As the name indicates, man-on-man coverage focuses on individuals rather than lanes. All five defenders attach to their checks and do their best to stay D side (between the opponent and the net). A strict man-on-man DZC provides better high (from faceoff dots to the blue line) coverage at the expense of inferior low (dots to end boards) coverage. If the attacking team moves the puck toward the corner, it’ll be playing 3v3 down low rather than 3v5