He chuckles. “Sure. You're gonna focus on Volkov.”
I watch the tape again. And again. And again. The third time through, I think I see it.
“His body – he gives it away.”
“Tell me more.”
I rewind the tape to the moment where I saw it for the first time.
“Well, here, he's still got time to decide whether he's going left or right. The forward hasn't committed yet, and there's still good plays open both ways.”
His smile tells me I'm on the right track.
“Keep going.”
“So, he's still got lots of possibilities, but he's made up his mind – he's going right.”
“How do you know that?”
I play it one more time, looking for every clue I can.
“His right skate – he's already opened it out. And his left arm is up, not back. And his hips – they're starting to point right.”
I'm not sure I've ever seen a smile from Tremblay as big as the one he shows me now, white teeth showing.
“Exactly. He's not only making his choice too soon, he'stelegraphing it for everyone to see. So as a forward, how could you take advantage of that?”
I think a little bit more on this.
“Well, there's the obvious – force him to commit too early, then deke to the other side and have open space.”
“Good. How do you force the commit?”
“Well, I think Chicago fucked up – they tried to split the difference between them. He would've done better to head straight for Volkov. The extra pressure and lack of backup would probably force him to commit even earlier. Plus, then Fournier isn't close enough to clean up the play.”
“Yes, but Jonesy doesn't skate likeyouskate. He probably can't risk getting that close to Volkov. Youdefinitelycan, though.
The blush returns to my cheeks.
“But, uh, couldn't we put together a better play if we think about two forwards?”
He looks intrigued at the idea.
“Go on.”
“Well, if we get him to bite just a little, it also opens up a passing lane straight toward the net. If Lindy is there and I don't have the space to get around myself, I can at least get it to him. And if he's ready, it's a great opportunity.”
His eyes flare with a competitive gleam. “Yo, Lindy, come here for a second!”
Lindholm walks down the aisle with a question on his face. Tremblay proceeds to outline the idea to him. After squinting at the film and replaying it a few times, he nods.
“Yes, we can do that. Can I show Sutter? He can probably tie up Fournier.”
He walks back down the aisle, iPad in tow.
“We should practice that move when we get on the ice today.” I say, knowing that we'll have a brief practice tonight before returning to the hotel to sleep.
“Definitely. I’ll talk to Coach. I'll see if I can pretend to be a sub-par defenseman.”
