Here comes the third and last part of my breakdown on the Boston Bruins face-offs. This one is all about the offensive zone face-off.

We will see seven different face-offs strategies that the Bruins use every night, and for the last video, a medley of face-offs they had attempted a couple of times last season.

1. D-to-D, to the Goal Line

Yes, it’s a D-to-D, then to the goal line. You aren’t dreaming.

The purpose behind this face-off is to use the width of the ice while one of your players goes behind the net and receives the pass on the goal line. When this play happens, the forward with the puck has plenty of options because you have the centre at the net, the other winger high in the slot, and you could ask your defenceman on the opposite side to go back door.

2. Double Shooter

How to create more space on the face-off before the linesman drops the puck? Line up a couple of feet from the hash marks. For this face-off, the Bruins switch their wingers, the lefty on the right side and the righty on the left side. If your centre wins the face-off along the wall, the winger has three options:

1. Shoot right away
2. Pass to the winger for a one-timer
3. Pass to D2

3. Over Under

Who doesn’t know this face-off? I’ve seen some U13 teams use it well. The inside wingers go on the wall, and the wall-side winger try to get to the middle.

But what if you ask your D2 to go backdoor? Not only will the winger on the wall have the middle option for a one-timer, but he will also have a second option with D2 going to the outside post. Who’s watching who now in the defensive coverage?

4. Walk from the Wall

Alex Ovechkin has 700 goals because of this face-off strategy. Wingers flip, you win the draw to the wall, and the winger just tries to go through the traffic and shoot at the net. The hardest part is finding a lane. Suppose the opponent doesn’t send anyone between the centre and the inside winger.

The shooting lane will be wide open.

5. Inside Winger Walk

In this one, instead of having the winger off the wall attacking the middle of the ice, it’s the inside winger who’s skating around the circle (inside to outside) to try to find a stick for a goal.

This one is hard to defend.

6. Wall to D2

Oh no! You tried the “walk from the wall” but the opponent adjusted, and you now always have someone in the shooting lane. What else can you do? Use D2, he is far from everyone and can be a threat with the puck on top there.

7. Mixed

For this one, it’s a medley of 3-4 face-offs that Boston has used this year but not regularly. You’ll see:

1. One-timer from the wall
2. Crashing the net
3. Karlsson face-off
4. Winger high