The club shed a lot of size in the off-season, especially from the bottom six forwards. However, the corps of defensemen shrank as well. Out of the nine guys in the blue line rotation last season, just two weighed less than 217 pounds. Currently, only two of the ten defensemen who are getting playing time are taller than 217.
In exchange, the Lightning changed the core components of their defensive scheme to emphasize zone defense.
The coach of the Lightning, Jon Cooper, stated that “people have something to do with it, and it’s simply the way the game has grown.” We’ve done that with this bunch. You’re always trying to adapt, whether it’s to stay ahead of the game or remain with the game, but ultimately, you’re trying to put your side in the best possible position to win. It hasn’t always been beneficial to us, but occasionally it has. Thus, you’re building towards your goal steadily, and I appreciate how things are going here, particularly lately.
Defenseman Victor Hedman stated, “We played the same style for, you know, 480 of those wins with Coop.” Although the system will continually be adjusted, this is most likely the largest alteration we have made. But if you get used to it, and if the statistics indicate that it’s improving our game, then that’s what we’re all about. We’re growing more at ease and producing better readings.
During a game in Tampa in December, Lightning center Tyler Motte (64), a center for the Golden Knights, blocks center Jack Eichel (9) with his stick.[TIMES | JEFFEREE WOO]
The league was once ruled by a man-on-man defense. Choose a man and follow him all the way around the rink. The idea is sound in theory. However, the fastest players in the game have gotten harder to cover as they have accelerated in speed. Mismatches may occur on every square inch of ice. A breakdown might happen if just one player gives up on the game.
Center/wing Tyler Motte stated, “Playing in your D zone in the NHL is not an easy thing to do, especially when you have guys that can score up and down just about every lineup.” “Most players in this league are able to put the puck in the net, but some have more opportunities than others to do so. It’s about controlling space and time, stopping pucks in their tracks, refusing second chances, and turning the puck around.
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup last season by using a “box-and-one” zone defense strategy that targets the wingers and defenders in each of the four quadrants between the blue line and the goal line, with the wingers being high and the defensemen being low. Help is offered by the center, mostly in front of the net.
The primary goal of the defense is to keep the majority of Grade-A scoring opportunities out of the zones in front of the rink. The defensemen defend their zone, and when the puck moves up top, one man is constantly watching the front of the net, frequently the center taking up the slot. The wingers don’t pursue the puck up top; instead, they shut up passing opportunities in the high slot and toward the net while they defend the space within their zones. In order to protect the area in front and collapse there if needed, they are prepared to give up shot volume from the perimeter.
In order to prevent too many bodies from getting to the net and second chances at the net, Motte stated, “We’re trying to keep pucks to the outside.” You do it a little bit differently each night. The most important thing is to be aware of your place inside the system and to be able to talk and communicate your way through it.
“You can drill it and script it basically the way it should appear, but when a game starts and one player is ten feet away from his position and the pucks are in a different area, it becomes a lot of readings. So much of that is aided by communication.In a game in Tampa in December, Lightning center Brayden Point (21) guards Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev (49).
In 5-on-5 play during the previous season, the Lightning gave up 9.21 high-danger scoring opportunities per game on average. Additionally, despite the fact that they were primarily playing man-on-man, they were too frequently detected concentrating on the puck, which resulted in them overloading the ice’s corners and leaving an open space in front of the net.
The Lightning had trouble with some of their quadrant-zone duties even in the early going this season. They gave up 9.5 scoring opportunities per game on average in 5-on-5 play through the first nine games.
It’s definitely a learning curve, but we were used to just kind of gluing onto a guy and saying, “That’s your guy,” center Brayden Point said. “During my entire time here with Coop, I have only played in one manner in the D-zone. For the guys who have been here for a while, it’s a fresh experience, and this year’s group is certainly a little different. I believe the odds are now lower, and the evidence supports its effectiveness.
The season’s first thirty-nine games saw the Lightning reduce their high-danger average to 8.1. They allowed just 7.4 goals per game over the previous 11 games, and their record (9-2-0) showed it.
Assistant coach Jeff Blashill stated, “No matter how many times you play a season, there are so many different events that happen within it that it’s always going to be a continual process as you go through getting guys adjusted.” Do I believe that has improved? Indeed. Additionally, I believe that the players’ level of comfort with it plays a role in this.
Cooper has stated that he thinks the Lightning are performing better than even their record suggests. He acknowledged that they haven’t spent much time in their own zone lately, but that terrible turnovers have created more opportunities for Grade-A scoring than structural errors in the D-zone.
The Lightning gave up just seven high-danger 5-on-5 scoring opportunities in a 5-1 home loss to the Rangers, yet two costly turnovers resulted in rushes that culminated in goals. A goal resulted from a coverage error in front of the net during that game as well.
Hedman stated, “I believe we’ve done a fantastic job of preventing high-scoring opportunities.” In this league, most goals are scored quickly. The total percentage of the D-zone, O-zone, penalty kill, and power play is probably less than 50%, with the remainder coming from rush plays. That’s why you really need to be good off the rush. However, we take pride in our ability to play in the defensive zone, break pucks out fast, and move rapidly. It’s keeping the goalie in position to see the puck while guarding those high-scoring zones.
