About The 1-3-1

Ladies and Gentlemen, the most exciting hockey play you'll ever see:

Ok, so "most exciting" might be an over-statement.

Basically, Tampa bay is set up in a diamond-plus-one with no pressure on the defense. Obviously, there is a lot of opinions on this. There is no way to beat the 1-3-1...or is there?

Here is a list of ideas I came up with (plus one I stole but give credit for) to beat the system:

• Do What The Flyers Did: Stall, just stall. Pass the puck around in the defensive zone and see if the lone "forecheck" will bite.
• Draw A Penalty: Looking at the video, there are a few times Lightning players had one hand on their stick and out to guard. Why not leisurely skate bye and "trip" over the stick, causing them to be penalized...or maybe you...either way, a penalty will eliminate the trap (for 2 minutes)
• Hit The Player...With The Puck: You remember the scene in The Longest Yard were Crewe throws the ball directly at the ref for not calling the game fair? Well drastic times calls for drastic measures. If the first guy isn't letting you do anything, then why not send him a message. Hey, technically it's legal (aka no penalty). Plus, if you hit him in the same spot as Crewe did to the ref, you get a highlight for the blooper reel.
• Fight: Yes, this does go with the first point. With everyone in the neutral zone standing around, go up a Lightning player and agitate them into dropping the gloves. BONUS: The crowd will wake up. 
• Install A Shot Clock: Via Puck Daddy comes the idea of installing a "shot clock" so teams have to advance the puck. The downside is that this opens up for more 1-3-1's to be used across the league.
• Ask Marc Savard: Apparently he's psychic.
• Get Jacques Lemaire To Coach All Games Against The Lightning: What better way to combat a trap with the trap.
• Constant Give-and -Go's: Speaking of short passes...Since the defense is more zone-oriented, set up so passing is constant. See below (yes, it was rushed together on Paint, but you'll get the point)

Artist Rendition...A horrible, horrible rendition

• Flying V: If the Mighty Ducks series taught us anything, is that the Flying V is unbeatable.