Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar speaks with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews, 7, on the bench during the second period at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Photo provided) :Andy Cross/Denver Post)
The best way to counter the Colorado Avalanche's aggressive style is to catch them on the counterattack, especially to make them pay for their high-risk mistakes.
There's just one problem. The Avalanche rarely makes those mistakes, and if they do, they erase them.
An Avalanche fan watching from a high enough vantage point in Ball Arena sees the opposing team attempting to leave the defensive zone with the puck and a clear odd-man rush opportunity appears to be unfolding. , you've probably gasped or thought, “Ah!” But when the conditions are right, the Avs will take a page out of his playbook from some of the best teams in European soccer.
What's the best way to stop a 2-on-1, 3-on-2, or more matchup? Crush it before it grows. This is the hockey version of “gegenpress”.
“I think we have good instincts as a group to understand where problems can arise and try to mitigate them before they become real problems,” he said in this particular game. Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews, who may be the best defenseman in the league, talked about this tactic. “A lot of times there are opportunities where players are forced to play under pressure that they don't want to play, or they don't realize they have an advantage and try to make a different play because of the pressure. there is.
“If you can spot a player who is putting his head down or a player in a weak spot without them even realizing it, you can mitigate a lot of those plays.”
The Avs are one of the best offensive teams in the league. They want to keep the puck. Most teams know that when Colorado is cooking, it's likely to spend a lot of time on defense.
But even the Avalanche's best players make mistakes in the offensive zone. Or someone makes a great defensive play. Or the puck just bounces around in a funny way.
At that time, a small window opens for the opposing team to attack. The Avs try to find a way to close it, and they've been very successful at it.
There isn't much public data to support this. His partner, Megan Chayka, of Stathletes, a Canadian company that tracks proprietary data. Announcing the ranking with the least number of odd rushes For each game in early December. Avuz tied for seventh, which seems impressive considering the amount of time they typically spend in the offensive zone. That means more chances to find the odd counter attack on the other team.
The Avs are also just outside the top 10 in shot attempts allowed from 5-on-5 rushes, according to Natural Stat Trick, but that data point could also use more context.
The philosophy of soccer is called “Gegenpress'' (German word for counterpressing). This is because several of Germany's top coaches have used and developed this tactic. And now it has become popular and merged with other strategies.
The idea is very simple. The best time to regain the ball is immediately after losing it, when the opposing team is still trying to transition from defense to attack. Attack the player who just stole the ball, blocking the closet exit and forcing a mistake.
“It's a read,” Toews said. “In soccer, you read where the ball is, where it's going to go next, who the most dangerous players are and force safer plays instead of more dangerous plays that are harder to defend.
“If we can put pressure on the guys and get the stick in before they turn and make a heads-up play, that’s what we’re trying to do. If we can transfer it to the player, that's better for us because he's not going to throw the puck (on the ice) with his backhand. He's going to want to pull up to get to his forehand. , that's going to slow him down, so just play off that.”
A defenseman's natural first step when he sees multiple players transition into attack can be backwards. You either fall back into a defensive position and hope someone rushes back to help you, or you protect the oddball as he approaches the goal.
Colorado's defense in this situation really starts with the offense and forwards. Jared Bednar often uses phrases like “reload” and “play on the puck.” While the Avalanche are attacking the offensive zone, the forwards must also stay aware of their positioning. Staying on top of the puck means positioning yourself between the puck and your net and reloading when needed to make that happen.
Having a forward in good position allows the defenseman to be more aggressive. When the Abs lose the puck in a situation like this, that's when their version of counterpressing comes into play.
“If you go backwards, there's no way to step up because you're going to go in the wrong direction,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “We trust our forwards to be on top of the puck, which means we can stand up and make those plays.”
The reason why it works is because the positioning of all five players is excellent. This activity is supported by two factors. Colorado State has good skaters on defense and a commitment from their forwards to get back on defense and help when needed.
All six defensemen are skating well, allowing them to be attack points for counter-presses, or come back and negate plays before the shot is actually taken. And when one of the defensemen pinches down along the wall trying to keep the puck in the zone or sneaks under the goal line to create an attacking opportunity, unless a forward takes their place. , the Avs are almost never caught.
Andrew Cogliano instructed his forwards to slide back for defensemen on the blue line or hustle back if an odd-man rush crossed the red line, which is non-negotiable in the Avalanche system. It wasn't there.
“We have very good awareness and we know that defense leads to offense,” Avs defenseman Jack Johnson said. “If we're aggressive, we force the opponent to play. For the most part, we're very aggressive.
“If I'm going to lose, I want to lose aggressively instead of backing down.”
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