How can a team overcome the 1-1-3? Find out what Pittsburgh did in this game.
The famous NZ 1-1-3. How big of a deal it was when Trotz took over with the Islanders, and they went from the last position for goal against (296) to the first position (196) the year after. Since then many teams have copycatted the neutral forecheck. In this pre-scout, we will dig into a recent game between Pittsburgh and Buffalo and see how the Pens beat the forecheck.
1-1-3 explanation
A picture worth 1,000 words. Suppose you are not comfortable with the knowledge of the 1-1-3. I recommend watching this video below explaining the most important thing from the 1-1-3. There’s always a way to tweak it, but it’s a perfect introduction.
Pre-Scout
As a pre-scout, you can see the 1-1-3, there’s no time and space, and the stretch is mostly the only option. It would be best if you came up with solutions. How can you overcome this? Look below to find out what Pittsburgh did in this game.
Counter-Attack
No matter what neutral zone forecheck the opponent is throwing at you, if you don’t give them the time to establish what they want, you can overcome the stifling forecheck. It’s not true that all the systems/concepts will always be applied and that players will never leave their spots. If you can move the puck quickly when you recognize one of the situations above, it’s your time to counter-attack and start building your offence. Beating the first row off forward is the primary objective of the transition.
Speed
At the NHL level, you have the best players in the world. I am not saying that the 4th line can do this, but when you have the skill and fast players, you can always rely on them to do some magic tricks instead of doing a controlled breakout with a lot of passing that will end on the last row of the forechecker. Having a magic player like Malkin picking up the puck, building speed from the defensive zone and dangling in the neutral zone can be a nightmare for Buffalo. Look at Malkin, eyes up, reading and scanning the play and taking advantage of F2, who’s going for a change, but still has the time to get back in the play.
The real way
This is the one that the Penguins have used more than once in the game and has a high success rate. It’s about taking advantage of the shrinking of the ice from the opponent. F1 will steer the puck carrier, and F2 will try to hold the middle, but more often, he will try to get close to the puck carrier. The open ice is on the weak side because now. You have 4 players on one side of the ice. Watch how Pittsburgh has two players on the opposite far blueline, and the Penguins can attack quickly and purposefully. It’s about the timing between F1 and F2 or passing right after F2 because they are cheating.
Getting Rewarded
All that pre-scout by the coaching staff being rewarded is why we are digging so much into the video. To try to find solutions for the players and to see them succeed. We saw a glimpse of the transition in the previous video. But here is the full footage of the transition, beating the neutral zone forecheck, building the offensive and getting the puck behind the net after entering the zone.
