Having mobile defensemen who can initiate or support the offense has become essential for success in the NHL, and the Ducks all season have allowed their defensemen to take chances offensively when they read the situation and believe they can go forward without compromising things on the defensive end. It has generally worked out well, but when those reads are bad or if the forwards don't cover up when the defensemen go up ice, the results can be ugly.
The Ducks experienced the ugly side of that equation on Monday in Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against San Jose because their defensemen pinched too often and the forwards didn't provide adequate support.