A serious debate: The PP

[RodTheBawd]

Point #6 and Point #7 seem to have some, if not direct, correlation to puck movement. We simply do not open lanes, nor do we get the goaltender moving from side to side very much. We had a brief spell during our post New Years run where our passing seems quicker and crisper.....and less predictable....then it went back to the same old, same old.

I'm certainly not an expert, but shots that end up coming from the point almost always allow shooting lanes to close. Forwards score goals when they get the puck on their sticks in scoring position. One of the other things that Washington does well is open lanes for the cross-ice pass. Our deliberate puck handling allows those lanes to close.

In the end we are just too predictable. I would hope that in the off-season the coaching staff is working on multiple PP plays.

It's great to aspire to be Washington or use them as a benchmark, but you're talking about having one of the greatest goal scorers and half-wall/pivots of all time out there together.

 

[Drivebytrucker]

So yeah.....

We don't one timer the puck enough.

We have a lack of really good shooters on our team even among our top 6 forwards. Can't think of the last time we had a guy (maybe Faulk) where it came off his stick like a gun.

Not sure Necas has that either.

 

[My Special Purpose]

It's great to aspire to be Washington or use them as a benchmark, but you're talking about having one of the greatest goal scorers and half-wall/pivots of all time out there together.

This. Times 1000.

The whole point of the power play is to create space. Space that skilled players can use to make plays. You simply *have* to back off Backstrom because if you rush him, he will saucer pass out of the pressure to somebody (Kuznetsov or Carlson) who now has a 2-on-1 (Carlson with Ovechkin, Kuznetsov with Oshie).

When we get pressured, we can't make that pass. It ends up with the puck on the boards. The season is over now, but I'd love to have measured the amount of time we spend with the puck along the boards on our power play. The power play is supposed to be the time in a game when you can actually *use* the center of the ice. We simply *can't* use the middle of the ice because we don't have the skill to deal with the congestion. It just becomes "hack-and-whack time."

I hate Brad Marchand with the passion of 100 suns, but the way he and Krug run the Bruins power play is just beautiful, and very similar, role-wise, to Backstrom and Carlson. But again, what do these teams have in common? Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak are just *elite* high-percentage shooters. Even when we do create the chances that other power plays create routinely, we don't finish them.

So there are issues all over the ice with our PP. I think this is what Brindy saw when he decided to leave it as it was. There really was no point tweaking when an overhaul was necessary.

I think two guys are locks for PP1 next season, Svech and Aho. The rest is up for grabs.

 

[emptyNedder]

I also think Necas is the guy. Foot speed and release speed from the top of the circle. We need it, he seems to have it.

When I read the think tank piece I was thinking of a Vellucci quote that someone posted earlier this year--basically Vellucci told Necas to shoot as soon as the puck got to his stick. Almost everything in the article sounded like the Checkers power play when it was clicking.

 

[GoldiFox]

Svechnikov did a great job offensively as the QB of PP1 during the Playoffs when he got the chance. He was moving his feet, changing directions, carrying the puck, and pushing the play towards the slot. It was a stark contrast from the hot-potato, "pass clockwise until a low % point shot becomes available" setup that I watched all year. Unfortunately Rod had to squash that because Svech gave up a couple short handed rushes against to Brad Marchand in the Eastern Conference Finals. Not the time for an 19 year old Rookie to be learning on the job.

 

[NotOpie]

It's great to aspire to be Washington or use them as a benchmark, but you're talking about having one of the greatest goal scorers and half-wall/pivots of all time out there together.

Agreed. The point still remains that those lanes get opened because of both puck and player movement. Sure, there's some "backing off", but one would think that would close lanes more than open them....except with this team.

 

[SaskCanesFan]

To me, the far and away most important point to see spelled out is #8. Not super surprising, but 75% of goals come off plays crossing the Royal Road, or centre of the ice. NHL goalies are too good to beat if they have time to set up, you need to get them moving side to side. That's something the Canes PP *NEVER* does. They don't have anyone looking for a backdoor tap in, and the only way the puck goes from left half wall to right half wall is through the point man up high, never a direct pass. That's on coaching/set up, and why I don't buy the personnel isn't good enough angle. I don't care how good of a shot Necas has, if the pass is predictably coming to him from up high all the time, it's still not gonna be effective. You need cross ice puck movement, and while part of that is having guys talented enough to make those passes, another part is coaching putting an emphasis on creating those passes instead of focusing on possession with the safe, outside back and forth.

 

[bleedgreen]

I like Necas playmaking from the goal line in the Lindy/Willy spot, a needed righty with the skill level to make the passes. He could work his way out for one timers, which I’m not convinced yet is an NHL level thing yet for him but it’s good to have another righty to try it with.

Like just mentioned, the one timer works off puck movement. Everyone knows the shot is going to Ovy, but when they work it right it doesn’t matter. He’s wide open somehow and he gets it served perfectly over and over again. That’s movement. Everyone in the building knows it’s coming - still can’t be stopped. They suck you in to one side then find him on the other.

Equally important to that is having another guy on the rink that’s a threat to beat a goalie when left open. We arguably don’t have a first of those, let alone a second. Maybe Svech.