Following Monday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes — in which the Vancouver Canucks produced six shots on goal between the first and third periods — Daniel Sedin was asked if the NHL is being dragged slowly but surely back to the dead-puck era.
He paused for a moment. Dead-puck era, he asked? Yes, answered his interrogator. Dead-puck. You know. No goals. No offence. Neutral zone clogged like a fat guy's arteries. Jacques Lemaire.
Oh, said the Canucks winger. Right. He then launched into an answer which suggests he's familiar with the concept. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Symptoms+dead+puck+unsettling+Canucks/6153702/story.html#ixzz1mStwOfec
Shacks' Take: Willes has this one dead right; the trap is back and in all its glory. If you read my Phoenix game review, you'll know I believe the best way for a talented team to beat a grinding group is to play the same meticulous style. Basically if both teams get the same amount of chances the team with the superior talent should win. Unfortunately it produces tedious affairs exactly like the one in Vancouver on Monday. This can't come as a surprise to anyone who's paying attention, Philadelphia's coach Peter Laviolette pointed it out by showing Tampa Bay's defensive system that doesn't allow fore-checkers into the offensive zone once the defensive team has possession.
Winning is the bottom line in this league and the quickest way to fill the stadium is icing a team that makes the playoffs year in and year out. Coaches know if the team lacks talent the only way to get there is out-grinding the opposition. Nashville is a perfect example of a team in a non-hockey market that plays the least exciting style of hockey ever but is enjoying huge success because they win. Until the league tweaks the rules to give an advantage to the offense, teams will use defense to hide their shortcomings.
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