from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,
By Claude Julien’s count, about half of the NHL’s teams now play man-to-man defense. Tampa Bay was one of those teams last year. The Lightning advanced to the Stanley Cup Final by playing man-to-man.
Julien does not plan to join that growing number this year.
“We’re not sold on man-to-man yet,” said the Bruins coach. “Maybe two years from now, whether the system changes or different things happen, we might say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get man-on-man here.’ But right now, our defensive game still works. Our scoring chances against are still low. We’re sticking with it.”
Julien points to the results the Bruins had in the second half last season. By then, Julien praised his players for improving their movement in the offensive zone. Defensemen pinched down the walls without hesitation. The forwards were good about keeping a third man high.
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