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Any advice for the one defensive play I always flub?
Any advice for the one defensive play I always flub?
It seems to happen every game and I can't find a way to win this situation.
I'm playing left defense, in the slot. Puck is in the right corner and there is a guy waiting for the puck to come out of the corner( he is to the goalie's right ) and just out of my reach. There's also a guy behind me to the goalie's left, just far enough to where I can't cover either him him and/or the guy waiting for the puck. My center is in the very high slot or battling for the puck in the corner.
Puck jumps out near the slot, to the guy waiting for it gets it and is just out of the goalie's reach.
Now. Do I get the guy with the puck or the guy behind me? If I leave the guy with the puck alone and cover the open guy, guy with the puck scores still. If I go for the puck and the guy with it, the puck rebounds RIGHT TO the guy behind me and the puck goes in.
EVERY GAME!
Advice?
Last edited by Lososaurus: 08-25-2010 at 01:47 PM.
Reason: forgot one detail
Sounds like a teamwork thing. In general, the D and C each need to pickup a man.
As LD, if you take the guy on the goalie's left, and the Center takes the man in the slot then you are both in position to take away (or atleast limit) their shooting chances. Making the goalie's life a bit easier.
Yep, if the puck goes in the corner on "your" side, it's your job to go after that man. The other defenseman should be clearing the crease and tying up that man. And if there's another guy in the slot, the center should be getting that man.
Yep, if the puck goes in the corner on "your" side, it's your job to go after that man. The other defenseman should be clearing the crease and tying up that man. And if there's another guy in the slot, the center should be getting that man.
Pretty much, you should never be in a situation where you have to try to cover two open men, unless its a PP. Of course, this happens all the time because defenses are never perfect, especially at the beer league level.
In general I will say that at the beer league level, if you have to chose which guy to defend, aggressively/quickly pressure the one with the puck, and just try to keep your body in the passing lane to the other open man. Against perfect passers this can be a bad strategy, but your average beer league player will not get off a great pass (or shot) under pressure, if you get to him quick enough. If the man you take shoots and the other open guy taps in a rebound there's not much you can do about it, except remind your d-partner or C that he should have been on that guy. But really the key here is not to hesitate, you need to INSTANTLY pressure the man with the puck so he has no time to think/make a good play.
In general I will say that at the beer league level, if you have to chose which guy to defend, aggressively/quickly pressure the one with the puck, and just try to keep your body in the passing lane to the other open man. Against perfect passers this can be a bad strategy, but your average beer league player will not get off a great pass (or shot) under pressure, if you get to him quick enough. If the man you take shoots and the other open guy taps in a rebound there's not much you can do about it, except remind your d-partner or C that he should have been on that guy. But really the key here is not to hesitate, you need to INSTANTLY pressure the man with the puck so he has no time to think/make a good play.
This is very well said. Hard work and constant pressure are a great equalizer.
Pretty much, you should never be in a situation where you have to try to cover two open men, unless its a PP. Of course, this happens all the time because defenses are never perfect, especially at the beer league level.
In general I will say that at the beer league level, if you have to chose which guy to defend, aggressively/quickly pressure the one with the puck, and just try to keep your body in the passing lane to the other open man. Against perfect passers this can be a bad strategy, but your average beer league player will not get off a great pass (or shot) under pressure, if you get to him quick enough. If the man you take shoots and the other open guy taps in a rebound there's not much you can do about it, except remind your d-partner or C that he should have been on that guy. But really the key here is not to hesitate, you need to INSTANTLY pressure the man with the puck so he has no time to think/make a good play.
In addition to this. A goalie hates last second changes. Even the goalie can be a defenseman and cover someone. Don't bounce back and forth between guys, cover one and be predictable to your goalie. If there are 2 guys in front of the net and you always cover your guy and he never scores the goalie can rule out that guy and concentrate on playing the open guy. I would suggest covering the one closer to the net if they have someone in the high slot. That will give the goalie an opportunity to come out and cut down the angle. It will also allow you to move your guy out of rebound range and hopefully your partner or center will get back where they are supposed to be.
Remember that your job is not to keep the other "team" from scoring. Keep your guy from scoring and let everyone else do their own job. If you are doing their job, who is doing your's? Just be steady and predictable andd don't try to be a hero.
Communicate with your teammates. If you have somebody covered and there's an open player in a danger area you need to be directing traffic so speak to ensure a team mate is picking up that player. let your temmates know who you have and who needs to be covered.
