When the NHL tried to rearrange the offensive road map, it forgot to get goaltenders to go along for the ride. At the halfway point, scoring is at 5.25 goals a game, slightly behind the pace of last season's 40-year low. It's not going to get the results that they want. What has kept scoring from rising has been strong goaltending and an increased emphasis on tight defense. The Calgary Flames looked more at how to defend against the new ice setup than how to take advantage of it.
Defense clearly wins.
That's one thing that's harped at players by coaches every single day. We need to be strong defensively, and you will create offensive opportunities from good defense. The NHL made major adjustments in the offseason to try to favor offense. It moved the nets 2 feet farther from the end boards, took the extra 4 feet out of the neutral zone, shaved the wings off the crease, standardized goaltending equipment size and added a second referee in select games. Though it hasn't resulted in more scoring, the result is shorter games and better flow.