from Dave Caldwell of the New York Times,
“The speed has always been there, but now there’s no time off,” said Travis Zajac, the veteran Devils center. “It seems like there’s so much back pressure, there’s so much forecheck. There’s always been speed with the puck; it’s just all around, all the time. There’s no time during the game when you can stand to make a play, and kind of collect yourself.”
Scoring is actually down; the team average of 2.71 goals per game in the 2015-16 season was the lowest since 2003-4, the year before a season-killing lockout. When the N.H.L. returned in 2005-6 with a revised set of rules to promote offense, teams scored an average of 3.08 goals per game.
With rules changes discouraging obstruction, which led to a sluggish and thuggish style of play, many teams tried to become faster because that became a proven way to separate themselves from opponents. The bottoms of rosters now offer spots for speedsters, not fighters.
“I think speed is the ultimate competitive advantage in our game,” said Sullivan, 48, whose team opens the season on Thursday at home against the Washington Capitals. “It seems to me like every year, the game gets a little bit faster in the way it’s played.”
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