The no-look pass from the corner into the slot has to stop
I know nobody want's to hear anything negative about a team that's just won 2 games in a row, but it's really started to bug me watching this play burn the Rangers time and time and time again. On the Rangers 2nd goal against tonight, it was Stepan, with the Cally-like no look pass from the corners right into the slot praying someone would get a stick on it. Except it traps everyone as the play comes back the other way. Ever since Cally did this play once and it worked, the team seems to try to look for it when it isn't there. no look passes are always dangerous, but no look passes when you are below the circles into the high slot is frikkin suicidal. Sure, you want to direct pucks to the net, but you want the shots to be such that if they don't connect, the pucks don't go into dangerous areas for transition plays. Pucks from behind the net are a little less dangerous because usually the person passing the puck is looking all the way, and is funneling it up towards the boards so the D has a chance to come in and get the puck, but those angle shots from the corners, they always seem to bite this team in the ass. STOP IT.
I know nobody want's to hear anything negative about a team that's just won 2 games in a row, but it's really started to bug me watching this play burn the Rangers time and time and time again. On the Rangers 2nd goal against tonight, it was Stepan, with the Cally-like no look pass from the corners right into the slot praying someone would get a stick on it. Except it traps everyone as the play comes back the other way. Ever since Cally did this play once and it worked, the team seems to try to look for it when it isn't there. no look passes are always dangerous, but no look passes when you are below the circles into the high slot is frikkin suicidal. Sure, you want to direct pucks to the net, but you want the shots to be such that if they don't connect, the pucks don't go into dangerous areas for transition plays. Pucks from behind the net are a little less dangerous because usually the person passing the puck is looking all the way, and is funneling it up towards the boards so the D has a chance to come in and get the puck, but those angle shots from the corners, they always seem to bite this team in the ass. STOP IT.
Can you tell my roller hockey team this as well? When I saw that Stepan pass out of the corner I was like, "does he watch us play?"
It's a terrible play. When I see something like that it makes me think that the person making the pass isn't comfortable with the puck, and wants to get rid of it. If that's the case, throw it behind the net.
I don't have to much of a problem with a no look to the front of the net. High slot? yes. In front of the crease, no problem with that at all.
If we can't recover quick enough from that sort of play then we have bigger problems to worry about.
That play is still below the hash marks which is where the Rangers like to control the game.
The problem i have is that we dont really have the offensive net presence we should have to take advantage of such a play.
Al Arbour preached to get the puck on net or in front of the net from ANY angle. Things happen when you get the puck to the net and I'd rather get the puck to the front of the net than keep it in the corner and pass and pass and pass and pass waiting for the perfect shot.
Get the puck to the front, storm the gates and will the puck in.
I don't have to much of a problem with a no look to the front of the net. High slot? yes. In front of the crease, no problem with that at all.
If we can't recover quick enough from that sort of play then we have bigger problems to worry about.
That play is still below the hash marks which is where the Rangers like to control the game.
The problem i have is that we dont really have the offensive net presence we should have to take advantage of such a play.
Al Arbour preached to get the puck on net or in front of the net from ANY angle. Things happen when you get the puck to the net and I'd rather get the puck to the front of the net than keep it in the corner and pass and pass and pass and pass waiting for the perfect shot.
Get the puck to the front, storm the gates and will the puck in.
Key here being you need someone there... a blind pass to the crease is just as dangerous as the high slot with no one there.
You can "hope" it'll go in off a defender's skate or the goalie but it's a low percentage play and last night they tried it with no one there, turned the puck over and trapped 3 low creating odd man rushes all over the place. Brutal.
Key here being you need someone there... a blind pass to the crease is just as dangerous as the high slot with no one there.
You can "hope" it'll go in off a defender's skate or the goalie but it's a low percentage play and last night they tried it with no one there, turned the puck over and trapped 3 low creating odd man rushes all over the place. Brutal.
Again, it's a play below the hash marks where the Rangers make their living, shame on them for not having one man high as is the system.
The play last night was a system break down, not a bad play.
