NHL Playoffs, Round 2!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, I heard that... and I have an Asher quote to offer for any Devil hater this year, or last year, or of the last five years:

Neutral zone trap, it certainly is not. Anyone who claims it is forfeits any rights to claim they know the most basic things about hockey.

Having forecheckers negates the designation 'trap'.

[Asher]

?
What point are you trying to prove?

[Imran Siddiqui]

That the Devils haven't played the 'trap' since Lemaire left.

[Agathon]

It does not. The standard trap has one forechecker.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Actually the neutral zone trap is different because it has NO forecheckers. If the trap has one forechecker, then the Wings during Bowman's era were playing a trap with the Left Wing Lock. And besides, the Devs play with 1 - 2 forecheckers.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5651_run-hockey-defense:.html

1. Set the defense in the neutral zone like the ends on a five-pointed star. The center is in the middle just inside the blue line on the offensive side of the rink. Two wings position themselves on the red line to either side of the center circle. The two defensemen maintain position on the back blue line, slightly inside of the wings.

2. Instruct the center to maintain his position as the offense approaches, forcing the attackers toward the boards.

[Agathon]

Just shows that there is no consensus. That idiot Pierre McGuire was going on about the trap on TSN a while back and he claimed it was 1 in, 4 back.

I've heard that said elsewhere too. And it's used to described stifling neutral zone play or just stifling play.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, I'd imagine the it should be defined by who began the practice... ie, the Swedes.

[Agathon]

Actually I saw the guy who invented it interviewed - he described it as 1-2-2.

And oddly enough, he invented it as an offensive tactic, to pressure in the offensive zone IIRC. It's amazing the level of hockey triviality that Canadian networks will stoop to.

[Fake Boris]

Agathon, there are moments where playing the trap is the way to go. For instance, when Tampa scores three goals, they will sit on their lead. However, and especially in the playoffs, one team playing the trap usually means that the others is insanely trying to get back into the game, which is also known as cool and offensive play.

And I don't know why you found Tampa-Montreal to be boring. They were the games with the lesser number of play stops. Do you really think that a team with Martin St-Louis and Lecavalier would use the trap as a regular strategy?

[Agathon]

I don't blame Tampa, I blame the Habs. They can stink up any game.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Asher

Well, when you have REAL goalies like CuJo and Kipper, you have low-scoring games. Just because Belfour sucks, doesn't make a 7-2 game a fun game to watch.

You still don't get the simple fact that Belfour is one of the great goalies playing today. He's a hall of famer. He was the guy that made the difference against Ottawa and with the exception of one game, he played great against Philly.

As for low scoring games, Just look at these scores:
Vancouver 5, Calgary 3
Vancouver 5, Calgary 4
Detroit 5, Calgary 2
Detroit 4, Calgary 2

Don't get me wrong. I think Kippy is great goalie, but we can say that without trashing Eddie.

[Agathon]

Don't waste your time Tingkai. An Asher opinion is impervious to anything as worthless as evidence.

[Asher]

I was saying I'd rather have Kipper in goal than Belfour, and the stats now back that up -- and Kipper faced tougher teams and had a weaker defense infront of him in the process.

Belfour is a hall of famer, but that doesn't say anything about his current play. He's good, but he's not as good as Kipper these days.

And I never said Calgary had always low-scoring games, Kipper had bad nights just like everyone else -- though he's never let in 7 goals in a game.

High scoring games with Kipper and CuJo these days are the exception, not the rule -- and that comment was aimed at Agathon claiming that the Flames games are boring because they're low scoring. They're low scoring because the goalies are good, not because the offense was impotent. Any person who watched those games could attest to the greatness of both goalies making amazing saves.

I do admire how you attempt to twist everything from context ever so slightly -- it is patently clear now that you are undoubtedly an experienced journalist.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
Don't waste your time Tingkai. An Asher opinion is impervious to anything as worthless as evidence.

My opinion that Kipper is a better goalie than Belfour today, and I was right -- as the end-game stats show.

Evidence is on my side, my friend.

[Asher]

Belfour also has 8 penalty minutes this post-season, while Kipper has 0. Dirty player.