Reply To: Daily Drill Section Fourteen

[Tom Molloy]

Pentalty Killing Principles

I am re-posting these ideas about Penalty Killing. It seems that all teams now do the Fall Under where the weak side player vs. a 1-3-1 covers the player in the middle. I was at a game vs. Washington and the pk let Ovechkin take 4 one timers from his off witng and then did the same with Stamkos. Needless to say it didn't seem like a good idea.

Instead the defenders should be in a diamond with the player on top not much farther than the top of the circles with his legs in front of the shot. Never chase a pass to the side but stay in the middle and drop down to their player in the middle of the 1-3-1 and allow the F and D on the sides to get in front of the shooter and the D in front to box out. So the middle high man goes up and down from the goal out. Be aggressive unless the pp has total control facing the play.

Skate from the net out and don't chase passes to the side but stay on the puck carrier if he skates with it. Here is a posting I made a few years ago. I still play hockey with the same group on M-W morning.
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A couple of days ago I asked Bob Murdoch, former two time Stanley Cup winning player and Coach
of the Year in the NHL and Germany if he would discuss his thought on specialty teams with me. Last
year I was coaching with Pierre Page and he used a very aggressive PK that they used together as
assistants on the Flames. So I wanted to compare their ideas. Mud agreed to meet with me and we
went to an empty dressing room after our over 55 morning game and I listened for an hour.

http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3847 is his hockey db profile and he played for
legends like Fr. Bauer, Scotty Bowman and coached with Bob Johnson who he thing was the best
teacher.

So here are the thoughts that we talked about and drew on the coaching board.

Penalty Killing:

Murdoch has gone away from the ultra aggressive penalty kill rotation that Pierre uses with the Red
Bulls. He thinks it works great if all 4 players move together every time but if they don’t rotate or
over rotate then it leave players open in scoring positions.

Scoring Area: (diagram in attached pdf.)

Guidelines:

– The goal of penalty killing is to protect the front of the net and keep the puck to the outside.

– Go to the puck “through the net” in a straight line. Pads denying the shot and stick on the
ice in a dangerous passing lane.

– Be aggressive with the stick on the puck if you can arrive at the same time or before the
puck or if the attackers back is turned and he/she doesn’t have complete puck control.

– The closest player always challenge with the stick on the ice, skating in a straight line
while the other players rotate.

Always
1. one player rotate to the front of the net
2. one on the puck,
3. one denying the slot pass but ready to move to a short passing option.
4. farthest player with the stick in the dangerous passing lane and usually has the 2-1.

– When they pass away drop down into the scoring area with the stick on the ice denying passes across or into the scoring area. Prevent passes through the slot.

– Penalty Killing vs the Slot Set Power Play.
–
– Don’t get tied up with players, you must be free to rotate. Take their stick when the puck is coming don’t wrestle them.
– Don’t finish checks on the pk. It takes you out of the play and you can’t rotate.
– Skate in straight lines up and back and Don’t Chase to the Outside.
– D should not go to the point.
– Don’t rotate positions but challenge the puck and then drop back into the slot area.
– Drop back quickly so they can’t pass behind you. It is the most dangerous play.

I will post the pk vs. Diamond tomorrow.

Diagrams in the pdf. describe this.

Attachments

• T4 Penalty Killing Principles.pdf (163 KB)

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