Go Habs Go
Joined: Mar. 2017
Posts: 10,667
Likes: 4,092
I still believe it's mostly a case of playing the wrong way for the personnel they have. As a result, the team has no identity. They can't play a shutdown game. They can't play a transition game. They can't play a possession game.
What they are doing, is trying to pull elements from different areas and mash them together. Some of the things they are doing, simply don't work in combination.
For one example, you can't have forwards playing high in the defensive zone to cheat on transition, while you have your defense being jammed up behind the net, often by their own initiation.
If they aren't getting to pucks quickly and moving them before getting tied up (or able to maneuver the puck after being pressured), the forwards are stuck waiting for pucks that never come. The defense has to be quick enough to make the first play, or strong enough that they can work the puck into control.
Our defense is instructed to trade themselves off with a forward, preventing them from making clean plays or protecting the net.
Our forwards are instructed to wait for the puck to come up the boards instead of closing the gap or helping to recover possession.
That's just one way in which our strategy is contributing to poor results. There are other examples in many areas of our play. None of these flaws are being recognized or addressed. This is primarily a coaching issue. Personnel better suited to some of these tactics would help, but it's still not a strategy for success.