NHL 2015-16 Season

[pumaAttack]

 

I don't feel like that article supports your opinion.

If you read the list of bullet points, too, none of those are set up like of 5-on-5 or 4-on-4 hockey. The smaller the number of players, the less players you have to beat. 3-on-3 favors skill more than 4-on-4, which favors skill more than 5-on-5.

Yes, some NHL coaches said they will "dummy it down" but that just means teaching their players how to play it. KISS. It doesn't mean we're going to see the boring OTs like we see in 4-on-4 or the latter half of regulation play 5-on-5. The skill teams will still be firing shots. They'll still possess the puck. They'll still beat a guy and have a clear lane, and if someone pulls off their guy to defend him, he'll still have a wide-open guy to find with the puck.

In almost half of the games decided in OT, the team won with the first SHOT. In over half of the OT games at all, the game was over within 2:05.

The point is that it won't remain fast paced and up and down hockey for long.   Comparing NHL players and coaches to the AHL is a terrible comparison.  There is a reason they are at the next level.  They will find a way to shut it down.  Coaches hate run and gun hockey, for the most part, and want to be in control of the game.  That control comes from defense and system hockey, not pond hockey.  

 

The first month or two, sure, the end of the season with playoffs on the line, we will see defensive 3v3 OT.

 

I am going to side with NHL GMs and Bob on this one...

[iacas]

The point is that it won't remain fast paced and up and down hockey for long.   Comparing NHL players and coaches to the AHL is a terrible comparison.

I did that once. The article you compared was NHL players.

The reason NHL players are in the NHL is because they have more skill. The fewer players on the ice, the more skill is expressed and rewarded.

Coaches hate run and gun hockey, for the most part, and want to be in control of the game.  That control comes from defense and system hockey, not pond hockey.  

No… coaches of skilled players don't. They tend to hate shootouts.

The first month or two, sure, the end of the season with playoffs on the line, we will see defensive 3v3 OT.

I am going to side with NHL GMs and Bob on this one...

Bob is merely skeptical, but if look at his own points, and look at his own data, it paints a different picture.

Plus, if NHL GMs wanted the game to stay the same, they wouldn't have voted this in. They realize that the 4-on-4 was boring, and that 3-on-3 was more exciting. So they don't agree with you, either.

We're going to see more (percentage) of games ended in OT this year than in the shootout. I'll bet you a hundred bucks.

[pumaAttack]

I did that once. The article you compared was NHL players.

The reason NHL players are in the NHL is because they have more skill. The fewer players on the ice, the more skill is expressed and rewarded.

No… coaches of skilled players don't. They tend to hate shootouts.

Bob is merely skeptical, but if look at his own points, and look at his own data, it paints a different picture.

Plus, if NHL GMs wanted the game to stay the same, they wouldn't have voted this in. They realize that the 4-on-4 was boring, and that 3-on-3 was more exciting. So they don't agree with you, either.

We're going to see more (percentage) of games ended in OT this year than in the shootout. I'll bet you a hundred bucks.

You are missing the entire point...

The OT is going to become locked down,  it will 100% happen.  Just look at the game in general.  Defense rules the systems of any good team.

You are naive if you don't see that happening.  The 3v3 OT will not be run and gun all season.  Will more games end during 3v3 rather than 4v4?  Sure, there will be.  Will it be 100% back and forth play all season?  Nope, no chance.

[Golfingdad]

 

You are missing the entire point...

The OT is going to become locked down,  it will 100% happen.  Just look at the game in general.  Defense rules the systems of any good team.

You are naive if you don't see that happening.  The 3v3 OT will not be run and gun all season.  Will more games end during 3v3 rather than 4v4?  Sure, there will be.  Will it be 100% back and forth play all season?  Nope, no chance.

How could 3 on 3 possibly be more locked down than 4 on 4?  Regardless of whatever anybody tries, it's simple math and less players on the ice equals more room for the ones on the ice.  Period.

[pumaAttack]

How could 3 on 3 possibly be more locked down than 4 on 4?  Regardless of whatever anybody tries, it's simple math and less players on the ice equals more room for the ones on the ice.  Period.

Where did I ever say it will be more locked down than 4v4???  I even said that more games will end during the 3v3 than 4v4.

I am just saying that the 3v3 OT will not be an offensive highlight reel all season.  Teams will find a way to slow it down and shut it down.  There is already talks of coaches applying the trap during the 3v3 OT...

I bet by January we see the shots on goal, attack time, and goals way down from October.

 

 

[Golfingdad]

Where did I ever say it will be more locked down than 4v4???

With your very first post on the subject after I mentioned the overtime:

I think it is going to have the opposite affect the NHL was going for, which was more offense and less shootouts.

[pumaAttack]

With your very first post on the subject after I mentioned the overtime:

Sorry I should have clarified.  Yes, there will be less shootouts than last year, I was referring to increased offense only style.

But I still feel that the overall affect of "gun slinging, up and down offense" just will not be the case.  Teams are too smart for that to happen.  There is a reason why All-Star games are boring, and nobody wants to lose a game 10 seconds into OT.  Teams will shut it down, and fast.

 

 

[newtogolf]

The fastest puck handler on the ice isn't going to be easy to lock down.  With only 6 players on the ice there's a lot of open ice, so unless the NHL permits icing like they do during power plays I don't see how they can shut it down.  

