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The Vegas Golden Knights don’t typically overwhelm opposing teams with raw speed the way that the Colorado Avalanche or the Edmonton Oilers do.
Instead Vegas finds success in transition by sending forwards up-ice early and then disrupting defenders’ gaps with the three following plays.
Play 1: Diagonal Entry
By making the entry on a diagonal (related read), VGK49 Ivan Barbashev attracts the attention of both Dallas Ds.
Defenders naturally retreat directly toward their net when returning to the defensive zone. Barbashev’s route creates a speed differential, which opens a soft spot in coverage for VGK81 Jonathan Marchessault and VGK15 Noah Hanifin to exploit.
Play 2: Attack Between Checks
After another Dallas neutral-zone turnover, VGK re-enters quickly.
Instead of naively looking to burn DAL wide, Golden Knights players attack the space between opposing players.
VGK9 Jack Eichel pulls open a seam between DAL’s D1 and F3. VGK81 Marchessault skates diagonally into the space between D2 and F3. VGK49 Barbashev drives between the Ds before fading toward the back post.
Example 3: Delay to Second Layer
VGK is at its most incisive when it can catch opponents with fewer than three players defending an entry. In the clip above, however, DAL has all five skaters in the frame, ready to defend.
Faced with this less-than-ideal situation, VGK61 Mark Stone doesn’t force the play toward the net and instead makes a diagonal pass back to his weakside defenseman. The Stars, who use a zone DZ coverage, pack the slot and must concede a wraparound shot.