In-Zone Innovations (IZIs)

‍Introduction

In hockey, in-zone offense is distinguished from offense "on the rush." In-zone offense happens when the attacking team establishes possession in the offensive zone, whereas "the rush" happens as they move into that offensive zone. We'll talk about the rush in a separate article, but in this one I'd like to focus on in-zone attack, which is traditionally based on "the cycle." Simply put, the cycle is when 3 players interchange (or cycle through) positions in a circle. These positions are: in the corner (most often with the puck), in the high slot, and in front of the net. Here's a diagram:

You'll notice from the dotted lines that the main idea is for F1 to feed F3 in the slot. But F1 actually has two more options: he can look to the point or try to beat his man out of the corner. If nothing is available, F1 should cycle it back to the corner and replace F3 in the slot. Then F2 can grab the puck and begin everything again. This continues until a scoring chance is generated.

It should be mentioned that none of these options is particularly potent except for beating your man to the net, which is extremely difficult to do unless you're Pavel Datsyuk. The next-best opportunity is the high slot, but defenses prioritize taking this away. Meaning much of the time, the puck is going to the point. And while the presence of someone in front of the net for screens, deflections, and rebounds makes that a viable option, the reality is that the best (and most exciting) chances usually occur on the rush. The cycle is just what you do when the rush is over, you still have the puck, and life must go on.

Of course, the cycle never works exactly as drawn up, either. The basic structure is often creatively worked upon by the world's best players. The following sequence from the Penguins is a good example of that. It's not textbook cycling, but it's close enough that people who know and watch the game would unanimously call this "cycling the puck": 

‍

The purpose of this article is to walk through some recent innovations or alternatives to the traditional cycle. (I.e., more meaningful alterations than the "normal" alterations in the video above.) We'll first look at the "high cycle" begun by Carolina 5-10 years ago and since perfected by Nathan Mackinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. Next, we'll review what I have been calling the "duck, duck, goose" variation. Finally, we'll finish with some behind-the-net play, which is just as dirty as it sounds.

‍

The High Cycle

The "high cycle" is a regular old cycle that has moved locations. Specifically, from the low corner (circa goal-line extended) to the area around the blue-line. This shift is more than just nominal though. It introduces new characters to the play and recalculates risk-reward. Perhaps the most obvious thing about it—that any mistake will result in a breakaway against—has prevented its introduction for so long. However, the advantages may outweigh the risks with the right players, preparation, and attitude. Those advantages are:

• a shot from the point is more dangerous than one from the corner;
• defenders aren't accustomed to defending this area of ice;
• mismatches between defensemen and wingers might be more marked than differences between forwards and defensemen. For example, Makar versus a winger might be a better matchup than MacKinnon versus a defenseman. A big part of this is that wingers aren’t trained to defend nearly as much as defensemen, but another piece is that coaches don't determine matchups based on this dimension

Despite these potential advantages, the jury is still out on the high cycle. Not many players or teams are utilizing it, but those who are, are finding success—none more so than Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. In the below video, watch how MacKinnon creates a 3-2 high in the zone by wading out to the blueline, while his assignment stays low (where he is accustomed to staying). Mac doesn't hesitate to take advantage.

‍

This next video is a great example of the risk. The play could have easily gone the other way. Instead, it's an Avs goal thanks to Mac's unconscious drag n’ pop at the blueline: 

‍

This next clip opens with traditional cycle positioning. Once Raantanen finds the point, though, MacKinnon doesn't crash the net as is typical. Instead, he gets himself open for a one-timer by traveling to the mile-high slot: 

‍

Mac going to the high slot not only changes the shooting angle on the goalie, it also provides Landeskog some space to do his thing. Mac is so open, meanwhile, because his defender is assuming he'll go to the net.

Think this is just a regular season thing? Think again. The late Pete McNab understands what's going on here:

‍

Think this was a last year thing? Think again again:

‍

As of yet, there is no final word on the high-cycle. Not enough teams are doing it for us to judge its viability as a league-wide approach. However, what MacKinnon and the Avalanche have been able to accomplish is nothing short of extraordinary.

