(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are two powerful hockey teams with dynamic players who like to make plays on the attack. Off the cycle, through o-zone play, or via the rush; both teams have the ability to challenge their opponent's defensive play to the extreme. That's why they're in the Stanley Cup Final!

I've studied defensive zone coverage during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs with Dallas and Colorado's zone defence and man to man structure respectively, so I wanted to see how the remaining two teams created scoring chances that originate in their defensive zone. 

Why? Because I want to brainwash my players into defending.

If we defend quick, we can attack quick. Every human in the game wants to score goals, so I want my players to learn how to transition from defending to attacking quickly. You either have the puck or you don't. If you're in the D-zone, then at some point you didn't have the puck, you were defending and the opponent was attacking. Showing your players tactics for retrieving the puck in their own zone and going on the offensive will encourage them to track back harder between the dots and generally create more natural buy-in when it comes to defending in your end of the rink. 

So how are the NHL's best doing it? Here are the rules I used:

• Eveything is at even strength from each team's final three games of their respective conference final
• I included 12 seconds prior to the event in each clip
• The puck had to start or travel into the defensive zone inside those 12 seconds
• No change of possession - if a team turned it over after a breakout and then recovered it in the neutral zone for a scoring chance, I didn't include it
• Puck has to have a reasonable chance of going in regardless of who touches it last

Let's see if we can find common threads within each team's strategy and similarities in both teams, and then hopefully whichever team you're rooting for reads the keys to defending so you can congratulate yourself on a Stanley Cup victory.

Edmonton

The Oilers take off skating hard the moment they secure possession of the puck. Sometimes that means their wingers are close and connected in the D-zone, sometimes they're receiving passes deep in the neutral zone. Their zone defence structure is airtight, which leads to their wingers picking off a lot of pucks just by being in the right spots.

Simple Keys to Defending for Florida

1. Limit turnovers in the offensive zone, switch sides often, get Edmonton's D skating
2. Forwards need to track hard on possession switch - identify threats while you're skating
3. D need to defend from inside the dots in the neutral zone - outside speed hurts, inside speed kills

Florida

The Panthers are rock solid three feet inside their defensive blue line. In these clips rarely did the puck get below the tops of the circles. When the Panthers take off through the neutral zone they're able to take advantage of some real saloon door defendin' by the New York Rangers. 

Simple Keys to Defending for Edmonton 

1. Work on your OZ forecheck this week and don't be afraid to chip into space behind defenders
2. Forwards need to track hard on possession switch - you're fast, they're clever
3. D can't be passive - gather good gaps when you're heading north, limit time and space when you're heading south