Coach Groulx on Traktor's league-worst defense after loss to Avangard.
In a league where defensive solidity often separates contenders from the also-rans, Traktor Chelyabinsk finds itself in a deeply concerning position, having now officially become the KHL's most porous team after a wild 8-5 loss to Avangard Omsk. Head Coach Benoît Groulx faced the music post-game, dissecting a contest that was less a strategic chess match and more a chaotic firewagon hockey throwback, a style that would make even the free-wheeling legends of the 1980s Edmonton Oilers blush.Just days after handing Avangard a decisive 5-1 defeat, a game where Traktor dominated the opening frame, the script was cruelly flipped. This time, it was the second and third periods where Traktor found their rhythm, even dictating play and out-chancing their opponents, but they were ultimately sunk by a combination of their own defensive frailties and the stellar, game-stealing goaltending of Avangard's netminder, who made a series of monumental saves at 5-6 that Groulx ruefully acknowledged were the kind of 'super-saves' his own goalie, Sergei Mylnikov, couldn't quite conjure.When pressed on the elephant in the room—the league-worst 54 goals against and the performance of his assistant coach Mario Richer, who oversees the defense—Groulx was quick to shield his colleague, insisting Richer's responsibilities extend beyond just the blueliners and that he cannot be held solely accountable for pucks finding the back of the net, a defense that will ring hollow for many analysts who see systemic issues rather than individual failings. Groulx did concede that the team's defensive structure, previously a relative strength, was conspicuously absent in this 'guns-blazing' affair, a high-risk approach that backfired spectacularly.His decision not to pull Mylnikov earlier to spark a momentum shift was a calculated gamble, one he defended by pointing to the rapid-fire goals that turned a 1-4 deficit into a 3-4 and then a 4-5 game, arguing he wanted his goalie to battle through the pressure and gain crucial experience in a knife-edge contest. However, this philosophical stance ignores the cold, hard analytics: a team that consistently bleeds high-danger chances and relies on offensive outbursts to compensate is building on a foundation of sand.The historical precedent is not kind to such teams; defensive discipline, much like the legendary positioning of a Franz Beckenbauer in football or the shot-suppressing systems of a Jacques Lemaire-coached hockey team, is the bedrock of championship aspirations. For Traktor, the path forward is fraught.This loss wasn't an anomaly but a symptom of a deeper malaise. Without a swift and fundamental correction in their defensive zone coverage, neutral zone turnovers, and commitment to two-way play from their forwards, their season risks spiraling into irrelevance, a cautionary tale of how exciting, offensive hockey alone cannot conquer the grueling marathon of a professional league season.
JA
Jamie Larson123k2 days ago
saving this to read later but wow that's a lot of goals to let in smh idk what's going on with their defense
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