Knowing scoring from in close is a consistent formula for winning games, coaches advocate for players to get to the net with and without the puck.
The goal is to control the dangerous areas in the offensive zone and exploit the better potential for scoring. Scoring chances diminish and scoring becomes much more difficult if the defensive team takes away that dangerous area.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were a beacon for this sentiment at the season’s onset but have shied away from getting into the dirty areas — the high-danger (HD) scoring areas — a little bit recently.