| | The Matchup: Pavel Bure vs. Rangers defense
The Question: Can the Rangers contain Bure, and how will they do it?
Pavel Bure
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Brian Leetch
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Never let him out of site
Everyone saw what Pavel Bure did in the All-Star Game. Granted, it was a totally different scenario, but it demonstrated his ability to perform in any setting, even playing with and against the best players in the world.
I watched Bure play recently against Boston. The Bruins had done a pretty decent job against him. He was matched up against Ray Bourque and Don Sweeney most of the night, and Bure didn't get his first shot until late in the second period. But then, suddenly, he got a few quick chances and scored the deciding goal.
Bure has learned about patience. He no longer tries to grab the puck every time he's on the ice and try to singlehandedly beat the other team. Both he and Jaromir Jagr are similar in that they have learned to pick their spots better. The Bruins' game was an example of Bure's patience. He is now willing to wait two periods to strike.
Bure doesn't play an orthodox game; he plays a superstar game. Panthers coach Terry Murray gives Bure the license to do that. He doesn't want to shackle Bure and make him do things that 98 percent of the team is expected to do. In his own zone, Bure is allowed to use his creativity to play good defense by taking offensive guys out of his end zone.
When there is a scramble within the Panthers' zone, Bure will skate over the blue line and take one defender with him -- and sometimes two -- or a forward who is inching away because they are so concerned about him. Even though he isn't in the play, being physical or trying to take the puck away from the opposition in his end, he's spreading them out and creating a diversion to allow his teammates to do a good job inside their own zone.
For the Rangers defense, the key to playing against Bure, a player with terrific skills and speed, is getting mentally prepared and getting their legs under them quickly. Bure will challenge them in one-on-one situations. So the Rangers must be skating well and must keep Bure in front of them all the time. If the Rangers don't look for him at all times, Bure will get behind them and receive the puck. That was true against Boston, and it's true against every other team.
The Rangers defense needs to be in a heightened state of awareness concerning Bure. If he isn't on the ice, they need to be conscious of when he will return. It will take both defensemen and a lot of communication to not let Bure slip in behind them.Brian Engblom is a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage. He played 11 seasons in the NHL. | |
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