Defensive suggestions for breaking down the Dallas Stars offense

 While the offense has been the main criticism of the Dallas Stars and could be a mental block, there are also some defensive adjustments that could help them win this series. To briefly summarize the most obvious issues on offense, a lack of  urgency on the power play and in puck movement deep in the zone allowed Edmonton to play somewhat passively, only having to challenge Dallas' "first attack" and avoid overplaying. Additionally, Dallas' difficulty getting to the high-danger zone and  lack of offensive commitment forced Dallas to take shots from distance, making it easier for Stuart Skinner, among others, to react.

Overall, offensive adjustments are possible, but I believe two defensive issues -- first-man back issues and  handedness in both zones -- limit the Stars' impact on offense. Context The adage "the best offense is  good defense" is sometimes overused or ignored, but it's true in  hockey for many reasons, including these two:

Counterattacks are one of the most effective attacks in modern ice hockey. When a team plays behind the puck, they are rarely caught off guard and their posture allows them to capitalize on turnovers. A good defense is proactive about turnovers because  when playing behind the puck, the majority of the team is facing the "attack net" and has forward momentum without having to turn 180 degrees to initiate a play. From the opponent's perspective, they are staring at the "attack net" with a backwards posture with no momentum because they were not expecting to lose the ball. This common  scenario after a turnover usually gives the counterattacking team the time and leverage to create chaos. Dallas has had success all season stretching the ice and switching from defense to offense as efficiently as possible. Don Waddell, recently hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets as their director of hockey operations, general manager and assistant governor, had this to say about the rebuilding  team (he also mentioned the adjustments):

Cleaning up your own defensive zone is a lot easier  than finding a pure scorer. I think that's what we should focus on from the beginning." - Don Waddell, Columbus Blue Jackets

The Stars can clean up their defensive zone even if none of their forwards, with the exception of Wyatt Johnston, can score goals regularly. The following defensive suggestions could help mitigate the Stars' offense: First man back?  In earlier youth hockey circles, when backchecking as a forward, the "center forward" was tasked with rushing back and guarding the bottom of the defensive zone as part of his normal defensive range. This means that the first returning "winger" would usually take advantage of the opponent's first attacking opportunity, but would then move into the normal "winger" position.

Teams like the Dallas Stars trust their defensemen and value "positionless hockey." They employ a first-man-back style of marking, where the first  available striker must assume the  role of center until he is available to be substituted. This usually helps prevent first attacks and reduces first-man chances, but  only works if all strikers are ready to return to first man when their turn comes. The problem with this "close control" playoff series with Edmonton is the lack of accountability in the forward group, with Edmonton's speed confusing the "first man back" strategy and few forwards  willing and able to take shots up high, which is a big problem with Edmonton's players after losing the ball. For example,  in Game 5 against Edmonton, the Oilers had six power plays in two periods against the Stars. There were visible instances of forwards  either nearing the end of their shift or not giving 100% effort on the backcheck, which resulted in two Dallas defensemen battling Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and others for the shot, all in six different cases of outnumbered play. The lack of counter pressure from the forwards has put a strain on a defensive core that currently consists of Chris Tanev, who has a healthy left foot, and Miro Heiskanen, who has to play more than 10 minutes on the ice in certain periods, nearly half of the game.

Defensive suggestions for breaking down the Dallas Stars offense