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Bieksa: Canucks need to stop chasing in defensive zone

kevinbieksagetty

The Vancouver Canucks will try to snap a two-game losing streak tonight in Philadelphia. And according to defenseman Kevin Bieksa, sticking to new coach John Tortorella’s system will be key to accomplishing that objective.

“Sometimes, you revert back to old habits and we’re chasing a little bit,” Bieksa said, per the Province.

“We want to stay a little bit closer to our net in those critical areas. There are a few goals we’ve let in from the slot that are going through two guys. That shouldn’t happen. We should be real tight in our end and making them shoot from the outside.

“We’re giving up point-blank shots.”

For example...

We wrote last month about the differences between Tortorella’s system and his predecessor Alain Vigneault’s. And consistent with what he’s saying now, Bieksa said the Canucks would play “more or less… a zone coverage” in the defensive end, as opposed to the man-on-man pressure they’d been applying previously.

“So it’s being patient and taking care of your responsibilities,” Bieksa said.