Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
I completely disagree with this, the best defense is to let the guy float up near the blueline while you trap his team deep on an offensive forecheck with the intent to bury it. You just need to make sure that your blueliners are aware of where he is and play him like you are a safety. Then you crush him when he reaches for a pass and leave him in a coma like a soap opera star.
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He's not much of a cherry picker though. His breakaway last night was from a giveaway deep in his own zone which he took and then just flat out beat everyone else down the ice. Including maybe the best skater on the Calgary.
I agree you can't play 100% defence - that's what took away a lot of the Monahan line's steam away last night. But you can be defensively aware. Brodie can't play as far in as he was (though the Flames were pressing for the tie at the time and had the puck, so it's understandable).
I do think you try to do a hard line match against him. GG shouldn't have settled for top line v. top line as much as he did, even though that would have limited JG and Monahan's ice time even more. Throw the 3M line plus Gio against him every chance you get, even if it means a snap change. They absolutely have to win faceoffs to control the puck, change lines and get the best matchup possible. Getting the 3M line also gets Tkachuk out as often as possible and if anyone's going to take McDavid off his mental game, it's Matt the brat.