Defense question

[Nexxus6 0]

You are playing defense and the other team has a 2 on 1 against you break away. Do you try and stay between the 2 opposing players and try to prevent a pass or do you stick close to one player so your goalie only has to worry about the other player???

[fatwabbit 93]

I think the rule of thumb is for you (D man) to stay between the two of them, and cut out the pass... let the goalie handle the shooter/one carrying the puck.

[reyno2ac 0]

^What he said^

If you can, try to take the pass away and then at the last second make a move toward the puck carrier to try and stop him from shooting/passing.

[Chadd 916]

Take away the pass and prevent the guy with the puck from crossing the middle of the ice. You can't just play the man without the puck as the guy with the puck can put himself into a great scoring position if you ignore him completely.

^What he said^

If you can, try to take the pass away and then at the last second make a move toward the puck carrier to try and stop him from shooting/passing.

You can't make a last second move against most players. You should be cutting down on the puck carriers angle all along.

[TomMc#4 0]

i dont play D, but i was always told that you should cut the pass but put slightly more pressure on the puck carrier. 60:40 split

[eric42434224 1]

My goalie in adult league (lower level) made a great point. He said he wanted me to take the shooter because that guys at that level can shoot ok, but the skill it takes to thread a pass through a d-man and get it on the stick, and get a shot off accurately, really isnt seen in our league. I was always taught to take the pass and give the goalie the shot...and I know in higher levels that is the correct play. Different plays for different scenarios and levels of play.

[Chadd 916]

My goalie in adult league (lower level) made a great point. He said he wanted me to take the shooter because that guys at that level can shoot ok, but the skill it takes to thread a pass through a d-man and get it on the stick, and get a shot off accurately, really isnt seen in our league. I was always taught to take the pass and give the goalie the shot...and I know in higher levels that is the correct play. Different plays for different scenarios and levels of play.

You always have to judge the talent of the guys you're up against and adjust accordingly.

[MLSman 22]

You always have to judge the talent of the guys you're up against and adjust accordingly.

True, there are always exceptions to every rule...but the general rule is as stated by chadd.

The defenseman's job is to perform two functions: 1. To split the two players and prevent the pass. 2. To keep the puck carrier wide to increase their angle to the center of the net and decrease their chance of a high percentage shot on the goalie. Prevent the pass, and keep em wide.

[Slapshot9123 0]

I take away the pass using the posts as a guideline if the players are at the dots, as they get in closer start cheating towards the shooter and force him to make a play.

[phunky_monkey 6]

As has been mostly stated above, number 1 priority is to take away the passing lane and let your goalie worry about the shot. If the goalie has to worry about the pass and shot he can't get himself into the position needed to best cut out the initial shot.

So I'll usually take the middle of the ice, forcing the second player out but making sure my stick is still a threat to the shooter if they get cheeky and try to cut in. It all depends on the situation and your opposition though, but that's my rule of thumb.

[hockeyplayer778 0]

Course taking the pass is the number one priority. You really have to keep an eye on the player shooting in (without the puck) to make sure he doesnt get behind you to receive an easy pass and 9/10 goal. You want to defend pass first, you want to inch your way over to the puck carrier cuz once he is too deep.. he can only shoot and you can block the shot or hurry his shot so it isn't a real close scoring chance.

thats how i play it anyways.

[Chadd 916]

Course taking the pass is the number one priority. You really have to keep an eye on the player shooting in (without the puck) to make sure he doesnt get behind you to receive an easy pass and 9/10 goal. You want to defend pass first, you want to inch your way over to the puck carrier cuz once he is too deep.. he can only shoot and you can block the shot or hurry his shot so it isn't a real close scoring chance.

thats how i play it anyways.

If they guy has any talent you won't be able to block his shot and take away the pass. You have to be careful to avoid trying to do too much.

[dcdot377 0]

you should talk to your goalie and see what he/she prefers. as a goalie, i prefer when the dman takes away the pass and when the puck carrier gets in close, takes a step over to discourage a deke, forcing the puck carrier to either shoot or try to force a pass

[CTK30 0]

Go slightly towards to the player without the puck

[biff44 0]

The answer is not so clear cut.

If you are in a crappy league, take the puck carrier--since he will probably not be able to pull off the pass.

If you are in a better league, take the 2nd guy, since the goalie can probably handle the shooter.

If you are in a very high level league, you have to play both! You can not just let a puck carrier in too close on your goalie, as he will get beaten more times than not. But you can certainly not let a crisp pass get to the 2nd guy, since your goalie will not be able to move from one side of the net to the other quick enough. The best compromise usually is to skate down the middle, but more to the side of the 2nd guy, and aim for goalie post on the 2nd guys side as you skate backward. Somewhere around the faceoff circles you have to decide who you are going to go for. Sometimes you can "tell" a guy is not going to pass, and you can move more over to the first guy. In any event, you have to for sure be in position to keep the 1st guy from being able to move laterally across the crease mouth with the puck, and you for sure have to be in position LOOKING to clear any rebounds.