Two on Oh No's

A 2-0 is a rare phenomenon in hockey, and that's probably why coaches don't emphasize it too much. But the expectation remains that it should result in a goal almost every time, even though, as we'll see from the below clips, this is far from reality. In this article, we'll show some examples of two-on-ohs gone wrong, discuss why they went wrong, and hopefully convince casual and serious readers alike that this situation is worth preparing for.

Before we watch some film, let's discuss 2-0 theory a bit. This topic can get bogged down by how many passes (if any) ought to occur, but the truth of the matter is that only the last one really counts. And that pass is all about timing. Too soon, and you give the goalie enough time to slide over. Too late, and you miss the window. In the NHL, things become even more nuanced. Goalies are so big and agile that they are scary-good at covering both sides of the net. They aren't dumb either—they know when a 2-0 is happening and will be expecting a pass of some kind, which is often why not passing can be so effective, as seen in this clip from a few nights ago: 

This next clip offers another example—admittedly, from the All-Star game in which "the code" of passing it your buddy is relaxed, along with expectations of scoring—but even in a real game, short-side shots like this would work, given that goalies must position themselves more centrally in order to hedge both sides. Kyrou knows this and takes advantage: 

Usually, though, players pass the puck at least once, and that's because they should. Getting the goalie to move side to side is generally more potent than the surprise value of a shot. If you can make the passes count, that is. This next clip is a great example of not making the pass count; it was too early and therefore negated most of the value of having a 2-0: 

Now, in our humble opinion here at Along the Ice, we think a pass that is somewhere between early and last minute is the best one, as long as your teammate understands that he should immediately pass it back. You want the goalie to think that the first pass is the pass, and launch over to make a highlight-reel save, only for you to get it back with a wide-open net. This was executed beautifully by the Panthers last year: 

Sometimes, having limited time and space can help with timing and spacing, strangely enough. The opposite can happen, too. This next video shows what can happen when players have too much time and space: 

Katchouk, who is barely in the league anymore, rushes his first pass to Colton, who rushes his pass back to Katchouk. The goalie bites on these passes about as much as a vampire would bite into a bulb of garlic. It was only by the divine intervention of Horvat's stick that the puck ended up in the net. Unfortunately, there was no such luck for Pageau and Martin here: 

Right idea, wrong execution. Meanwhile, in addition to screwing up the execution, players can also make the mistake—and I can't believe I'm saying this—of not joining a 2-0 at all. We can rib Pageau and Martin all we want, but at least they wanted to score. In the below clip, Helm does his best impression of Bartleby: he'd "prefer not to" have a Grade AAA chance: 

No doubt, Helm thought he could avoid being featured in this article if he was never *technically* part of a 2-0...but really, he should have known better. 

Before signing off, I should mention a few more things about the 2-0. The first and most obvious one is: get the goalie to bite! This is what most players would do on a breakaway or shootout, yet because of the uniqueness of the situation and the lack of preparedness, you saw relatively little fakery or deception in these clips. Yet, if the point of a 2-0 is to use your teammate to move the goalie out of position, then something like a fake shot can freeze the netminder, making the pass over to your teammate more dangerous, thus provoking a larger cross-crease lunge, and finally improving the % of net you'll be looking at when the puck comes back. In short, selling the goalie on an idea other than the one in your mind is always beneficial, and in this case will give your 2-0 spacing and timing a bit more cushion.

Finally, certain high-end players, especially those who are comfortable with one another, will end up passing the puck back and forth 3+ times. Regardless of the number, it still holds true that the last pass matters most. But sometimes this dizzying array will cause the goalie to give up on tracking each pass and just sort of freeze in the middle of the net. Once this happens, players do well to bury something short-side, as deceptively as possible to keep the goalie in his lizard-like repose. For a clinic on this kind of approach, we'll end with Crosby and Guentzel. Not only do these guys know each other well, but I can also guarantee they practice this all the time, probably just for fun: 

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Take your time out there,
Josh