One detail I forgot was that the puck is in the right corner
Thanks for the advice guys. I've been trying to treat it like a 2-1 situation where I block the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but the puck always finds its way in the net.
If you're playing left D and the puck is in the right corner, pick up the man in the crease, shove him out of there, tie up his stick, anything to take him out of the play. If there's two guys there...your center isn't doing his job.
Priority #1 - cover your man, either for a pass or rebound
Priority #2 - make the puck carrier nervous by faking coverage on him, fake poke check etc...
But Priority #1 is always your main focus. If the puck carrier cannot get a clear pass to the guy you are covering and you make him nervous, the chances that he will get a quality shot on your net are lessened.
And at one point, your team mates need to step up and help you.
One detail I forgot was that the puck is in the right corner
Thanks for the advice guys. I've been trying to treat it like a 2-1 situation where I block the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but the puck always finds its way in the net.
Failing the Center picks up the guy in the slot taking the shot, I'd still take the guy on the goalie's left. You're right, let the goalie take the shot. Support him by making your guys life miserable and prevent him from getting in the goalie's kitchen.
If you are on that guy left of the goalie, then it doesn't matter if it's a shot & rebound or a pass. You're taking him out as a scoring option either way.
One detail I forgot was that the puck is in the right corner
Thanks for the advice guys. I've been trying to treat it like a 2-1 situation where I block the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but the puck always finds its way in the net.
Partly right. It is like a 2 on 1 but in either situation you don't block the pass. You cover the man so no pass happens. Don't block passes on an attacking 2 on 1 either. Chances are better of you missing it and creating a 2 on 0 than they are of you A) blocking the pass and B) controlling the block and turning back offensivly to your team. Forget the puck, cover your guy like a blanket and see if things change. You will be pleasantly surprised.
One detail I forgot was that the puck is in the right corner
Thanks for the advice guys. I've been trying to treat it like a 2-1 situation where I block the pass and let the goalie take the shot, but the puck always finds its way in the net.
It's a pretty different situation than a 2 on 1 breakaway though. In a 2 on 1 breakaway the puck carrier is definitely gonna have tonnes of time and tonnes of space to make a good pass, so your goal is to cut off the passing lane while restricting the puck carrier to the lowest percentage shot possible. But in the scenario you described, set up in your end with both offensive players close to the goalie, and the puck suddenly coming to one of them from the corner, theres way less time and space for the guy with the puck, so pressuring him (RIGHT AWAY!) will work much better in this situation than it would on a 2 on 1 breakaway.
Just think about what it would be like if YOU were the offensive player. You get the puck around the hash marks, the dman plays off you to cover the pass, you have all the time in the world to get off a great shot, life couldn't be better! There really is basically no better place to shoot from, especially if you have time. But if the moment you touch the puck the dman is all over you you're likely just gonna get off some garbage shot, if you even get off a shot at all. And making a good pass in tight space under pressure is pretty tricky too.
For 2-1 breakaways, I've been blocking the pass. They usually have a puck carrier on wing and open man in the center. I'm not totally on the open man, but close enough to intercept an incoming pass. When the puck carrier is entering the circles or passing the dots, I basically force him into the corner and steal the puck from him.
2-on-1 breakaways - cover the "open" man, let the goalie have the shooter. Get between the two of them and make sure he doesn't have a passing target. Follow the non-puck carrier and tie up his stick after the first guy shoots so he can't just go tap in the rebound. Yell at your other defenseman if they score.
2-on-1 from the corner - cover the man in the slot, let the guy in the corner do whatever he wants. If there's another D-man to cover the guy in the slot, go pressure the puck carrier in the corner.
2-on-1 breakaways - cover the "open" man, let the goalie have the shooter. Get between the two of them and make sure he doesn't have a passing target. Follow the non-puck carrier and tie up his stick after the first guy shoots so he can't just go tap in the rebound. Yell at your other defenseman if they score.
2-on-1 from the corner - cover the man in the slot, let the guy in the corner do whatever he wants. If there's another D-man to cover the guy in the slot, go pressure the puck carrier in the corner.
its also important not to cover the open guy too early and give the shooter a breakaway. you want the guy with the puck to have to take a wide angle, then as he gets in a bit closer take away the pass so that the guy with the puck has a bad angle to shoot at
