Game Theory: Defending a 5 on 3

Defending a five on three is inherently difficult. Not only does the opposition have two more players they also have their most talented offensive players on the ice. In this situation the defending team must acknowledge that the offense will create some offensive opportunities. Instead of aiming to prevent all offensive chances, the goal for the defense is to force the offense to score with their second option.

Special Teams Could Keep Wings From Cup Run

Early in the season, one of the consistent talking points during Red Wing games was the team's incredibly success on special teams, particularly the Power Play. At one point the team was ranked in the top ten for both power play and penalty kill success. Currently Detroit ranks #1 on the man advantage and #12 when shorthanded. Due to the great importance of special teams in the playoffs, these appear to be encouraging signs as the team heads into the final stretch of the season. However by taking a closer look you find that despite the recent success, the Red Wing's special teams may be what keeps them from playing into May or June.

System Analysis: Red Wing Power Play Drop Pass

As we draw closer to the playoffs, the ability to execute at special teams becomes increasingly important. As goals become tougher to come by, a good power play can determine the outcome of an entire season. Due to the skill of teams today, most special teams play is decided at the blue line. I’m going to breakdown how and why the Red Wing’s drop pass took their Power Play to the top of the league and why decreasing their reliance on this play could improve their efficiency even further.

System Analysis: PK Breakdowns Threaten Wings' Playoff Chances

During Howard's injury the Red Wings went on an impressive run, going 9-2 without their number one starter. However during this streak the team carried by the offense as the Red Wings killed off only 73% of their penalties during this streak. For comparison, the Buffalo Sabres penalty kill is at 73.5% on the season. On Saturday night the PK problems continued as the Wings gave up 2 power-play goals against the Winnipeg Jets. The first was an incredibly bad goal that can only be attributed to Jimmy Howard's rust. However the second was the result of poor penalty killing, particularly by Darren Helm and Joakim Andersson. Two very subtle but smart plays allowed the Jets to move 200 feet, generate two scoring chances and take a 4-3 lead, all in under 15 seconds.

Systems Analysis: How the Bruins Beat the Wings

Heading into the season defense was a major question mark for the Red Wings. After striking out in free agency the talk of attempted upgrades (Tyler Myers anyone?) have followed the team all season. Despite this talk, the Wings started the season playing extremely well defensively giving up the least amount of shot attempts per 60 at even strength (45.7). So in one corner, the stats suggest that the strength of this team is defending. However, the eye test says that the Red Wings were dismantled by the Boston Bruins on Monday night due to the lack of skill on our back-end. I'll show how the new defensive systems have somewhat allowed the team to cover up the lack of elite defenders, but how this weakness can still be exploited by the league's elite.

System Analysis: We Lost to the Sabres?!?

Last night the Red Wings dominated possession but a inability to finish as well as a few defensive miscues allowed Buffalo to hang around and steal the win. After the game, Smith was asked about the two goals against the Red Wings. Te reported hinted that since they were the result of scrambles in front, the blame falls on the defensemen. Smith was very quick to disagree with him and talked about how it was more about getting pucks out of the zone and problems with their defensive system than the D clearing out bodies in front. I'm going to take a quick look at the goal and I’ll show you why I think this instance, Smith is absolutely correct.

Red Wing's PP System Analysis

Exactly one month ago I broke down how the Red Wing's PP was able to stay competitive without a right handed shooter. While most fans assume that the skill of the Red Wings should result in PP goals, the pieces simply do not fit together like the elite units in the NHL. In addition, with a full season to study coaches smarter than myself were able to determine how to shut down the Wings. I showed you how it works, now I'll show you what the opposition is doing to shut them down.

The Red Wings PP: No Righties Required

The other day Justin Bourne continued his excellent breakdown of each team's unique trait. His unique trait for the Red Wings was their extreme use of the slot to breakout, you can check that out here http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/56932. However, for this I’m going to use his breakdown of the Philadelphia Flyer’s elite power-play from last season. As you can see from the diagram he put up, the Flyers are in the perfect situation for a 1-3-1 power-play. With Claude Giroux as the primary puck handler, they have four elite scoring options.