from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

Remember the D-to-D pass? It was not long ago that defensemen, following a lifetime of instruction, retreated into their zone, placed their blades on the ice, and made themselves available for their partners’ passes.

Like enforcers, covering the points, and standup goaltending, sightings of the D-to-D pass and its accompaniments — the pass up to the strong-side wing or the cross-ice fling to the weak-side forward — have become as commonplace as those of real-news Facebook feeds.

The play’s deemphasis is a recent example of how the game’s evolution has transformed a tried-and-true method into a play that demanded adjustment.

“A lot of that transition game, D-to-D in the zone throughout the league, is gone now,” said the Bruins’ Kevan Miller. “There are times when you use it still. But the traditional D-to-D and up to the wing is almost over now.”

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