Three games in four days and the keys to victory ...

After a nearly two-week game hiatus, the boys will play three games over the next four days. To get back in the win column, there are several simple things that must be executed.

1. Everyone must play with urgency and intensity for a full 45 minutes. It cannot be the same five or six guys carrying the load—every player who jumps over the boards has to give 100%. There can be no casual coasting into the offensive zone on the forecheck and no being second to puck battles. Everyone plays hard, every shift.

   
   

2. The team must protect the net front. Forwards—especially the weak-side winger (the winger on the opposite side of the puck in the defensive zone)—must stay home in the zone, specifically in the net-front and slot area, and ensure clear possession before leaving their post. Too often, forwards take off up ice anticipating a breakout before the puck is actually secured, and the play immediately turns back toward the net.

   
   

   Weak-side winger play in the defensive zone has been one of the biggest issues this season. When the puck is in the opposite corner, the weak-side winger must get to the slot and be responsible for coverage. Net-front and slot coverage is not just the defensemen’s job—it is a five-man responsibility and specifically the off wingers.

   
   

   The group must stay engaged: win possession first, then go. Until possession is clearly established, players must stay home in the defensive zone and not be premature and anticipate the breakout

   
   

3. In the offensive zone, the team needs to create pressure and get pucks to the net. Too often this season, play has stayed on the perimeter instead of attacking the middle and the net front. Ironically, most goals have come from in tight—at the net front and on rebounds. If this team wants to score more, everyone has to get to the net.

   
   

   This team is at its best when it forechecks hard, sustains pressure, and cycles the puck in the offensive zone. No team likes pressure. When the forecheck is committed all the way in—without coasting—it forces opposing defensemen into mistakes. More pressure leads to more turnovers, and more turnovers lead to more scoring opportunities.

   
   

   The team gets into trouble when players fly into the zone but coast the final ten feet before engagement, allowing opposing defensemen to feel comfortable and make clean plays. The forecheck must be finished. Opponents must be made uncomfortable.

   
   

4. Take care of the puck—especially in the defensive zone—and limit unforced mistakes. Players do not need to force highlight plays every shift. Often, the best decision is the simple one: get the puck to a safe area. That means chipping pucks off the glass to relieve pressure, making clean and intentional exits, and avoiding blind or rushed passes in the defensive zone that put the team at risk.

#LexGo

Net front is where goals are scored!