Sullivan had a simple but effective game, shutting down rushes and helping the Flyers stay out of their defensive zone. It wasn't anything that lands on a highlight reel, but just maintained gaps well, taking away attackers' time and space and forcing turnovers, especially when defending entries. Charlie had some nice sequences of carrying pucks out of his zone and pinching to keep plays alive, but the shutdown defender was the primary theme in my notes.

Charlie played a very physical game. Keeping up a heavy pace throughout the game he used his physicality to slow down attackers, force them off of pucks, or pin down their movements while in his zone. On the offensive side, he patrolled the blueline well, almost breaking a blockade due to his ability to hold the line and disrupt breakouts. He also picked up a goal off of a snipe from the top of the circle reminding me that he also possesses a powerful release.

In a game that had plenty of odd-man rushes, 3-on-2’s, and 2-on-1’s, against his team, Charlie Sullivan was one of the defenders who more often than not was the man left alone back covering these chances. Good reads and anticipation let him pick off passes and deflect shots into the netting on a consistent basis. Good backward skating let him remain composed as these skilled puck carriers converged on him in numbers. In 1-on-1 situations he was able to edge out the puck carrier by protecting the middle with an active stick, refusing to backdown and give his opponent ice, directing them to a low-danger area of the zone. Not a flashy game, but in a game where many failed to handle high-pressure defensive situations, Sullivan held his own fairly well.