If Leafs implemented the trap they to might have a better chance to win the Cup than the present system..
NJ has had the Leafs number for years and have yet to come up with anything to produce more offense against trap teams....
If you look at the Leafs roster, they have a lot of bigger bodies than New Jersey does. I wonder if it would make sense to just play a very physical game with them, and rattle their boring game right off the bat. I don't imagine Gomez or Elias or Gionta would like the attention very much. Maybe you could stick an energy guy on the Sundin line and have him go after John Madden and throw him off his game?
The most frustrating thing about New Jersey is that top to bottom, they aren't even that skilled of a team. They're just so efficient. Maybe if we can't beat the trap we can try to smash it into pieces?
If you look at the Leafs roster, they have a lot of bigger bodies than New Jersey does. I wonder if it would make sense to just play a very physical game with them, and rattle their boring game right off the bat. I don't imagine Gomez or Elias or Gionta would like the attention very much. Maybe you could stick an energy guy on the Sundin line and have him go after John Madden and throw him off his game?
The most frustrating thing about New Jersey is that top to bottom, they aren't even that skilled of a team. They're just so efficient. Maybe if we can't beat the trap we can try to smash it into pieces?
In a 7 game series that could work very well (though you may be giving up a game or two to see the results), and if they really crowded Brodeur for a while, maybe run into him a couple times like Nieuwendyk did, it could through him off his game. But a couple big open ice hits from Marchment and Tucker could probably through Elias and Gionta off their game. And Good Old Stone Hands not good for anything else, just have him line up Madden up a couple times.
As I have said on here before my gf is a Devils fan, which pretty much makes me a Devils fan and they are a pretty skilled team. Thats what fustrates me the most about them (and I'm forced to watch a lot of their games), if they would play a more open system of hockey, maybe add a top line center to complement Elias more they could be a very exciting and offensive team.
If you look at the Leafs roster, they have a lot of bigger bodies than New Jersey does. I wonder if it would make sense to just play a very physical game with them, and rattle their boring game right off the bat. I don't imagine Gomez or Elias or Gionta would like the attention very much. Maybe you could stick an energy guy on the Sundin line and have him go after John Madden and throw him off his game?
The most frustrating thing about New Jersey is that top to bottom, they aren't even that skilled of a team. They're just so efficient. Maybe if we can't beat the trap we can try to smash it into pieces?
Novel Idea...but the problem is that NJ is a very disciplined team and Toronto has a real hard time playing physical and not taking penalties..
Also NJ has all the perfect blend of players to play the system they have... Stevens and Colin White clear the crease while Neids and Rafalski are fast enough to get dump ins and with Brodeur back there thats like a extra dman..
So you can't carry the puck in with all the players waiting at the blueline and you can't dump it in win the races to the corner...You can't take penalties or that gives the Devils exactly what they want and half way through the season Devils are #1 on the PK with Brodeur already having 9 shutouts this year...
A good system always beats a team of individuals and Toronto does not have the horses particularly on Defense to play and win alot of 1-0 games .... It doesn't matter how many scoring forwards Leafs add they don't help against a well played trap.. The only way is to also play the trap and reduce chances against and hope you win in the long run and take advantage of the few scoring chances you have and bury some of them...
but I will be ther first to admit that makes for real boring hockey as witnessed tonight...
I'm not sure there is a sure fire way to beat the trap, however you can work around it. With NJ, the forwards and defense have to either use diagonal shoot ins, or lob the puck into the corner, preventing Brodeur from playing the puck. Also an aggressive and heavy forecheck after the shoot in to keep the puck in the zone is also neccessary.
I think to beat NJ, you don't need to beat the trap, as much as you need to wear down their players. They are a smaller team than most in the elite. The Leafs have to lay on the body often and aggressively. If the defensmen are afraid of being crushed when they are trying to clear the zone, turnovers will result more often.
I think a combination of clever shoot ins and hitting is what teams need to impliment to beat the Devils.
I'm not sure there is a sure fire way to beat the trap, however you can work around it. With NJ, the forwards and defense have to either use diagonal shoot ins, or lob the puck into the corner, preventing Brodeur from playing the puck. Also an aggressive and heavy forecheck after the shoot in to keep the puck in the zone is also neccessary.
I think to beat NJ, you don't need to beat the trap, as much as you need to wear down their players. They are a smaller team than most in the elite. The Leafs have to lay on the body often and aggressively. If the defensmen are afraid of being crushed when they are trying to clear the zone, turnovers will result more often.
I think a combination of clever shoot ins and hitting is what teams need to impliment to beat the Devils.
Quinn has had years to come up with a plan since NJ has eliminated Toronto several times including that embarassing 6 shot loss in final game a few years back....and in all that time Quinn has not come up with anything concrete... and in three games this year Toronto has a total of 3 goals ....in two of the matches now NJ was missing Scott Stevens and we all know his value and in one game they even played Corey Schwab.....
NJ may have little players but Friesen,Gionta Niedermayer are some of the best skaters in the league ... and you can't hit what you can't catch ..unless of course you are Domi and you do it behind the play when the player is not looking....
The real answer to the New Jersey Devils question is force Brodeur back into his net. You've got to run him to beat the Devils system in the playoffs. It costs you one two minute minor for interference (send Tucker, or Domi to trip him behind the net, maybe bump him), and one more penalty plus a suspension (send Belak, or Farm tough guy) to totally run him the next time he's out of the crease, just paste him to the boards. We all know that Brodeur would cease being as ready to leave the net, and that Jersey would then take runs at Belfour, and Belfour can hold his own against any Jersey forward. Once Brodeur is shaken off his game and doesn't want to leave the blue ice, you can dump the puck in and beat the Jersey system if you grab the puck...the other answer would maybe be softer shoot ins that don't make it as deep in the zone, and just try to beat the defenceman...but taking out Brodeur would be much more satisfying.