With such an obvious upside, I’m surprised more teams and players haven’t followed suit. Risks can be reduced with practice and preparation, if that is the concern. On the other hand, today’s players are more comfortable than ever with the puck on their stick, deflections are at a high-water mark, and defensemen almost NEED an offensive upside just to break into the league. So, from where I’m sitting, this strategy is more enticing than it’s ever been. It should become more prevalent; we’ll see if it does.

‍

Duck, Duck, Goose

The "duck, duck, goose" alternative to the cycle is named after the kid's game where you chase the person who called you a "goose" around the circle until they find a seated position (something has gone wrong if you catch them). In hockey, it's when the player with the puck skates in a circle around the offensive zone, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Players should be doing this much more frequently for two reasons. First, it's incredibly hard to steal the puck from someone who is skating very hard in one direction. Secondly, if 3v3 overtime has taught us anything, it's that NHL players have no clue how to switch on screens. This is something NBA players and NFL corners practice all the time, but for some reason—perhaps because it's not a frequent or intentional part of the game—hockey players don't.

We've already chronicled this in a number of different places. In The Crosby Conundrum, we showed Crosby veering from Orlov for one split second due to a streaking Wilson and thereby costing his team the game. In Guess Whose Fault?, we show the Blue Jackets getting hoodwinked by a not-particularly-crafty give-and-go.

These kinds of clips are low-hanging fruit. They're a dime-a-dozen. NHL players have NO IDEA what they're doing out there when opposing players move laterally. It becomes painfully obvious in this clip of Johnny G making his rounds: 

‍

Johnny gets passed off until he doesn't, his last defender refusing to follow him because his dog collar is set to only one side of the ice. Johnny pots a goal and gets his coffee to go.

Now, Johnny went counter-clockwise—being the rebel he is—but for the 9-to-5ers out there, clockwise is an option, too: 

‍

(This is something Mikheyev is almost forced into by virtue of not being among the most skilled on his team. "Keep it clockwise, kid, and in a few years we can talk about reversing your flow.")

Let's cap things off with a little Kaprisov:

‍

“Duck, duck, goose” should suit players whose edgework is extraordinary, like McDavid, Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Marner. But the biggest thing, as always, is attitudinal. I'd be willing to bet that even Pat Maroon could pull this off. Players just need to be more patient, get the legs churning, and keep circling until something juicy opens up. This is way more potent than cycling it back down low, in large part because each time that is done, it leaves room for something to go wrong in the exchange.

‍

Behind the Net Play

Finally, nobody has opened up the area behind the net as much as Zegras since Forsberg and Hejduk. Ah, should we revisit those halcyon days for a moment? I think so:

(The second, in particular, was their bread-and-butter.)

After Forsberg and Hejduk, the NHL went into a hibernation period as far as behind-the-net innovation was concerned. Sure, players have always been aware that the net acts as a natural pick and thus opens space for offensive and defensive players alike. But on the offensive side, this space was mostly used to feed players in the slot, who had an advantage on goalies because of the difficulty of tracking a puck from an unseen area. The player behind the net wasn't much of a scoring threat himself, though, and the less so to the extent that large, mobile goaltenders in butterfly formation easily protected against wraparounds. (We should give some credit to players like Crosby who perfected the bank shot off goalies from behind the cage.)

Then Zegras comes along and says—"Forwards, we can do better." Specifically, his variations on "The Michigan" have made the NHL more like indoor lacrosse. This is problematic for goalies who have been taught to master the bottom part of the net, since Zegras can shelf the cookie himself:

‍

or alley-oop it to a teammate:

‍

Nor has the traditional threat of feeding the slot gone away; goalies and defensemen must now protect against both. The only surefire defense is to take away time and space behind the net, which should create more room out front.

Zegras isn't the first to do this move in the NHL, by the way. Other players have pulled it off (along with some other stuff) over the past decade or so. The difference is how good Zegras is at it. The speed with which he pulls it off, along with the variations, make this a sustainable and expandable threat. Players coming into the league should increasingly have this in their arsenal.

‍

Conclusion:

These IZIs aren't the first alternatives to the cycle and they won't be the last. They do, however,  represent the frontier of in-zone offense in the best league in the world. Gold-standard offensive players are adding them to their toolbelt—or else. Stay tuned for additional articles regarding innovations off the rush and on special teams.

‍

(Main article photo courtesty of Bally Sports)