From Zone Defense to Rush Offense
Vegas DZC to BO transition (2026 Playoff Playbook Part 21)
Two days ago I detailed how the Carolina Hurricanes exploited the Vegas Golden Knights’ Box+1 defensive zone coverage.
However there are clear reasons why VGK remains committed to the Box+1.
In Game Three, not only was its zone defense good enough at preventing CAR goals, but it also set up a number of counter attack chances.
Here’s a review of Vegas’ DZ coverage.
Strong-Side Winger (SSW) forces a stop and pushes the puck carrier into the boards
Center, or a low forward acting as the free defender (C/+1) joins the battle to create a 2v1
Strong-Side Defenseman (SSD) seals the wall to prevent a rim-down
Weak-Side Defenseman (WSD) fronts the opposing net player
Weak-Side Winger (WSW) reads the play and may either stay near the blue line to cover the opposing WSD (off-screen) or fold back into the slot to help against the opposing F3
As discussed previously, this layered approach has its cons, but it allows Vegas to transition quickly to offense on a change of possession.
A few examples from Game Three:
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