Anybody watching hockey for the last few years remembers the lockout, the new rules, and of course, the new style of play that were introduced a few years ago. The idea was to eliminate obstruction and allow players to show off their skills. This was going to create a game that is more enjoyable for the fans to watch.

The NHL made a policy that put a ton of players in the penalty box. That season it seemed like you received a penalty every time you got your stick caught on another player.

However, penalties would eventually come down to the level that the NHL wanted, and the other parts of the game have started shining through.

The biggest rule change that they made was the shootout at the end of overtime. They did away with ties and gave fans the “full value of their ticket”.

Again, the idea was to create higher scoring games that would be more exciting for the fans. They also wanted to open up the game and allow good players to show off their skills, and force goalies to make even bigger saves. We began to see more dekes, better passing, more speed, and more outstanding saves from the goalies.

However, the biggest strategic mistake that you can make in the new NHL is to confuse “emphasis on scoring” with “emphasis on offense”. In fact, the opposite is true. To me, “emphasis on scoring” means “emphasis on defense” because you are being forced to play a tighter style of defense.

The NHL got rid of obstruction plays, so you can’t make up for mistakes the way that you used to. In fact, you can’t make a mistake at all. However, they did nothing to stop you from playing good fundamental defense. All they did was make the punishment for not playing solid defense more severe.

There are a lot of coaches out there (not just in the NHL) who play an aggressive forcheck. They try to leverage their offensive advantage as much as possible. They have confused “more scoring” with “more offense”.

Take a look at the teams that are playing well right now. Chicago and New Jersey are both leading their conferences. They also have the two best defenses in the NHL. Now, take a look at the Thrashers. They have the fifth best offense in the NHL, but their defense is terrible. They are 11th in the Eastern Conference and aren’t winning the games they need to put themselves in the playoffs.

However, the most important thing a team can have is a solid goalie. I really believe that a solid goalie will win championships for your team. That’s one thing that every top team in the NHL has in common. They all have an all star caliber goalie.

The idea is that you play solid defense, limit the scoring opportunities, and use your all star goalie to bail you out. He’s not a player that should be relied on, but a safety net.

The team that has figured this out the best is the Buffalo Sabres. Their strategy is very simple. Play three defensemen down low and use Ryan Miller (currently best in the league) to stop the easy shots. Offensively, they only make an attack when they see that an attack is possible. They rely on playing solid fundamental defense and keeping the puck to the outside. They wait for the other team to make a mistake and then capitalize on it offensively.

A lot of times, they’ll run three defensemen. Whether it’s in the offensive or defensive zone. Watch them, most of the time when they’re in the offensive zone, they’ll have three players on or close to the point. It’s very difficult to burn this team.

The defensive zone is the same way. They force you to play the puck to the outside and use their all star goalie to block the easy shots that come by the net.

Every team needs to learn something from this. The Sabres have figured something out. Like I said before, the NHL did not stop you from playing defense. They only made the punishment for making a mistake worst. The Buffalo Sabres have figured out that they can play solid defense, and wait for the other team to make a mistake. This gives them the opportunities that they need to have to score goals and win the game.

There are a ton of examples of teams this season that are losing because they lack defense. The Toronto Maple Leafs are another example. They have actually scored more goals than the Buffalo Sabres, but have half as many wins. It’s because they keep getting burned defensively, and the offense can’t keep up.

It’s just the way that modern hockey needs to be played. This system can be adopted at any level of play (except very young kids).

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are. I’m sure there are going to be different opinions on this, so please, let me know what you’re thinking.

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