[ad_1]
Breadcrumb Trail Links
The change in coaching staff means a new man in charge of the team’s penalty kill
Get the latest from Patrick Johnston straight to your inbox
Published Jun 06, 2024 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 4 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Vancouver Canucks assistant coaches Mike Yeo, left, and Adam Foote in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Denver. Photo by David Zalubowski /AP
Article content
Scoring your way to the top has been the headline takeaway from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
- Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.
- Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.
- The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
- Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.
- Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.
- The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account.
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
- Enjoy additional articles per month.
- Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Sign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
But underneath this has been a specific detail at the other end of the ice: penalty killing.
Just look at the Edmonton Oilers. Yes, the Oilers are outscoring all comers and that’s a massive reason they’re in the Stanley Cup Final, hoping to win their first title in 34 years.
But just as crucial for the Oilers has been their prowess on the penalty kill.
Edmonton has yielded just three goals in 18 playoff games this spring.
At the opposite end of the scale are the Dallas Stars, who gave up 12 before being eliminated by the Oilers last weekend.
Sure, scoring goals like the Oilers — and their opponents the Florida Panthers — takes you a long way.
But it’s the Oilers’ ability to keep other teams from catching up on the power play that’s been the true capper to their success.
Canucks Report
Thanks for signing up!
Article content
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Vancouver Canucks’ assistant coach Adam Foote (from left) with players Ashdeep Bains and Elias Lindholm at practice at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG
Just ask the Vancouver Canucks.
In their second-round series, the Canucks kept things close with the Oilers because they did an admirable job slowing down Edmonton’s power play.
But the Oilers did an even better number on the Canucks and, in the end, it was the Oilers’ control of special teams that won them the series.
And so next fall, for the third training camp in a row, we’ll be talking about the state of the Canucks’ penalty kill.
In 2022, it was about whether Bruce Boudreau’s staff could fix a penalty kill that had sunk the hopes of Travis Green’s staff a year before. Under Brad Shaw, it had vastly improved but then Shaw left and the PK returned to a woeful square one.
Its ineptness was one of many reasons Boudreau was eventually fired.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Then in 2023, the PK talk was about how the Canucks, surely, couldn’t repeat the horrors of the previous two years.
And in 2023-24, it wasn’t. It was fine. Under the direction of assistant coach Mike Yeo, the penalty kill battled its way to the middle of the pack.
But by April it was ascending, running in the top 10 of the league for the final six weeks of the regular season.
In the first round of the playoffs it remained vital: the Nashville Predators managed just two power play goals against the Canucks in the first round.
The Canucks’ second round performance wasn’t nearly as strong, but facing the Oilers’ power play, an all-time great unit, they did enough to keep things close.
All this is to say: there’s a big task in front of Adam Foote, who is head coach Rick Tocchet’s key assistant coach.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
With the departure of Yeo, who was offered a one-year deal in Vancouver but moved on to the Ottawa Senators, where he secured more term in his contract, the penalty kill is now Foote’s task.
The former NHLer has made great strides as a hockey teacher since stepping behind an NHL bench for the first time in early 2023. Tocchet said his old friend had improved as a coach “about a million per cent” over his first 10 months in the job.
But the tactics of a modern penalty kill are challenging. Foote is a quick study and an obvious adept student of the game, but this is the biggest challenge for him yet. He certainly knew penalty killing as a player, so you’d expect he’s found a way to communicate that knowledge.
His coaching ability will be put to the test in his how he teaches and directs his players — and learns further about himself as a coach and about his own understanding of the game — but who will be available to him is also the question.
Advertisement 6
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
His top three penalty killers from the 2024 playoffs are all pending free agents. Ian Cole led the way and it appears he’s headed for free agency. Teddy Blueger made a strong impression as a checking centre and could be back. Elias Lindholm had a strong playoff but is chasing a big paycheque. While the Canucks have been in constant dialogue with his agent and his teammates have been apparently doing a full-court press, his testing of the free agency waters — where there will be many suitors — seems most likely.
pjohnston@postmedia.com
Recommended from Editorial
-
Canucks: Yogi Svejkovsky promoted to assistant coach, Ian Cole to test market
-
Canucks: No contract talks for Rick Tocchet? No problem, he says
-
NHL’s Amazon ‘Drive to Survive’ show to feature Canucks captain Quinn Hughes
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
Article content
Share this article in your social network
[ad_2]
Source link
Fitnessnacks – #Canucks #penalty #kill #attention #falls #Adam #Foote
Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-penalty-kill-attention-adam-foote