Meds wrote:I've often found that the Canucks could use that space to really generate some more offense and be a threat in more ways than just the cute board play and give-and-go's. I hate watching the Sedin's when they start their phonebooth passing plays that allow defenders to smother them without surrendering a real passing lane to a scoring threat. The Wing's were often more spread out then we were last night once in the offensive zone, and their player movement away from the puck was much better. The only line that really excelled last night with the short range, in close passing and attack was Detroit's top line, and that is only because Datsyuk has amazing hands that are combined with quick feet. Hank and Dank have great hands too, but aren't as quick and shifty as Datsyuk.
Good observation.
The Canucks have had trouble in the offensive zone mostly because they're not disciplined in their positioning and aren't wining enough battles, nor are they making smart offensive plays.
Meds wrote:Bases are covered and you just set yourself up to score from 3 positions off the rebound following a shot, and have allowed for multiple passing opportunities as well as the option of setting back up as the R-dman can now slide to the L-point and the original trigger man can cover on the R-point until the team can cycle again.
The draw back of that is not having enough puck support on entries and scrums along the board. The Canucks like to overload so they can retrieve pucks and work off the side and end boards. Being spread out works better when you enter the zone with possession or are able to chip and chase and retrieve the puck without support or a hard battle.
I would like to see the Canucks be a bit more unpredictable offensively this year, and considering the league has seen enough of how the Canucks play, they need to have some new offensive looks to keep the opposition on their toes.