Back around October when the NHL was supposed to start, I composed some NHL Power Rankings for who I thought were the best and worst teams in the NHL. Now, almost 2 weeks into the season, my original rankings have changed. This is going to be a list that I will be adjusting as the season progresses. Below are my original rankings from way before the season started:

1. New York Rangers - The addition of Rick Nash to a team who was in line to win the Presidents' trophy last year before a late season struggle, propels the Rangers to my top spot. Let's face it, Nash for Dubinsky is a major upgrade to all the strengths of this team, namely, a disciplined, shot-blocking defense and King Henrik.
2. Los Angeles Kings - Their roster is hardly changed from last year and we all know what they did last year. They will pick up where they left off. There is just too much talent on that team to think otherwise.
3. St. Louis Blues - They would compete with the Devils for one of the least exciting teams in the league but there is no denying the defensive powerhouse that Ken Hitchcock created in St. Louis. Blues fans have a lot to look forward to this season.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - Overall downgrade in the offseason is offset by a 100% healthy Sidney Crosby. Tomas Vokoun will bring solid relief for Marc Andre Fleury so come playoffs, Fleury will be primed and ready, not out of gas. Look for the Penguins to challenge the Rangers for tops in the East.
5. Boston Bruins - No Thomas? No worries. Tuukka Rask has been one of the best backup goalies and will fill in just fine in net. Boston could very well reclaim their dominance in the Eastern Conference.
6. Nashville Predators - Ryan Suter is a big loss, but as long as Shea Weber is still there and Pekka Rinne is in net, this is a very tough team.
7. Vancouver Canucks - Too much drama surrounding Roberto Luongo. This team just seems cursed. They win the Presidents' Trophy two years in a row only to fall short of the Stanley cup in 2011 and get ousted by the 8 seed (granted the eventual Stanley Cup Champs) in 2012. Still, no denying their potency.
8. Detroit Red Wings - Tears for the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom will quickly be wiped away come the start of the season. It is a big perk to have one of the best farm systems in the NHL and bring up guys like Valtteri Filppula. Red Wings will be just fine without the presence of their captain.
9. Chicago Blackhawks - Corey Crawford is the deciding factor this year. The Blackhawks have one of the scariest lineups in the league but lack a strong goaltender. Crawford is going to have to step his game up if the Blackhawks want to challenge for a cup. Still a very good team though.
10. New Jersey Devils - How long can Brodeur dominate the NHL? He proves year in and year out that he is STILL not too old. However, the loss of Zach Parise will not go unnoticed for this New Jersey squad who finished in the middle of the pack in goals scored last year. Kovalchuk and Henrique are going to have to step up.
11. San Jose Sharks - The Sharks had an off season last year. They will come into this season with basically the same team as last year. Expect them to be better than a 7 seed.
12. Philadelphia Flyers - The losses of James Van Riemsdyk, Matt Carle and Jaromir Jagr will show in this transforming Flyers team. Their success this year will hinge on the leadership of their rising superstar Claude Giroux, the play of their emerging young talent in Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Read and the consistency of their $51 million goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov.
13. Minnesota Wild - The biggest story of the offseason found a resting place in Minnesota. Will Zach Parise and Ryan Suter be the answer for the offensively inept Wild? I think it will take a couple years before we see Minnesota challenge the Canucks for the Northwest Division.
14. Buffalo Sabres - Look for Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford to propel the Sabres into the playoffs this year after the loss of Derek Roy. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville are not going to be the only ones scoring goals this year.
15. Phoenix Coyotes - Mike Smith had an outstanding year last year, no doubt. But I do have my doubts that he can save 44 of 45 shots every game again this year. They will be a tough team every game but they lack the talent to compete against the powerhouses in the West.
16. Tampa Bay Lightning - Biggest addition (pun very much intended) was the 6-6 Anders Lindback. The Lightning had no problems scoring goals last year, it was the 278 goals against to lead the league that hurt the Lightning. Lindback will do well to solve that issue. Look for a playoff berth for the Lightning this year.
17. Carolina Hurricanes - One of the most well rounded players in the league, Jordan Staal, will be a great help to this struggling Hurricanes team. They will now have two potent scoring lines and an improved penalty kill in front of an already proven goaltender in Cam Ward.
18. Washington Capitals - They have coaching issues, goalie issues and leadership issues. Alex Ovechkin's attitude holds back his skill and effectiveness. All three of those issues need to be resolved before the Capitals assert themselves once again as a dominant team in the East. The chances of those all being fixed in one year, unlikely.
19. Dallas Stars - The Stars made a pretty good splash in the FA pool in the offseason, acquiring the likes of Derek Roy, Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr. With already young talent in Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson, look for Dallas to make some noise in the West this year.
20. Ottawa Senators - I'm sorry, but I am not a believer in Craig Anderson. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Ben Bishop in goal come the end of the season. Alfredsson can only do it for so much longer and while Karlsson and Spezza are two very skilled players, they don't make up for the lack of completeness and skill on the rest of the team.
21. Edmonton Oilers - I have been waiting for the Oilers to breakout one of these years and it still has not happened. They have some of the best young talent in the league and if they can get consistent goaltending out of Dubnyk, they could really make a strong run at the playoffs this year.
22. Anaheim Ducks - This is a team that has been riding the resilience of Teemu Selanne for too long now. They come in this year with basically the same roster and there is no reason to believe they will be any better than last year.
23. Colorado Avalanche - The emergence of Gabriel Landeskog last year was a huge boost to a team that has not impressed in the last several years. They will be getting a healthy Matt Duchene back which will be a help. But with the loss of Liles on Defense, Colorado is still missing several pieces to become a playoff quality team.
24. Florida Panthers - How did they make the playoffs last year? I am still scratching my head over that. Oh now I remember, they play in the weakest division in the NHL. Jonathan Huberdeau could create some excitement in Florida this year, but this team is not going anywhere.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs - The addition on John-Michael Liles and JVR to this team can only make them better. However, James Reimer is likely not the answer in the net. Kessel and company are not going to be scoring enough goals to counter the amount of pucks they find in the back of their own net.
26. New York Islanders - The other team I have been waiting to see breakout. Amazing young talent is strewn all throughout this lineup. They are a defenseman and a goalie away from becoming competitive in arguably the best division in hockey.
27. Calgary Flames - This is one of those team that no one ever thinks about. At least I don't. And this is for very good reason. They simply are not a good team from top to bottom. That is all I have to say.
28. Winnepeg Jets - There is hope in this lineup. Pavelec has shown signs that he can be a shutdown goalie and with talent like Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, Olli Jokinen, Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien, they could stun some teams this year.
29. Montreal Canadiens - The only positive thing that happened to the Canadiens in the offseason, is they got Markov back from the IR. They are gonna dwell in the cellar again this year.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets - Well, they finished last in the West last year. The Islanders are the only team who can sympathize with them as the Jackets are the other team with the Islanders who get beat up by the rest of their division all year. The loss of Nash is not going to help their case.