[billchao]

There is already talks of coaches applying the trap during the 3v3 OT...

Links?

I want to know how you play a neutral zone trap in 3 on 3. It's a man coverage situation and the trap is zone coverage; you'd be leaving a lot of opportunities for the offensive team to make plays around you, dump and chase, etc., and basically giving the opposing team lots of time and space in general. You're not going to win a 3 on 3 like that, even if it makes it slightly harder to beat you.

All you really need is one fast guy with a good set of hands and he can just skate through 3 defenders on the ice fairly easily. There's a lot of space out there.

[pumaAttack]

Links?

I want to know how you play a neutral zone trap in 3 on 3. It's a man coverage situation and the trap is zone coverage; you'd be leaving a lot of opportunities for the offensive team to make plays around you, dump and chase, etc., and basically giving the opposing team lots of time and space in general. You're not going to win a 3 on 3 like that, even if it makes it slightly harder to beat you.

All you really need is one fast guy with a good set of hands and he can just skate through 3 defenders on the ice fairly easily. There's a lot of space out there.

Not a trap in the traditional LW lock style, but rather keeping three people back on D.

One skater is not going to beat three guys playing defense...  

 

The fastest puck handler on the ice isn't going to be easy to lock down.  With only 6 players on the ice there's a lot of open ice, so unless the NHL permits icing like they do during power plays I don't see how they can shut it down.  

Because it is far and away easier to play D in the NHL than it is to score.  Just look at the average goals per game, even with all the new rules to help scoring.  Teams are better at D than an individual is at scoring.

[billchao]

Not a trap in the traditional LW lock style, but rather keeping three people back on D.

One skater is not going to beat three guys playing defense...  

I had a feeling you were talking about collapsing around the goalie. The problem with that is you're basically conceding possession. Good luck winning the game from your own zone, where the attacking team can change one guy at a time easily and pass the puck around until you are tired or a good opportunity opens up.

One guys doesn't have to go through 3 players if you're not going to engage the other 2 on the ice.

[pumaAttack]

I had a feeling you were talking about collapsing around the goalie. The problem with that is you're basically conceding possession. Good luck winning the game from your own zone, where the attacking team can change one guy at a time easily and pass the puck around until you are tired or a good opportunity opens up.

One guys doesn't have to go through 3 players if you're not going to engage the other 2 on the ice.

You are not necessarily conceding possession.  If you can keep puck possession and keep players back on D.  You don't have to cycle in the offensive zone to have puck possession.  

Listen, I hope I am wrong.  I want the NHL to be more exciting and up tempo.  I am just skeptical because of all the defense first mentality coaches in the league. 

[iacas]

You are missing the entire point...

No, I'm not. I just disagree with you.

The OT is going to become locked down,  it will 100% happen.  Just look at the game in general.  Defense rules the systems of any good team.

No it doesn't.

Look at the teams that made the SC Finals last year. And while it's commonly believed that "defense wins championships" it's not accurate. It's a bit of a myth. Not gonna get into it here, but there's a whole lot of stuff out there on that.

I'm not talking about axioms and myths and what people think is true, either.

Not a trap in the traditional LW lock style, but rather keeping three people back on D.

One skater is not going to beat three guys playing defense...  

Yeah… not gonna happen. 

Seriously, they're not gonna collapse around the goalie and concede possession. It'll be a firing gallery. Shots bouncing around near the goalie (off one of those collapsed defenders?) and the game is over.

I don't care if you put two guys out there and a Shooter Tutor: NHL forwards, particularly the skilled ones who aren't being pressured and thus having to skate much or play D, will score.

[mcanadiens]

Habs formula win. Score just enough goals and watch the famous CP save the bacon again. 

Need to sort out paying for Center Ice or I'm barely going to see five games this year.

[pumaAttack]

Where did my post go?  

Playing defense on the posts now? 

[iacas]

Where did my post go?  

Playing defense on the posts now? 

I don't know what you're talking about. The last post I saw in this thread prior to yours was from @mcanadiens.

You've shared your opinion, I've shared mine. The only thing we can do now is sit back and wait. Will 3-on-3 likely produce less scoring in March than it does in October? I'd say "probably" if I had to guess.

But that's quite different from saying that it will be locked down and teams will just play to reach the shootout or whatever. My hunch is that we'll see more (%) games end in OT with 3-on-3 than we did with 4-on-4, and I'm on record as saying that.

All we can do now is wait and see. You're on record, as am I. No sense repeating ourselves now.

Edited October 8, 2015 by iacas

[pumaAttack]

I don't know what you're talking about. The last post I saw in this thread prior to yours was from @mcanadiens.

You've shared your opinion, I've shared mine. The only thing we can do now is sit back and wait. Will 3-on-3 likely produce less scoring in March than it does in October? I'd say "probably" if I had to guess.

But that's quite different from saying that it will be locked down and teams will just play to reach the shootout or whatever. My hunch is that we'll see more (%) games end in OT with 3-on-3 than we did with 4-on-4, and I'm on record as saying that.

All we can do now is wait and see. You're on record, as am I. No sense repeating ourselves now.

Fair enough.

Again, I hope I am wrong and we see that exciting hockey.  Moving on...

 

I am surprised with how good the Sharks looked last night.  Jumbo Joe shooting on a 3 on 1??

[Hardspoon]

Interesting:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nhl-coaches-are-pulling-goalies-earlier-than-ever/