The regular season is winding down and the playoffs are due to start sometime in early February if they haven’t already started. Whether you finished 1st or 8th during the regular season, the Playoffs are a whole new ballgame.
There will be some major upsets and a number of higher seeded teams will be eliminated if they are not physically and mentally prepared for the playoffs.
Coaches and parents must mentally prepare their players for these very emotional and stressful games because there is the possibility of losing if there’s not a full 100% team effort from every player on every shift.
Coaches must prepare a sound game plan and tell your players who the top players are of the opposing team. Try to have their stats pertaining to goals and assists and know their sweater number because if you let them skate freely and don’t cover/check them closely, they will fill your net with pucks like Alexander Ovechkin and you will be eliminated in the first round.
Coaches - during the playoffs it is much easier to prevent goals than it is to score them.
If you are coaching a lower seeded team or one that has difficulty scoring goals try to convince your players to buy into this prevent goals strategy and you will dramatically cut down your goals against and compete against the top seeded teams.
One way of doing this is to play sound defensive hockey when the opposition have the puck, especially in the neutral and your defensive zone.
Do not allow any odd man rushes; cover the wide winger and defence meet the rush outside your Blue Line.
The next thing you must do is to limit the opposition’s quality shots on goal.
Set a goal of cutting their shots on goal from 20 to 15, or by at least 25% a game. The fewer shots on goal, the fewer goals against your Team.
If shots can’t be prevented, try to make them originate from a bad angle near the boards, this should help your goaltender make the initial save. If possible, block as many shots from the slot and points and clear any rebounds out of your zone.
Backcheckers must skate back deep into the defensive zone and be ready to pick up all loose pucks and start a rush out of your end zone immediately.
For a lower seeded team playing a top scoring team, you can use a 1- man forechecking system but some coaches may want to send 2 men in to forecheck the opposition deep in their end to upset their clearing play and possibly cause some turnovers. The choice is yours.
Trial and error is one way to find out if a higher seeded team can be thrown off their game by aggressive forechecking or if a more passive defensive tactic of covering the wings is best.
The closest forward to their puckcarrier must aggressively check him while the 2 other forwards peel off to cover both their wingers to prevent them from receiving a pass. They must be covered all the way back to your goal line. If they do receive a pass, try to angle them towards the boards and a bad shooting angle. If you can, try to get your stick on the puck and deflect any pass into the seats or netting but prevent it from getting on goal. If the closest forechecker was successful in taking the puckcarrier off the puck, the 2nd closest forechecker must be quick off the mark to retrieve the loose puck in the offensive zone and create a 2 on 1 or a quality scoring opportunity.
Good backcheckers must cover their wing and watch the success or failure of their closest forechecker while at the same time be ready to pounce on any turnover or loose puck.
By playing this 1-2-2 system it allows your 2 defencemen, to play any puckcarrier outside your blue line and force the shooter to dump the puck into your defensive zone where it can be retrieved by your backchecking wingers.
By playing a disciplined defensive system, playing your position, and by not running all over the ice trying to catch their puck carrier you will keep the games close by reducing quality shots on goal and eliminating dangerous scoring chances.
Forechecking, backchecking, positional play, short shifts and positive comments from the coaching staff for every shift in which no goal was scored against you are the keys to build confidence, team spirit and playoff competitiveness even against the 1st place team.
On the other hand, if you are a top team with lots of scoring power, a 2 man forechecking system or the 2-1-2 method, will create many turnovers in the oppositions end creating many scoring opportunities.
Coaches know their teams strengths and weaknesses and will devise a game plan they think will help their team get to the next round of playoffs. Remain flexible and if one system is not working go to plan “B” . Use your best defencemen against the opposition’s top scoring line.
The Head coach must make the final decision to play either wide open offensive hockey or somewhat more conservative defensive hockey. Good luck to all.
Players - to be competitive in the playoffs you must concentrate on what to do away from the puck.
On offence, when your team has the puck, you must get into an open area or seam between two players like Brett Hull did to receive a pass then get a quick quality shot on goal.
On defence, when the opposition have the puck, you must find an open man in the neutral and defensive zone and cover him/her like a blanket so they cannot receive a pass. This will cut down the opposition's shooting and scoring chances.
In your defensive zone, one Defenceman must cover the closest player to the net while his partner fights for the puck in the corner. The Centre and weak side winger must stop and cover the slot, keep your head on a swivel and identify any open men. Use your stick to intercept/deflect passes.
The puck side winger is situated along the half boards and must be ready to help in the corner or move out to cover the point if the puck is passed back there.
Play aggressively and with intensity every time you are on the ice. You must win the battles for the loose puck at both ends of the ice. The goal you prevent is the one that might win the game for the opposition. Clear any rebounds out of harms way and your goals against will fall like a lead balloon and you will be in the game right to the very end.
Parents - playoff hockey is different from regular season hockey.
There is more checking, more hitting and usually goals are harder to come by.
Your son or daughter's role now is to prevent goals on every shift when the opposition have the puck and to try and score when your team has the puck.
In the Playoffs:
A successful shift is one in which no goals were scored against your child.
An unsuccessful shift is one in which a goal was scored against your child.
And a fantastic shift is one in which your child’s line scored a goal.
Applaud all the good defensive play’s that saved a goal, as this is Playoff Hockey.
Playoff Hockey is very stressful, emotional and exciting for all parents, but please remember it’s only a game where fun is the number one priority for the players. Relax and enjoy the game.
Good Luck to all teams, coaches and players in this year's playoffs.
Yours in hockey,
John Shorey
Author- Hockey Made Easy
