BOS vs. TOR Game 1 Review
How the Bruins' PP dismantled the Leafs' diamond PK, plus a brief discussion on "punting"
Subscriber Question 1
Can you run through some of the best set plays the Bruins and the Leafs run on the powerplay?
It’d be cool to see it for teams I don’t normally get to see. Love your newsletter and ebooks!
-Bryan E.
In Game 1 of the Boston-Toronto series, BOS scored two 5v4 goals by creating a 2v1 at the net against TOR’s 1-2-1/Diamond PK.
Here’s a couple of matchup-specific plays that the Bruins will be attempting again.
3-0 Goal
BOS74 DeBrusk carries the puck up the right flank, then attacks downhill.
At the same time, BOS13 Coyle vacates the slot and create a netfront 2v1 with BOS39 Geekie against TOR46 Lyubushkin.
The numerical advantage at the net improves BOS’ ability to screen the goaltender and win rebounds.
DeBrusk changes the angle of his release to beat TOR2 Benoit’s defensive stick, and the puck beats Samsonov low far-side.
4-0 Goal
BOS again sets up with quick perimeter puck movement. Instead of getting into a 1-3-1, it sends two players to the net right away, as in a 2-3.
TOR fans out in a diamond shape to be quicker to pressure flank plays but fails to recognize the implications of BOS’ shape-shifting.
BOS73 finds a seam and zips the puck between PKers toward a netfront 2v1.
(This pass would be not be possible against a 1-1-2/Wedge+1 PK, as a skater (usually F2) would be standing in that area at all times.)
Samsonov is unable to make a miraculous save on the point-blank redirection.
Subscriber Question 2
Hey Jack,
Why do the Leafs insist on trying to exit the zone with control when often the safest play is to punt it?
It seems to me that punting would enable the Leafs to generate a few more odd man rush chances, and take some pressure off of their defensemen, who are not very strong at moving the puck.
Thanks,
-Kareem R.
Time is a flat circle, it seems.
Punting (flipping the puck out of the DZ toward teammates in the NZ) was a constant topic of conversation when I worked in the Leafs’ front office, during Mike Babcock’s stint as head coach.
During those years (2017-19), we were quite strong at creating 5v5 offense, especially odd-men rushes. However, as you may remember, we also struggled to prevent shot attempts in the high-danger area. After Sheldon Keefe’s promotion, TOR went to a controlled-exit based breakout. The team’s offensive numbers didn’t change much, but its shot suppression was much-improved and remained so until last season.
Playing with control on the breakout turns out to be more of a defensive, rather than offensive tactic, at least when it comes to shot volume impacts.
Punting can be effective in specific situations, but it create a boomerang effect. Unrecovered punts (i.e. NZ turnovers) are retrieved by opposing players, who then re-enter with speed against flat-footed defenders. The earlier we send our Fs up-ice to retrieve punted pucks, the bigger the potential gap between Fs and Ds, and the greater our numerical disadvantage against a quick re-entry.
Teams such as Colorado (see below) are relatively more successful with the punt. The Avs tend to use it more judiciously (early in a shift as a change-up rather than late in a shift, when their players are gassed). Their speedier D corps is also better able to sprint up-ice to gap up against potential re-entries.
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