If you’ve ever played hockey in a league or on a team, you may know what a 2-line pass is. Essentially, this is when one player passes the puck to another on their line while the other is skating up the ice. This is typically done at the blueline to create some space for the offensive rush or at the goal line as the last defensive line has collapsed. This allows the puck to be moved around the ice more easily and makes plays such as slapshots and one-timers more effective because there are fewer opposing players in the way.
Well, the NHL has changed a lot in the past few years and 2-line passes aren’t as common as they used to be. In fact, in the 2018-19 regular season, there were only 1,845 2-line passes across the entire NHL compared to 2,329 five-line passes and 2,507 neutral zone passes. Meaning there was an 81% decrease in 2-line passes compared to four-line and five-line passes. And that’s probably a good thing.
So what happened? Well, first off, there are way more players involved in the play, which makes it a lot more difficult to pull off. Second, there’s no longer a blueline in the traditional sense – at least, not in the NHL. Teams now play a hybrid style that incorporates more offensive attacks and less defensive play. As a result, the need for 2-line passes has decreased as players gain more experience and adapt to the new way of the NHL.
Table of Contents
Why Are Fewer 2-Line Passes Being Used?
Well, it’s not just the evolution of the sport that has seen a drop in 2-line passes, it’s the way the NHL is played now. Teams aren’t as committed to playing defense the way they used to be, which has led to a decline in this type of play. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when it’s still effective. If you look at Philadelphia’s Brandon Manning, you’ll see what I mean.
Manning is a defenseman for the Flyers who primarily plays a shut down role. However, he still finds himself in offensive positions relatively often because he’s such a good skater and has the ability to join the rush. In the last four seasons, he’s only played more than 20 minutes in the defensive zone just once, which was in 2017-18 when he had 27 minutes and the Flyers were winning games in the last minute of the game.
So in order to be in an offensive position, he’s going to have to find a way to get the puck to another skater. And that’s exactly what he does with this fantastic goal-line two-line pass.
On this play, Manning has the puck at the point on the blueline. The two defensemen ahead of him have collapsed, so he has the freedom to rush the puck up the ice. However, instead of trying to make a slick turn and rush up the ice all by himself, he picks a spot along the boards and waits for a teammate to join him. Once they do, he passes the puck quickly and calmly to keep the puck in the offensive zone. And eventually, he scores the game-winning goal.
The key takeaway from this play is Manning’s patience. He doesn’t just want to turn and rush up the ice. Instead, he picks a spot along the boards and waits for a teammate to join him. Once the teammate gets the puck, he passes it to the forward and continues up the ice. This shows that even though the sport has changed, there are still times when the 2-line pass can be successful. Defensive play has never been more important, but it’s also never been more fun to watch as hockey is a more beautiful game than ever before.
The Evolution Of The NHL
The NHL has changed a lot in the past few years and with the new CBA, it’s changed even more. Before the new CBA, there were only 27 players on the ice at any given time. Now, with more shifts to the offensive zone and less time in the defensive zone, even experienced players are seeing fewer minutes on the ice. This leads to fewer 2-line passes because there’s less space to pass the puck to if everyone is committed to playing defense.
The change to a hybrid style of play has also reduced the need for some 2-line passes. Before the lockout, there were only a handful of instances where a team was winning a game in the last minutes of the game. But since the start of the 2013-14 season, there have been 43 instances where a game was decided in the final minute. Meaning that the 2-line pass is no longer a necessary chess move for a defenseman to get in an offensive position. Now, a good dash up the ice and a quick snapshot are just as effective as a pass.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still times where a savvy play can beat the odds. The key is for the player picking up the puck to do so in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, they could easily wind up on the wrong side of the ice. That’s something to keep in mind as you come across these types of plays in the future. Even though the puck is in the offensive zone, defense still plays an important role in keeping it there. Otherwise, it could be the difference between a win or a loss.