Went to our first
AHL game of the season a couple weeks ago. The
Lowell Lock Monsters taking on the
Providence Bruins at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. We got to see a bunch of the new rules in action, which definitely improved the game. Hopefully the
NHL will adopt these rules.
The bluelines were widened to 24" from 12". This came into play several times as potential offsides calls were negated, and several passes to the point that would have gone out of the zone were kept in. It also helps for long neutral zone passes, which opened up the game a bit. Also, just adding a foot didn't really change the aesthetic feel of the rink. I had seen pictures of last season where they experimented with adding yet another foot or two (can't remember), and it was UGLY. This is a good compromise.
Tag-up offsides RULES! I have been bitching about this for years. The NHL used to allow this, and then changed the rule for some stupid reason. I'm not sure of the exact year the NHL changed this, but I'm pretty sure it coincided with the trap defensive scheme coming into existence, thereby stifling offense and excitement. This change alone will allow for more scoring chances by wearing down the defense and will also improve the flow of the game by eliminating a LOT of whistles.
We were fortunate to be able to see a shootout, after the Bruins tied it up in the final minutes of the game. No one was able to decide the game in the four-on-four overtime period, so it went to the shootout. The Bruins had it won, but the Lock Monsters tied it up again on the final two shooters, sending it to a one-on-one shootout format, where the Lock Monsters ended up winning on a Ryan Bayda goal. Very exciting stuff.
