The Most Underrated Way to Create Offense

2025-26 NHL tactical trends: BOS & MTL contested entry to OZP

What’s the difference between an average offense and a good offense?

On March 29, Coach Kyle MacLennan shared the following Boston Bruins clip on his Twitter feed.

There’s certainly lots to love about the BOS sequence, but for me it came down to the following frame.

Boston gains the Minnesota Wild zone. The Bruins are out-numbered 2v4 and have the puck outside of the dot lane. Yet somehow BOS manages to get into the OZ, extend the possession and, eventually, convert on a high-quality shot.

The Bruins’ ability to turn disadvantage (contested OZ entry) into advantage (OZ possession leading to shots & chances) is one of the reasons why they are on the cusp of securing a playoff berth.

Instead of finishing near the bottom of the NHL standings, BOS has a puncher’s chance to upset a top Eastern Conference seed in round one.

To gain a fuller understanding of how to turn lemons (numerical disadvantage + outside entry) into lemonade, let’s look at how the Montreal Canadiens picked the Nashville Predators apart.

1. From Development to Tactics

When I worked with Adam Nicholas in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, it was one of the rare NHL organizations to teach players how to effectively navigate offensive disadvantages. While most teams used 1v0, 2v1 and 5v0 open-ice scenarios to “work on offense,” we instead had our players start on the wall, under heavy defensive pressure to simulate how they usually got the puck in a real game.

After joining the Canadiens as their Director of Hockey Development, Adam continued to work in this direction. The Habs’ young stars cook in open ice because they’re quick off the wall and thrive in traffic.

2. Using Rims Appropriately