Block Shots Or Box Out? What's The Most Effective Way To Defend For The Golden Knights
Blocking a shot before it gets to the net or boxing out the forward so your goaltender can see the puck and make the save? Finding the balance between the two is what head coach Bruce Cassidy is looking for from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports - Block Shots Or Box Out? What's The Most Effective Way To Defend For The Golden KnightsBlocking a shot before it gets to the net or boxing out the forward so your goaltender can see the puck and make the save? Finding the balance between the two is what head coach Bruce Cassidy is looking for from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights haven't been as strong defensively as they were last year but over the last three games, Cassidy has felt better about that aspect of their game.
The Golden Knights currently sit just outside the top 10 in both goals against per game and penalty kill percentage. Cassidy measures the team's effectiveness defensively through a few other factors as well.
They measure it through the rush chances given up, the protection of the slot, limiting slot chances and high-danger chances, tying up players in front, rejecting rebound opportunities and puck management.
"Usually the slot chances first and foremost, the high-danger chances we look at, rush chances which we've been on the wrong side of too often lately. To me, that's puck management, which usually means we're going one way thinking the puck is going that way and it doesn't get there. Execution, sometimes it's structure and not a good high forward".
According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5v5 the Golden Knights have allowed the 13th fewest amount of high-danger chances. They've also given up the 11th fewest high-danger goals.
According to MoneyPuck, at 5v5 they've given up the 17th fewest rebound shots. They sit fifth in the league in takeaways and 24th in giveaways. The Golden Knights also lead the league in blocked shots with 1147.
Most of these numbers were better for the Golden Knights last season and it's shown in their overall record. They have a .581-point percentage this season compared to last season when it was at .677.
Cassidy also talked about the difficulties for defensemen of when to put their body on the line and block a shot or tie up their opponent and box them out.
There's an argument to be made for both. Blocking a shot ensures the puck doesn't end up in your net from the initial direct shot. The issue that comes from blocking a shot is what happens afterwards. The defender can't control where the puck goes and the loose puck more often than not is recovered by the opposing team. This can result in the team chasing the puck around in their own zone and giving the opposing team plenty of zone time.
The reasoning for boxing out your opponents is that it allows your goaltender to see the puck and if a rebound does fall loose, you have your man tied up. The negative side of this is that the shot can beat the goaltender and end up in the back of your net. Tying up the opponent doesn't ensure the puck stays out of your net like blocking a shot does.
Cassidy sees the value in both and states that it's an eternal ongoing discussion the team has.
"Rebound chances are we clearing out or boxing out versus trying to block a shot. That's an enteral discussion we have a lot. We're a great shot-blocking team but when you're blocking a shot it doesn't allow you to recover. They're probably going to get there first if you're the one blocking it so should you be boxing out and tying up guys so you're teammates can be the ones recovering it".
Understanding what certain players do well based on their physical attributes is important too. Players like Alec Martinez find more success blocking shots than they do when boxing out. Martinez is smaller making it harder to box out big opponents but his anticipation and ability to move quickly into shooting lanes have made him successful.
A player like Nicolas Hague is big and strong which makes boxing out the best way for him to defend. His size allows him to block shots as well but he is able to move forwards out of the eyesight of the goaltender and limit rebound chances.
Cassidy spoke about how these players differentiate.
"Nic Hague is 6'5 so he can box out better than someone say Theo (Shea Theodore) or Marty (Alec Martinez) because of his reach and he can get into people quicker. Some guys are just naturally good at shot-blocking. They just have a good sense of when the puck is coming off the stick. Marty, he's good at that and it's a big part of his game. We're trying to coach what they do well but still have an overall view of this can be better for us".
With just 14 games left, the Golden Knights will have to find what works best to give themselves the best chance in the playoffs.
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