Mitchell: Net-front presence is key

Want to know how to score goals? Ask a defenseman. As a big-minute, stay-at-home defenseman, Willie Mitchell is regularly charged — both at even strength and on the penalty kill — with doing the difficult work of shutting down the opposing team’s top forwards. So, who better than Mitchell to talk about what works and doesn’t work, in terms of generating scoring chances? In Mitchell’s view, it goes back to one of coaches’ favorite phrases: net presence. Having traffic in front of the net not only makes life more difficult for the goalie, in terms of screens and deflections, but Mitchell said it also helps the attacking team gain something of a numbers advantage. Mitchell did a nice job of breaking down exactly what he would like to see the Kings do in the offensive zone.

MITCHELL: “When you go to the tough areas, it becomes tough on the other team. It’s tough on defensemen. If you ask me, it’s the hardest thing to defend in hockey, when a guy goes hard to the net and there’s a shot to the net. What happens is, you have predictable coverage but now, all of a sudden you have to find coverage. When you’re trying to find coverage, there’s indecision. When there’s indecision, guys are open and they score goals. Detroit is not Boston. Boston has their identity, as a very hard-working, physical team. Detroit, I think, is a very tough team. Everyone is like, `Detroit? What do you mean, the Red Wings, tough?’ But they win every battle. They compete, they battle, they go to the front of the net. That’s what we need to do.

“On that (Detroit) team, each line has a guy who goes to the front of the net. What that does is, it creates chaos in front of the net, but the other thing it does is, it actually opens up ice for their skill players. So now, you put a forward in front of the net and I’ve got to cover him. Now it’s a 2-on-2 in the corner with the center and the other D-man. Then you’ve got Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and they’re going to make plays. So, by putting someone in front of the net, for tip-ins and rebounds and screening the goalie, it also opens up the ice for other players. I think that’s been a big key that John has been talking about, which I think is excellent. That’s what we’re going to need to do. We’re going to need to go to the front of the net more, and not just be there but create havoc. Take the puck there and do all those things. I think it’s great. I think the guys made a real conscious effort out there (in practice yesterday), and as a defender, it was tough out there. I had to work real hard, or else it was in the back of the net, and that’s where you need to be. You need it where guys are pushing each other, and that raises the level of play.’’