The goal I really wanted to talk about had the Lightning failing to pick up a trailer but the camera angle available on the replay sucked, so I'll have to save that topic for another game.
In my scouting report of the Canadiens I said their chances will come off the PP (they scored a PP goal and had a few good shots off their chances), or off of puck mismanagement by the Lightning. Well Desharnais' goal came off of puck mismanagement by the Lightning which resulted in a 3 on 3 rush.
What do people mean when they say puck management? It's a blanket term for making the smart, safe play while having possession of the puck. On top of making the smart play, it's being able to execute it. So while it's a team thing, it requires a certain skill level of all individuals. You can make the right or "smart" pass, but if it's a crappy pass, it doesn't matter. You can dump the puck in when it's the right or "smart" thing to do, but if it's a crappy dump, then it doesn't matter. In summary, puck management is a team's ability to make smart plays and execute them well to move the puck forward and avoid costly turnovers.
So let's take a look.
The play starts with the Canadiens actually failing to get the puck in deep (see my blog from the game against Colorado for a discussion on that). So Gilroy picks it up and the Lightning have a chance to have a 3 on 2 the other way since all 3 Canadien forwards are up ice (numbered for you that need assistance counting ;) ) Giroy has three options. Two of them are in the frame and labeled with blue arrows. The best option was probably Marty making a cut towards center. The 2nd option is the forward who's leg is just at the edge of the frame. The 3rd best option? Is Stamkos who is on the near boards outside of the frame, which is where Gilroy decides to go. The pass is off, the Candiens D picks it up and now all of a sudden instead of gaining a 3 on 2, we give up a possible 3 on 2 (which actually ends up being a 3 on 3)
3 on 3 or 3 on 2 drills are a fun one when you are young and play hockey. And they are a good way to practice set plays because 3 on 2/3 on 3's happen way more often than 2 on 1's, and they require a little more creativity than just skating with the puck and trying to pass it cross ice to an open man like a 2 on 1 usually plays out.
So here's how it starts out. Anytime you are on the rush, having the forwards swap places is a great way to break down defensive coverage. The lightning actually do a really good job of swapping coverage, but the criss cross pattern the Canadiens run here accomplishes a few things regardless. The puck carrier (blue arrow), will skate between the other two forwards and drop the puck to Desharnais who is taking the path of the green arrow. Bergeron, who is currently on the puck carrer, will puck up Desharnais as he should, but because of the criss cross, it creates a little space for Desharnais as you can see in the picture below.
Look how far off Bergeron is to Desharnais (circled in blue) once he gets the puck. This gives him time and space. And a lot of hockey is about creating time and space on offense (or taking it away if you're on defense). At this point, the defense coverage isn't as clear cut as the picture above. Sometimes the defense will botch up swapping coverage, but like I said the bolts do a good job.
But even if the bolts swap coverage well, the play Canadiens run is effective because it created some a few options. The puck carrier can shoot and Cammalleri (green X) is driving the net, or he can pass to blue circle (which is probably the first option since east west passes on rushes really screw a goalie). In fact, if you see Desharnais' head, he is looking at blue circle the whole way (again, kudos to I think Moore, in this case for taking making that pass option not the best one). This probably throws Garon off a bit (and the goal is one that Garon would probably like to have back). But either way, the play gives Desharnais time to look at the pass, realize it's not a great one, and get a shot through with all sorts of traffic in front of Garon.
Here it is all together. Watch how Gilroy has a great chance to make something happen. Unfortunately, he makes not only a bad pass, but not the smarest one either. Then watch the Canadiens rush pattern and how it creates space and options for Desharnais (and watch his head for a cool little detail of how he telepaths pass to Garon all the way before taking a quick shot that surprises the goalie).
The Lightning get a ton of 3 on 3 and 3 on 2's. It's something that as a fan I wish they worked on. They usually do a drop pass to create time for whomever receives the drop pass, but they rarely skate any criss cross patterns, giving the defenders an easy job of maintaining coverage.
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