Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
With Gaudreau on the point the left shooting right half wall player has to get moving and find those seams.
Gaudreau will creep in on the left but there's nobody sliding into that pocket high and ready.
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Big factor for me with the PP layout is 2 fold:
1) Gaudreau is one of the best players in the league is subtly and slightly changing an angle on a goalie as he comes
at the goalie.
2) this combined with monahan screening the goalie and neal on the half wall means the play will be less about the 'corner-to-net-front' passing play that was prominent last year and more about having the goalie move laterally.
So, gaudreau on the point receives the puck and can dish it off, but more likely, drive down a bit towards the net forcing the defender to collapse. He can either try and pick a corner/look for a tip from monahan, or dish it across his body to neal waiting for the one touch play.
What that does though is it makes his relatively weak shot a ####load more effective because it's all about placement and proximity to the net.
Also, having enough legit forwards to staff 2 units of 4 f / 1 d should give the opposition PK a lot of fits.
Edit: pucks will be going in low glove short side if they are coming off neal's stick or over the shoulder blocker side if they are coming off gaudreau's stick.