TO FLOAT OR NOT TO FLOAT
Thus, while goal-scoring brings the fans out of their seats, it does appear that preventing goals has the larger influence on team success
Given the choice between one end of the rink and the other, however, it appears that the more predictable path to victory lies in building a strong defense.
PROBLEMS WITH AOAT – LACK OF DEFENSE STRUCTURE
The defensemen have been jumping into the play more, and not recovering as quickly as they ought to. And that’s a problem. They’re not in position about half the time where they need to be, because they’re thinking offense-first. It’s more about setting up the forwards than protecting your own net.
The bottom line is what we all know already: defense wins championships.
it’s impossible to overwhelm a team with offense on any consistent basis – as we’ve also already seen.
Offense often gets a team a win, but defense helps them to not lose, which is just as important
WHEN IS DEFENSE MORE VALUABLE THAN OFFENSE
Suppose the Edmonton Oilers score 5 goals per game, and allow 4. If they improve their offense by a goal a game, the 5-4 advantage becomes 6-4. If they improve their defense by a goal, the 5-4 becomes 5-3.
Which is better?
In the 5-3 case, the SD of goal differential is the square root of 8. In the 6-4 case, the SD is the square root of 10. Since root-10 is higher than root-8, the underdog should prefer 6-4, but the favored Oilers should prefer 5-3.
DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN
SIZE AND DEFENSIVE ABILITY
(May 2009)
the Selke award has been dominated by players less than 6 feet tall,
First, it does appear that scouts are able to identify defensive skill in draft prospects, at least to some degree.
Many of the forwards with the best defensive reputations are less than the “standard” 6 feet required to be considered big enough to compete in the NHL.
If smaller forwards routinely win the Selke award, how important can size be for defense?
IMPORTANCE OF STAY AT HOME DMEN IN SALARY CAP ERA
(Dec 2009)
Stay-at-home defensemen are particularly important in today’s salary cap era because you simply don’t have the cap space to load your team with highly-paid superstars.
History has taught us repeatedly that shut-down defensemen like Ken Daneyko and Craig Ludwig are a key ingredient to a championship season
DEATH OF THE DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN
The stats community has come to the conclusion that this sort of defenseman, besides when he is exceptional, usually doesn’t help a team.
much like the enforcer who can play a regular shift in the late 90s, this player is slowly disappearing from the NHL –
His replacement is the Anton Stralman, Mark Fayne sort of player who doesn’t hit and doesn’t put up much offense but who can defend 1 on 1 without taking penalties and moves the puck adequately out of his own zone.
HOW DO COACHES DISTRIBUE TOI
It is clear coaches dole out ice time based on offense with a slight preference for shooting percentage over shot generation. Coaches don’t give the big minutes to the best defenders and especially not to those that focus on shot suppression.
This observation is likely the result of the belief that defense is a product of the system being employed by the team and less so the talent of the individual players where as offense is far more individual player talent driven.
IMPACT OF DEFENSE ON SH%
(Dec 2009)
The impact of other players is, not surprisingly, quite substantial. Compared to even-strength play, shots are 2.63 times more likely to go in from these locations and 2.25 times more likely than on the power-play (which includes both one- and two-man-advantages.) Also not surprising is the significant drop in shots that miss the net
If we could somehow separate the impact of both teammates and opponents’ defense on scoring, it is likely that the defense would account for a three-fold drop in shooting percentage.
SHORTING THE OZ
SHOULD DEFENSEMEN SHORT THE OZ
(Nov 28, 2021)
· Old school = Sitting on the blueline, skating backward, and absorbing the rush
· New school = Getting off the blueline, skating forward, and nipping the rush in the bud before it gets going
By positioning themselves lower in the offensive zone, defensemen are able to shrink the playing area for the opposition.
This proactive positioning approach allows for defensemen to be involved much more quickly. The gap (distance between D & their check) can continuously be managed to their advantage.
Pushing down the wall also allows for a defenseman to jump the play & create transition opportunities
SETTING THE EDGE
The goal is to force the offense into traffic and towards defensive help.
Effectively, their primary function is to funnel runners back inside into their teammates. This narrows the distance the defense must cover, contains the play into a small area, and allows more defensive help to make a play
· Narrows the distance the defense must cover
· Contains the play into a small area
· Allows more defensive help to make a play on the puck carrier
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