Yeah, Gabby made a similar pass later in the game.
Too often we have all 3 forwards on the boards, often all below the goal line, and no one in front of the net. We control the puck, but we aren't a threat to score. That's the biggest problem with Prust/Boyle/Mitchell. They work, work, work the boards for the hopes of being able to spin back for a bad angle shot. They need to rotate. One guy in front of the net, one behind the net and the other supporting him on the boards. If the puck goes to the other side, the net man comes down to get it and the guy on the other side goes in front of the net.
Gabby, Richards and Hags have been doing this well the last couple games and it has paid off. You never see all 3 of them on the boards, or below the goal line, at the same time.
I understand your concern but in their O system there should be somone in the low slot all the time.......that is the player responsible for the role of 3rd man "high" you often hear about.........you'll notice we seldom seal the high wall as we should and often be caught with 3 on 2's backchecking like hell...........reason......... the third forward is continually out of position .........this also is the reason for low shot count opportunities........Amazes me Torts does not correct this......we are too concerned with the cycle behind the net by all 3 forwards ..........can't score with all 3 forward on the back boards cycling the puck.
a pass into the slot, or to the crease is not a bad play IF you look before you do it. I dont have a problem with those passes...when you look you can see if the lane is open, if your guy has the ability to get a shot off, and you dont take yourself out of the backcheck by doing some silly spin-o-rama like Cally loves to do.
The thing i have a problem with is when they do it w/o looking. They look, do their fancy play and pass it hoping they are getting it in the right general area. hoping, praying, these kinds of things shouldnt ever happen in a rigid system like the Rangers play. It's a dumb play. it looks pretty as hell when it works, but that doesn't make it any less dumb. Look before you pass, head up, eyes open, then make the pass. If Stepan doesnt do the spinorama he has Dubi right there for a scoring chance..thats not a bad play. he spun, he wasnt looking, he made a blind pass into an area and trapped his teammates with the stupid play. personally though, i dont particularly care for any passes from behind the net that are just hail marys hoping someone makes a play on a 50/50 puck, in that case you are better off throwing it back up the boards to your D so they can fire a shot on net or re-set.
a pass into the slot, or to the crease is not a bad play IF you look before you do it. I dont have a problem with those passes...when you look you can see if the lane is open, if your guy has the ability to get a shot off, and you dont take yourself out of the backcheck by doing some silly spin-o-rama like Cally loves to do.
The thing i have a problem with is when they do it w/o looking. They look, do their fancy play and pass it hoping they are getting it in the right general area. hoping, praying, these kinds of things shouldnt ever happen in a rigid system like the Rangers play. It's a dumb play. it looks pretty as hell when it works, but that doesn't make it any less dumb. Look before you pass, head up, eyes open, then make the pass. If Stepan doesnt do the spinorama he has Dubi right there for a scoring chance..thats not a bad play. he spun, he wasnt looking, he made a blind pass into an area and trapped his teammates with the stupid play. personally though, i dont particularly care for any passes from behind the net that are just hail marys hoping someone makes a play on a 50/50 puck, in that case you are better off throwing it back up the boards to your D so they can fire a shot on net or re-set.
Point still stands that the crease is not a bad play, even if it is blind. The other team is still forced to work the puck out of the zone from that area. I am totally on board with what you are saying about the high slot. Putting it blind into the high slot traps all three forwards with no chance of catching up on the backcheck if they rush properly. Getting the puck into the crease though does not give them an easy breakout and often can create bouncing puck opportunities if somebody is playing in front of the net. Last night, there was somebody in front of the net, but Step through it blind into the high slot instead.
Bigger problem to me is throwing the puck at the net from bad angles and missing the net rather than dumping. I can't even count how many times per game the other team ends up with easy breakouts due to this, either hit the net or get it deep. Shooting it ten feet wide and causing all momentum to shift the other direction cannot be an option. If you must put it on net, because getting ti deep will only be a turnover, take something off the shot. A weak wrister on net still freezes the puck in their zone.
