Methodically breaking down opponents works best when your first OZ read creates that breakdown itself.
Sheldon Keefe enters his third years in New Jersey after going a combined 84-70-10 with the Devils in two seasons, and quickly trending in the wrong direction. With new GM Sunny Mehta in place, multiple outlets have framed 2026-27 as a referendum on whether Keefe’s system is the right fit for this roster.
But any former Toronto head coach would be used to working under pressure, and his methodical, deliberate and structured approach can reach from “pragmatic” to “pessimistic”—when at face value, feeding the triggerman in OZ soft spots sounds rather “proficient”.
What it means on the ice.
The Idea: Pull up and feed the trailer. Rather than skating in deep and forcing a play to the net, Keefe’s zone entries are built around a deliberate pull-up: the puck-carrying F1 enters the offensive zone and slams the brakes near the half-wall, buying time for a trailing F3 or activating D1 to arrive while pulling the opposition out of coverage. Creating and exploiting these “softs spots” is where the scoring chance develops.
On the plays below, the two different looks: pulling up near the hashmarks to immediately feed the F3; or going to the corner, pulling the coverage deep and feeding the D1 (low-to-high) or activating D2 (cross-seam).
The Challenge: Immediate puck support. The pull-up only works when there are options for the F1. If he’s on his own, it quickly becomes a dead end: the puck carrier standing still, the D closing quickly, and no opening to pass your way out of trouble.
On the play below, Hughes pulls up as the strong-side D and two tracking forwards push him to the perimeter. The Devils’ D1 (stick blade in frame) will arrive just about in time, but the “soft spots” in disorganized coverage can’t be exploited without immediate puck support. The alternative: a soft dump below the goal line to commence the 2-1-2 forecheck.
The Potential: Compatibility across 2-1-2 situations. A huge plus of Keefe’s system is how little it costs the Devils to install. Because it’s built on the same 2-1-2 framework New Jersey uses on the OZ FC, the pull-up isn’t a separate wrinkle bolted onto the offense; instead, it blends directly into the team’s already established patterns.
On the play below, the exact same soft-spot read that finds a trailer off the entry also finds the F3 on the forecheck below the goal line; with Matthews unable to stop the pass, the one ingrained read pays off in different phases of the game.
The Risk: Playing into DZ coverage. The pull-up asks the entering player to hold the puck to the outside, and NHL defenses are excellent at defending that part of the play. It plays directly into a well-drilled DZ coverage whose primary goal is to funnel puck carriers to the perimeter anyway.
If the trailer isn’t there in time, or the F1 runs into trouble otherwise, they haven’t just lost the entry but given the opposing defense a clean turnover with numbers already in shape to break out the other way. Therefore, the danger is becoming the soft spot yourself.
Key Takeaways.
If you’re a coach: This system rides on the same 2-1-2 shape already common in many situations, so the cost-reward returns can be high. But be aware that its floor is low if the supporting habits aren’t drilled: a pull-up without a trailer isn’t a “slightly” worse play, it’s a non-play that hands the opponent a clean BO. Track how consistently the trailers arrive in time before establishing this as a go-to source of offense.
If you’re a player: If you’re the one entering and pulling up, try to scan before you commit if the trailer is actually providing support. If you’re the trailer, you being on time is the entire play, so make sure you are. Also, treat the read as a five-man commitment every time, ready to track back in case the play dies.