Film study: Blackhawks’ offensive zone entries much improved against Canucks

The Blackhawks maintained more possession against the Canucks thanks to smarter zone entries. | AP Photos

The Blackhawks’ concerted effort to improve their offensive zone entries translated seamlessly into tangible results Thursday against the Canucks.

In the 5-2 win, the Hawks were able to carry or pass the puck into the zone more often than they dumped it in, leading to more post-entry possession, more shots on goal and more scoring chances.

That was a huge change from Tuesday against the Sharks, when the Hawks were shockingly relient on dump-and-chase methods. They overused the conservative approach to the extent that it essentially killed their offense.

Through the first two periods in San Jose, the Hawks attempted 31 dump-ins — ultimately gaining possession on only seven of those 31 — versus just 10 carry-ins, even though they gained possession on seven of those 10.

But through the first two periods against Vancouver, a film review revealed much different tendencies.

The Hawks attempted 27 carry-ins, gaining possession on 18 of them and producing at least one shot attempt on 13 of them. On the other hand, they attempted a relatively few 15 dump-ins, gaining possession on four of them and recording a shot attempt on two.

Despite lower rates of possession gain on both methods of zone entry on Thursday, the Hawks’ overall entry success rate rose from 34 to 52 percent, simply because they focused so much more on carrying the puck in.

Part of that shift towards carry-ins was surely part of the game plan, as Jeremy Colliton and the players alike had spoken regularly in the lead-up about learning from the Sharks game’s inefficiency.

But part of it also came from employing a more aggressive defense, forcing turnovers and transitioning quickly the other way. Instances like that often make carry-ins easier, because the opponent hasn’t had time to set up their defensive structure or neutral-zone trap, and that proved true against the Canucks: the Hawks had a 62 percent entry success rate after forced turnovers.

Their dump-in rate did increase in the third period, but understandably so, given they spent much of the frame protecting a one-goal lead.

All in all, Thursday’s mentality shift and positive results should encourage more carry-ins moving forward.