BACKCHECKING
BACKCHECKING SYSTEMS
F1 and F2. In almost every scenario these forwards are tasked with backchecking to the top of their defensive zone face-off circles. Whether they stay there or collapse down low will ultimately depend on their d-zone system.
In today’s NHL, there are basically three key ways teams will backcheck.
F3 PURSUIT
In this system, F3 (or the third forward to enter the offensive zone), is charged with pursuing the opposition’s puck carrier.
Depending on the system, F3 will usually pressure the puck carrier all the way into the defensive zone seeking to turn the puck over. The defender closest to the play will drop into the support zone (a few feet off the puck), acting as a safety vale if F3 can’t force the turnover.
The key here is communication. Some teams will have F3 pursue the puck until a certain part of the ice, say the top of the face-off circle, in which case the defender and F3 will switch positions. More aggressive teams will send the defender into the hit zone and outnumber the opposition along the boards.
OFF-WING LOCK
The off-wing lock is the ying to the F3 Pursuit’s yang. In this scheme,
F3 moves to the weak-side wing, essentially becoming a third defensemen. In this position, he is responsible for any trailers.
The defenders split the rest of the zone, so you are basically dividing the zone into thirds, with each player being responsible for his area of the ice.
Overall, this is a more passive backchecking strategy with the ultimate goal being to stand-up the rush at the blueline. T
MAN ON MAN
Finally, the last backchecking strategy commonly used is man-on-man, which is exactly what it sounds like. In this system, defenders and backchecking forwards will pick their men and stick with them like white on rice.
ADVANCED BACKCHECKING
(Nov 2021)
When heading back toward your own net, you should be backchecking through the middle.
When backchecking, the first tactic is to get on the defensive side of the opposition.
COMMON BACKCHECKING ISSUES
(Dec 2021)
We are going to cover 2 common issues when backchecking.
1. Over-backchecking
2. Puck Gravity
Issue 1: Over-Backchecking
Simply put, over-backchecking is when a team is so concerned about coming back hard to defend the rush that they all go too far into their own zone.
Issue 2: Puck Gravity
· Backchecking through the middle of the ice
· Backchecking to a quality spot and stopping.
· Shoulder checking to understand the unfolding situation
· Covering opposing players that could be passing options for the puck carrier. Personally, I call this “suffocating the passing options.”
DEFENSIVE ZONE COVERAGE
DEFENSIVE ZONE COVERAGE
STRONG SIDE OVERLOAD
This is your typical zone you see, where teams try to outnumber the puck carrier along the boards. This generally is one half of a zone defense.
The idea of the strong-side overload is for the defending team to basically split the ice in half.
Some teams will overload with 2 players going hard to the wall, 1 player playing just off the puck and 2 players defending the slot, but shading the strong-side
In general, team’s F1 and F2 will be the first two forwards back into the zone and will take up positions on the boards where the puck is – the strong side. F3 will occupy the position in the high slot and will watch for cross-ice passes. D1 covers the low corner position and D2 covers the net and backside pressure, similar to F3.
teams will expand the field of play on offense to give themselves as much area to work with as possible. Without the ball it will be just the opposite: they will play with a high and aggressive back line to squeeze the field of play.
ZONE/BOX+1
This is a less aggressive zone than the overload, and is often called a low zone collapse.
In today’s NHL, more and more teams are collapsing to the net and blocking shots regardless of their overall forechecking strategy.
MAN COVERAGE
This system was popular prior to the 04-05 lockout, but the elimination of clutch and grab has made executing this system very difficult at The Show. Guys are just too creative and fast to play traditional man-on-man.
Instead, some teams have adopted hybrids where D1, D2 and F1 will play man-on-man down low and F2 and F3 will collapse in the slot and play zone.
Other coaches have D1, D2, and F1 play zone in the slot and F2 and F3 will play man-on-man up high.
2-1-2 COVERAGE
A 2-1-2 is exactly how you picture it, the forwards pressure the points, the defense cover the slot, and the center roams covering the high slot.
When the puck is low, the strong side defenseman (D1) will go to the boards or behind the net to force the issue. D2 in this scenario covers the slot, and doesn’t really stray. If the puck crosses to the other side of the ice, D1 and D2 swap, with D1 coming to the slot and D2 going to pressure the play.
The biggest change here is that you won’t see the defensemen chase to the top of the circle –or worse, beyond– in this system. It is designed to keep them low and limit the number of high danger opportunities against.
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