Hitchcock: Prevent defense 'a natural tendency,' not coaching decision
Ken Hitchcock did not tell his players to sit on a two-goal lead.
The St. Louis Blues head coach watched as his team built a 3-1 first-period lead over the Dallas Stars in Game 2, then allowed the opposition to tie it up and force overtime.
Even though the Blues were outshot 13-2 in the third period, Hitchcock maintained after the game that the coaching staff did not instruct players to play prevent defense. It just happens that way, he explained.
Hitch: "It's a natural tendency. What do they say? The worst lead in hockey's a two-goal lead. It's natural." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) May 1, 2016
Based on the Game 2 possession chart, the Stars did indeed hold an advantage in shot attempts from the beginning of the third period onward, with the Blues desperate to hold on and tie the series at one before going home for Games 3 and 4.
St. Louis came out flying in overtime and recorded eight shots on goal in almost 11 minutes of play, and came out on top thanks to David Backes' power-play goal.