Despite controlling play at 5-on-5, the Blackhawks’ hybrid defensive zone coverage unraveled.
The Chicago Blackhawks dropped another back-to-back, losing 7-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Despite owning the favorable side of 5-on-5 analytics (62.50% Corsi and a 57.21% expected goals share), the Hawks failed to play a competitive game against a struggling Penguins team— Pittsburgh was 1-5-4 in their last 10 before this game.
Defensive Zone Questions
Look, this game is hardly worth breaking down every goal against. Yes, Spencer Knight owns responsibility for dropping four goals on seven shots (which got him pulled in the first period), but the defense wasn’t any better. I want you to watch the third goal from Pittsburgh (scored by Justin Brazeau, who had a hat trick, by the way). The Hawks’ hybrid defensive zone coverage is too confusing for this team. It looks like Ryan Donato’s responsibility as the weak-side forward is the slot, which Brazeau enters. This should trigger Donato to cover Brazeau (if his head was on a swivel), but Donato is focused on Matt Grzelcyk’s man (Anthony Mantha).
Jeff Blashill said in a recent post-game interview that without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the Hawks need to simplify their game. While that certainly has come on the offensive side of the ice (inevitable result regardless of intent), it hasn’t happened on the defensive side of the ice. Does continuing to run a hybrid benefit this team in the long run? Since results don’t matter anyway, does it help the young defensemen stick with it and just learn how to play this system? Or does switching to a more conservative zone coverage defense facilitate a game where the Hawks just shell up and get blasted apart in their zone?
Defensive zone structure aside, I do have questions about assistant head coach Anders Sorensen, who is working with the defensemen. Maybe the system is right, but the message coming from him isn’t. Maybe it really is as simple as “this team just isn’t that good.”