please no more dump and chase - watch this video!

[oldnews]

20 hours ago, Jester13 said:

OMG yes! I get so frustrated every time I see a player dump it in for a change when they can easily hold onto it and skate back, or pass it to the Dman to keep possession. It's such a wasted opportunity to still have the puck instead of giving away possession for no reason. Last time I checked the more you have the puck, the better your chances of winning a game will be.

I think it's still a situational thing though - particularly, for example, if a team has spent a long shift in their ozone, have finally gained an exit, but need a wholesale change - and/or are proably being pursued/pressured ....if the opposition is also changing, it enables the team to slow the pace, circle back, etc - but otherwise it's not always going to be possible, or even advisable (sometimes the safer play will simply be the traditional dump and change) - the last thing a tired line needs is to cycle the puck back to a D while the rest of the team changes, and in the meantime the opponent has not changed, and is jumping that D on the forecheck - that can also not end well.  In fact, watching the Leafs/CBJ series, I would say that one of their notable weak spots was handling the pressure and forecheck in their own zone -  hypothetically they may be playing for 'possession" - but they were getting dominated and their zone exits at times were quite poorly executed and inconsstent.

[MikeyD]

20 hours ago, Hectic said:

This makes a lot of sense, but I feel there has to be a reason why this doesn't happen. Perhaps: 

 

- Dumping the puck in on a tired defense pairing would make it harder for them to break out of the zone against a forecheck with fresh forwards. 

- Feeling confident in your ability to counter against a team's breakout can help potentially create odd man rushes. 

 

I do agree with you in that maintaining possession makes a lot of sense. But I feel that there's gotta be something that prevents this from being the norm

The reason is because if you screw it up, it's a great chance for the other team. It's safe hockey, just like chipping it out off the boards is. The best teams in the league you'll often see the plays off the half-wall, lots of carries into the offensive zone UNTIL pressure is applied. 
 

Canucks don't receive any pressure and they just throw it in still because that's the system that's been implemented. The Blues are heavy in the offensive zone, but in the neutral zone and defending the line they're on their heels, yet we seem so hell bent on getting pucks in deep as if that's the only way we can get offense. Problem is that we are doing this and changing without maintaining possession probably 75% of the time. 

It's why our possession numbers are terrible. We're literally handing them the puck and saying, "Your turn".