Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
The one thing that Gulutzan has been able to do that Hartley could never quite figure out was how to adapt to different teams' style of play. Hartley would just try the same thing over and over, regardless of how the other team was defending or attacking. My biggest beef with Hartley was his inability to make in-game adjustments. Gulutzan has been doing that pretty well.
I've noticed in a couple games now that the system is always there, but they might make an adjustment or two to tweak it in game. For example, the Jets are an all out forecheck team, hoping for mistakes from the other side (not dissimilar from the Flames) but they didn't have enough defensive support after that first wave of forecheckers. I noticed that GG had the defensemen just flip the puck over their heads or lightly bounce it off the glass out of the zone, where 3 of our forwards were waiting for it leading to an odd-man chance. That single-handedly forced the Jets to abandon the aggressive forecheck, and when they didn't, the Flames scored goals.
Then the game before against Arizona, the Coyotes were playing their best version of the Tippett trap style of game, with the odd aggressive play in the offensive zone. The only way to beat that neutral zone system is to make lots of short passes in tight quarters, and occasionally chip it past the defenseman and forecheck like crazy. The Flames were outmatched in the 1st, but then adapted, and over the course of the game eventually won the battles.
I can't remember the team (Anaheim maybe?), but a few games before that, the opposition was taking away everything along the boards, the area the Flames traditionally break out of their zone from. The Flames were getting hemmed in and struggling to get any offensive attack going. GG get his defenders to make the adjustment by carrying the puck out of the zone directly up the middle. All of a sudden the momentum shifts and the Flames skate to an easy victory just from one adjustment.
He hasn't been perfect by any means, but I'm really seeing the value Gulutzan is bringing to this team. I still want to see a full season of his abilities before making a final assessment, but he seems to have things under control for the most part.
|
I don't think it's a coincidence that the 2nd period has been the best period for the Flames of late for the reasons you mention. One thing is that Gulutzan's system uses the board as part of the game very extensively. Almost ever transition on defense happens because of a quick pass using the board to an available player and a pass to centre, or a quick pass to the outside and carried through near the board. Much like Hartley's system of long end to end passes, it can be countered, but What Gulutzan does differently is see how they are being defended against and adapts to beat the opposition's forecheck / defence, not force the system.
Odd man rushes against have been a rarity (mostly caused by Brodie brain farts of late).