Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddyjack
So, I looked through the forum and found a few hints but maybe there are some updated opinions about this.
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In my experience, best way is to ask two basic questions (for positional lines):
1) Do I have star forwards that can form one of the best 1st/2nd lines in the WHOLE league?
2) Do I have good composition for defensive pairings.
1)Sedins used to be regular season champions, so answer to 1st is obvious. Put them in 1st, match them against the 1st of opponent and outplay them. All you will have to do from there is to not screw up 3rd/4ths and lose games there.
2) Defenders are main offensive sacrifice pairing in unit/line. One of them can be dead weight on offense, but you can still perform great. So pair:
1 offensive 1 defensive
2 defensive for really talented forwards
2 mobile ones as a version of 2 offensive
never 2 truly offensive defenders
Also, defenders can never truly transfer defensive responsibilities to forwards. So try to cover your worst defender (usually attacking defender) with grinder/two-way types. Center with elite speed is also a good way to ease defensive load through good forecheck. Other than that forwards won't really compensate for them. You can make Wingers Down Low DZ units, but you will need defensive monsters on Wingers for that.
For 3rd/4th check tempo, ability to pass and ability to attack:
W/o skating playing with tempo is close to impossible. Maybe having good Dangler helps, but he won't have support with weak players so he will have to be really good, which is again close to impossible vs opp's defenders (who are mostly solid in def attributes).
Passing helps slow tempo teams survive. You can't have slow players who have bad off read and passing do anything. At least enter OZ, then use power to protect puck (like grinders, power forwards do).
Ability to attack is pretty much "should they even try to do something complicated in OZ?". If they have 13 to 15 passing & puckhandling & off read & get open, don't try anything. Slot overload, or whatever they can do, increase backchecking, decrease attacking. Play good defense as 5 all the time, offense is afterthought. If you have attacking youngsters there, do the reverse. Push tempo even with low stamina (low playing time, more rest etc). Minimize passing if they suck at it (so that increased attacking & tempo won't lead to 1000 giveaways).
Avoid slow Center AND slow wingers. Or weak defensive Center AND weak defensive wingers. Just played with Arizona in 2019-20 finished 2nd in West because of that. Brad Richardson went to 3rd, slow but good defensively so you can use him in forechecks and DZ tactics that rely on that. Build 4th around more mobile Center and defensive Wingers. That way you can rely on at least 1 part of forwards group to help defensively.