Playoff Playbook: WSH's NZ Trap

Do you believe in Miracles?

Going into the WSH-FLA series, not many hockey fans give the underdogs much of a shot.

JFresh @JFreshHockey

Who will win, Florida or Washington? You voted. #FlaPanthers: 96% #AllCaps: 4%

Panthers-Capitals in 2022 or Soviet Union-Team USA at the 1980 Olympics?

The polling data presumably look similar.

And yet, WSH overcomes a 2-1 third-period deficit to win Game 1.

Against an explosive Panthers’ attack, the Capitals’ forecheck is the wildcard team’s biggest asset.

Corey Sznajder @ShutdownLine

Caps-Cats statcap Washington pretty much played a perfect game against Florida. Forced a lot of blue line turnovers, dump-ins & point shots while getting their own chances off the rush. Not many teams have been able to do this to the Panthers.

Instead of a typical, predictable 1-2-2 offensive-zone forecheck, Washington sends two forwards deep in the zone while F3 read the play above the circles, near his defensemen.

Via Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook

Florida’s players never know when they have time to retrieve a puck cleanly, or whether WSH’s F2 is rounding the net and loading up for a big hit. If FLA gets rid of the puck early, WSH’s D1 would pinch down the far side to keep the puck in the zone.

Whenever FLA gains the neutral zone, all five WSH skaters track back hard to get into a 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap, the same scheme used by the 1980 Miracle on Ice team coached by Herb Brooks.

Via Hockey Tactics Retrospective

This NZ forecheck is somewhat different than the 1-1-3 Washington used in the regular season. All five skaters are above the puck (between the carrier and the WSH net), with D2 sags back and pivots early to retrieve dump-ins.

This defensive adjustment creates WSH’s equalizing goal early in the third period.