Look for updates throughout the year as the season progresses!

Trouble in the Burgh: Penguins Off to a Less Than Stellar Start

by Eric Berkenpas

Upon agreement between the NHL Owners and NHL Players Association over labor negotiations, odds were immediately calculated for teams chances of winning their conference and the Stanley Cup. How much do these numbers mean? Well I guess that depends on the individual but as a Pittsburgh fan, I was pretty excited to see my Penguins with 6/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup and 3/1 odds of winning the Eastern Conference (click here to see full list of odds). My already high expectations I had for the Penguins this season were increased when I saw the odds and the same can be said for the majority of Penguins fans. The Penguins are now 6 games into the season and are looking back on losses to Toronto, Winnipeg and NY Islanders who have in recent season been 3 of the worst teams in the league. How could a team with so much promise and so many expectations find themselves on the losing end of what should have been victories? I've got a three-fold explanation for why the Penguins are struggling and changes that will need to be made if the Penguins want to get back on track.

Coaching

Picture found here

Dan Bylsma won a Stanley Cup in his first year of coaching after taking over for Michel Therrien in 2009. In the following years, Bylsma and his Penguins lost in the Conference Semi-Finals, Quarter-Finals and Quarter-Finals respectively. Every one of those years, the Penguins faced injuries of any combination of  their three star players; Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. In fact, from the start of the 09-10 campaign to the return of Sidney Crosby in the 11-12 campaign, Staal, Malkin and Crosby had only played 11 games together. 11 games! Despite those and several other injuries, the Penguins were able to put together some great seasons. When you look at the previous 3 seasons, you may think highly of the accomplishments of Bylsma. He is a great coach within his system, don't get me wrong. But when a team comes in with or adjusts to a strategy that is effective against the Penguins, Bylsma has not shown the ability to be able to adjust to counter that stretegy. This is evident in the fact that the Penguins have developed an inability to close out games. Lets take a look at last year's playoff series against Philadelphia. Game 1, the Pens jumped to a 3-0 lead in the 1st Period, only to lose 4-3 in overtime. Game 2, Pens jump to a 2-0 lead and finish the 1st Period up 3-1, only to lose 8-5. Game 3, Pens score early and jump to a 1-0 lead, only to lose 8-4. Bylsma put the same team with the same strategy on the ice 3 games in a row and not surprisingly lost all 3 games. Dan Bylsma is not the caliber coach that his numbers may suggest and he is going to have to learn to change things up, adjust his strategy and play to the strengths of his team if he wants to stick around in Pittsburgh.

Star Gazing

Picture found here

The Penguins are blessed with arguably the two best talents in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They are serious threats every time they are on the ice and at all times are pulling the attention of 2-3 defenders, leaving the ice open for the other Penguin players. The problem so far is that those other players are relying too much on Sid and Geno to create offense. Eric Tangradi has done nothing but slow down Neal and Malkin. Sid is playing with two players with a 3rd line skill set (Kunitz and Dupuis). Too many passes are being forced to Sid and Geno when other better options are available. Malkin and Crosby can't create offense on their own when they are being double teamed at all times. They need their line mates to step it to keep the defense guessing.

Of the 15 goals the Penguins have scored so far this season, Crosby or Malkin have been on the ice for 13 of them. Their support players need to step it up and start producing offense of their own and the 3rd and 4th lines, though not expected to score goals like the ftop 2 lines, need to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. The Penguins do not have a deep enough roster as it is right now to be legitimate 6/1 odds Stanley Cup favorites.

No Heart

In 4 of 6 games this season (Flyers, Leafs, Jets and Isles), the Penguins have plain and simple been out-hustled for the majority of the game. They don't seem to be playing with any passion or desire to win. More than all the other reasons why the Penguins have struggled out of the gate, this is the one that is really prevalent and stands out. It's almost as if they are playing with entitlement, knowing that they are favored to win the cup and are expecting to win regardless of the product they put on the ice. They need to realize that there are no easy games. The league is about as competitive as I have ever seen it right now and is not forgiving of any stretches of lazy play on the ice. The best way to beat a team with more skill than you is to out-hustle them, bang them up and keep hard pressure on for a full 60 minutes. This is what the Leafs, Jets and Islanders have all used to pull out convincing victories against the Penguins. If the Penguins want to get on track, the most important change that needs to happen is they need to play with playoff like intensity, treating every game like it's do or die. Without that type of heart and passion a sub-par season can be expected from the Penguins.