LeBrun - The NHLs scoring boom has gone supersonic, with wacky scores and no safe leads

Last updated Dec 9, 2022 Edit Source

• News post

• Pierre LeBrun

We’ve got some ’80s hockey back in vogue, minus the Cooperall pants and Jofa helmets, of course. We’re talking about wild, high-scoring games.

• Drew Doughty

• Todd McLellan
• Rob Blake

# Todd McLellan

It’s a pretty freewheeling game right now. Probably not a lot of fun for the goaltenders or some nights for the coaches. But for the fans, it’s great.

I did read Doug’s comments. I thought it was interesting. I think the game has been going that way. It takes a tone early in games and it seems to stick with it. It’s hard to correct that tone. That (9-8) game with Seattle that night, it was a shootout at the O.K. Corral. But the talent that’s coming in now has changed. It’s deeper. There’s more of it. There’s a belief that everybody can contribute offensively. Teams’ makeups are different now. The fourth line is as dangerous as the second line some nights because of the skill level.

The generation that’s entering the league now only knows that. It never played any other way.

That type of tempo and offense is hard to stop. It’s taxing on a group of players to commit to that and block shots and grind it in the corners. So sometimes the loose play goes both ways, and you end up with 17 goals in a game.

# Drew Doughty

It’s completely different. A way faster game. More skill. The fourth-line guys, back in the day, they were going to just dump and chase. You didn’t have to worry about them trying to ‘one-on-one’ you. Now you can’t underestimate anyone on any team because they’re going to try it.

I never had that in my whole life growing up. Last summer was the first summer I worked on individual skills stuff. I had never done that my whole career. I would just scrimmage all summer. That’s how I would get ready for the season. This was the first summer I did that.

Guys aren’t afraid to make passes that are completely blocked off. They’ll still try to make it. That did not happen back in the day. Yeah, guys are just more skilled now. Faster. It’s harder to play defense now. And I do feel that a lot of guys don’t focus on defense as much as they did back in the day.

# Rob Blake

Any rule that’s been put into effect, whether it’s from goalie equipment to (minimizing) obstruction to (a crackdown on) cross-checking, it all adds to offense. It adds to the players that if they get open, they can now make these plays.

Every one of our players worked with a skills coach this summer. So what they’re working on is their offensive ability. But it used to be, you would learn how to protect a puck, how to come out of a corner, what’s the next play. Now they’re actually taking it to the next level. Now you’re seeing your east-west passes, cross-ice passes, left and right — they’re automatic for players now. That’s the next play. ‘I can get out of the corner. I’ve got that skill. Now I’m looking at the next play that’s going to lead to the best shot to score.’ And then a combination now of coaching staffs really focusing on teaching offense — all that accumulation has led to this type of game where two- and three-goal leads, you sit up there now and you’re like, ‘I don’t know how safe this lead is.'

I just think the offense is pushing harder and harder.