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Try to identify what goes wrong on this play for Team Canada. Who is out of position? Where should they be? Why does this goal happen? 

View from a coach: What's helping and hindering Red Wings' scoring chances - By Topher Scott

One of the most important statistics NHL coaches look at is scoring chances. This measure can tell you a lot about the way a certain player or a certain team is playing. Sitting inside a coaches’ room, you will often hear not only about the number of chances but also the way chances are happening (for and against).  

Mike Sullivan and John Tortorella, for example, sat down one summer and watched a lot of video to chart the scoring chances of the different teams they would play against. Both have stated that the experience was beneficial in helping them learn more about how the game was being played and about the other teams they would face the upcoming season.

With the Red Wings facing three opponents last week, I decided to chart all of the scoring chances to gather another perspective about the players and the team. While this was just a small snapshot of a long season, many of the things I found related to the strengths and weaknesses of the team I have seen over the first half of the season. Here are some of the interesting takes from the scoring chances:

1. Offense comes from good defense

Many of the Red Wings' scoring chances came from good defensive play. I have written about how Detroit's roster makeup requires the team to play a flawless defensive game to be able to win. Strong defensive play from the five-man unit on the ice creates turnovers, leading to transition offense going the other way. A lot of times, this comes from strong gaps, good backchecks and shot-blocking in the neutral and defensive zones. You can see examples of offense coming from strong defensive play below:

2. Defense jumping in the play creates offense

Over the last three games, I saw the defensemen involved in the offense more than any other time during the first half of the season. It led to a lot of scoring chances and even a few goals. Maybe they saw how Brent Burns was playing and decided to emulate him?

Whatever it was, I loved it. Having the defense involved in the rush and even the cycle is where the NHL is heading today. You will see in the video below how the Red Wings' defense jumped right into the play offensively, leading to scoring chances and goals.

3. Breakouts continue to cause trouble

The breakout has been an area of concern for the Red Wings all year. The amount of turnovers and failed clears has cost them with pucks in the back of their net and extended defensive zone play. Their defensive corps has struggled against pressure, but they also have made mental mistakes with time and space. In the below video, you will see a few of those mistakes that end up as scoring chances.

On the flip side, watching Petr Mrazek play all three games, it was evident that he can play the puck really well and help the breakout. He played a huge role by getting out of his net, stopping the puck and getting it to the D to give them time and space to make a play. The last clip of the video below shows the value of having Mrazek in net playing the puck.

4. Special teams are hurting the team

The power play and penalty kill are giant areas of concern right now. And in order to win in the NHL, you have to thrive in special-teams play. The Red Wings were severely out-chanced by their opponents last week in regards to special teams, a trend I have noticed frequently in recent games.

In the video below, I focus on one area that is burning their penalty kill: being in shot lanes. Too often, the Red Wings' penalty killers do not have their shin pads lined up in shot lanes, allowing free shots down on the goalie. This is a particular issue with the defenseman coming out into where Alexander Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos (or Martin Frk) sit on their power plays. I have seen that shot cause trouble for the Wings all year. In the below video, you’ll see the opponents crank two off the post from that spot, along with a shot from the point that ends up in the back of their net.

Scoring chances can often provide an accurate snapshot of how a game is played. Against San Jose the chances were tied (as well as the score). They out-chanced Carolina convincingly (won) and were out-chanced heavily against Florida the next night (lost).  

Individually, the Zetterberg-Nyquist-Mantha line led the way, by far. In the three games, I had Gustav Nyquist involved in 14 scoring chances, followed by Henrik Zetterberg and Anthony Mantha (11 each). The next closest forward was Darren Helm, with seven. Mike Green was the defenseman involved in the most, with six.

Green was also involved in the most chances against (10), one of the reasons teams are hesitant to make a trade for him. The defenseman involved in the least against was Niklas Kronwall (three). The forwards involved with the most chances against, coincidentally, were all three of the Larkin-Athanasiou-Bertuzzi line (four).

All in all, it was another typical week for the Red Wings. In goals and in scoring chances, along with wins and losses, they continue to play a .500 brand of hockey heading into the stretch of the season.

https://www.nhl.com/video/smith-opens-scoring-with-ppg/t-293640902/c-57252303