The Boston Bruins knew what they were getting into when facing the Ottawa Senators in the first round. They said all the right things about trying to solve Ottawa’s trap. They had to be patient. They had to play with pace to prevent the Senators from setting up.
Ultimately, they didn’t pull it off. Not necessarily because they didn’t know what they were up against but because they simply didn’t have the horses. Torey Krug alone would have made a world of difference in that series, though that’s not to short the effort of the Senators.
Ray Ferraro, working with TSN on the television side, has seen Ottawa more than just about anyone, and he’s seen a team loaded with resilience that always finds a way when things look bleak.
“There’s not one thing they’re great at; there’s not one thing they’re terrible at that you can exploit,” he said. “They’re kind of in the mix for everything. Every time I thought they were going to drive left into the wall, they figured their way out.”
Unlike the Bruins, the New York Rangers have the manpower to beat the Senators. What could trip them up is what has tripped up so many opponents before them -- the Senators' trap. Well, and Erik Karlsson, of course. He’s from another planet.
For these purposes though, let’s focus on the trap.
“To me, it’s a 1-1-3,” an Eastern Conference head coach said. “Three across the line … it’s a system that works for them, it’s painful to watch to a certain degree. It’s painful to play. It’s a physical way to play and it’s a limiting way to play.”
The bottom line?
“It’s effective,” he said.
It’s effective, but this is also a Senators team that allowed more goals than it scored during the regular season. It’s a Senators team that advanced through the first round despite outscoring the Bruins by only two total goals in their series win.
It’s all very beatable for the Rangers. After conversations with multiple coaches along with the wise Ferraro, here’s where the Rangers should focus to beat the trap:
Patience is everything
The enemy of success in facing the trap is losing patience and trying to play your way through it.
“You can’t be stubborn or you’re going to be in trouble,” one head coach said.
Go into these games knowing it’s probably going to be a 2-1 or 3-2 final and just make sure you’re the team on the right side. A big part of that is scoring first against Ottawa, but scoring first is not a strategy. Every team wants to score first in every playoff series.
“You get a little impatient, try to force things, and they have enough skill to counter and get you in transition,” the coach said.
So that means being prepared for shift after shift where nothing ultimately happens. That’s OK. Don’t make the first mistake against Ottawa, because they’ve proved they probably won’t.
“They’re going to be patient until you break down and then counter-attack,” Ferraro said. “It’s counterintuitive to the game because the game is always about pressure and making things happen. When you’re playing a team like Ottawa, that’s just the wrong way to go about it.”
Puck support
One coach noted just how aggressive Marc Methot and Mark Borowiecki (when healthy) are separating the puck from puck carriers in the neutral zone.
“It’s a D-man who jumps you. He doesn’t wait for you,” the coach said. “Marc Methot is coming beyond the red line to pressure the puck carrier. Guys are turning the puck over and guys are getting crushed because guys are jumping you.”
“You look at Ottawa -- it’s always their left D up pinching,” a coach from the West said.
One solution is to chip the puck up and try to beat the Senators to the loose puck. Another is a series of short passes.
“The guy in the middle, the first one, you should be able to pass the puck by him,” Ferraro said. “But you need close support. As soon as you get towards him, you have to get ready to pass again. You can’t think you’re going to carry it through the middle. The term I use often is quagmire. They play it really well.”
Along the way, the Rangers have to maintain their speed and look for seams in the neutral zone.
“It’s very similar to a penalty kill forecheck. There are times you can find seams there,” the Western coach said.
Play with speed
This is where the Rangers should be in good shape. They have forwards who can fly, and coach Alain Vigneault’s crew does a good job of gaining a head of steam coming out of the defensive zone.
“I think the Rangers' transition speed will be a big factor for them,” the Western Conference coach said. “A lot of the Rangers' speed comes out of their own end. A lot of their attack is generated from their own end.”
The key is not allowing the Senators to set up. There’s no time for D-to-D passes in the defensive zone. It’s about quickly getting the puck up the ice before the Senators get into position.
“The only time it comes into play is the time in the neutral zone where it’s stacked up,” the West coach said. “To beat the 1-3-1, you can have a quick up, all the time. If they’re in a middle of a change, they’re not in the 1-3-1. The more times you let them set up, the better for them.”
Said the East coach: “The only way to get through the neutral zone is playing fast in transition, real quick before they get set up.”
The Rangers certainly have the personnel to pull it off, something the Bruins didn’t necessarily have because of injuries. But if they lose patience or pace in their game, this Ottawa team has proved it will capitalize.