Around the League - 2024-2025 Part II

[weems]

A strong point shot is a nice weapon to have, but it isn't why we struggle, and it isn't as critical on the PP as it once was. It's about effective puck movement, we are too passive, and too slow.

With the same group, we have been a top PP team for years... 7th in 23/24, 2nd in 22/23, 1st in 21/22... Of course that is regular season, and that's without a strong point shot. Bouchard has a great point shot, and it's made the Oilers MORE dangerous, but they were very effective before Bouchard, without a point shot.

PP's success are determined by getting high percentage shots, with cross crease, and cross seams being the most effective way to score. We are just too tentative, too slow.

Here is the Edmonton game last night... two PP goals.

Dallas Stars - Edmonton Oilers - May 27, 2025 | NHL.com

NHL Gamecenter - Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers, May 27, 2025 - summary, stats, boxscore, play by play, recap and more.

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Quick puck movement, cross crease/cross seam, where the goalie can't move quick enough to cover the empty net. Two goals on the PP.

There are two Carolina PP goals here... Carolina Hurricanes - Florida Panthers - May 24, 2025 | NHL.com

Very quick puck movement, cross crease for the second one... goalie out of position...

We are slow right now. We hold the puck, we skate around with it. We overthink the whole thing.... I think that's Marner's problem... especially in the playoffs... overthinking, getting tight and putting too much pressure on himself.... he can't get out of his own head, and just play hockey.

Matthews shooting going from elite, to meh sure as hell doesn't help. Last year, you give him an inch, and it's in the net.. super quick, super accurate. This year in the playoffs, he was leading the league in shots taken, and couldn't hit the barn door... 6.4% for a guy who career is 15.8%.. he is still second in the playoffs for shots.


This idea that you need a point shot, is a very old school thought process. These days, without a screen, or a tip in, that's a shot that likely isn't going in, and it's a very low probability. Point shots with traffic, score around 3% of the time.. without, around 1%.

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2166495

Point Shots Suck

Yes, they really are terrible

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But without a threat of a point shot, the opposing defence can just collapse the PK box down and take away those cross seam, cross crease, high percentage shots.

Essentially taking away passing lanes and time/space.

The two guys we ran at the top are virtually non scoring threats in Rielly and Marner, so team's can just focus on taking away the other three players who are the main scoring threats.

Maybe it's not as effective as some think but when you don't have anyone that can actually step into a one timer at the top or is a legitimate threat to snipe, teams can just start exploiting you and this shows up in a 7 game series.

You are 100% right about the puck also moving way too slow.

 

[Fogelhund]

But without a threat of a point shot, the opposing defence can just collapse the PK box down and take away those cross seam, cross crease, high percentage shots.

Essentially taking away passing lanes and time/space.

The two guys we ran at the top are virtually non scoring threats in Rielly and Marner, so team's can just focus on taking away the other three players who are the main scoring threats.

Maybe it's not as effective as some think but when you don't have anyone that can actually step into a one timer at the top or is a legimate threat to snipe, teams can just start exploiting you and this shows up in a 7 game series.

You are 100% right about the puck also moving way too slow.

How on earth did we lead the league in Power Play percentages, without that threat then?

 

[weems]

How on earth did we lead the league in Power Play percentages, without that threat then?

That is regular season.

Things change in the playoffs, you're usually facing a strong defensive team with good goaltending.

Teams are facing you possibly 7 times in the span of two weeks, so tendencies and the pro scouting is really on point.

Just saying that some of those things you listed as reasons, are also a byproduct of not having a scoring threat up top that forces teams to stay honest in their defensive alignment.

 

[Fogelhund]

That is regular season.

Things change in the playoffs, you're usually facing a strong defensive team with good goaltending.

Teams are facing you possibly 7 times in the span of two weeks, so tendencies and the pro scouting is really on point.

Just saying that some of those things you listed as reasons, are also a byproduct of not having a scoring threat up top that forces teams to stay honest in their defensive alignment.

I just don't buy that teams don't try in the regular season that hard. Would it help... sure, absolutely.

You know who had a tremendous point shot... Connor Timmins.... I'm not saying he was an answer for much else, but I did find it very strange that he was never tried there.

Also.... "Villeneuve can score goals from the point. He has a good arsenal of heavy shots, with a strong slap shot as well as an excellent wrist shot. His release is quick and the shots are accurate."

 

[weems]

I just don't buy that teams don't try in the regular season that hard. Would it help... sure, absolutely.

You know who had a tremendous point shot... Connor Timmins.... I'm not saying he was an answer for much else, but I did find it very strange that he was never tried there.

Also.... "Villeneuve can score goals from the point. He has a good arsenal of heavy shots, with a strong slap shot as well as an excellent wrist shot. His release is quick and the shots are accurate."

I think its like you previously said, too slow which leads to it being extremely predictable.

It's almost like they have too many options in the playbook and thus overcomplicate things when sometimes a more direct, simplier approach would work.

Who knows, maybe we see something very different if Marner bolts and Rielly is moved.

 

[Superstar]

Massive loss. Really rooting for Hyman. Such a likeable human being

That's a tough loss, might cost Oilers the Cup.

 

[FerrisRox]

When did Oilers become so good defensively?

Their best defesneman isn't even playing yet, but he will be for the Final.

 

[FerrisRox]

Struggle in PP has been obvious for a while now. We dont have a strong point shot. Every team just collapses and keeps us outside..

You see it time and time again from all kinds of coaches facing the Maple Leafs. They simply don't have any kind of threat for a point shot on the power play and that allows teams to collapse the box and really focus on taking away east/west pass lanes and not allowing chances in the high slot either.

Even if you don't have a booming slap shot option, you could still get that puck to the point and take advantage of that collapsed box to sneak into the high slot and try to force that box to move and open up lanes, but the Leafs struggle to do that too so they are way too easy to defend against on the PP.

 

[ULF_55]

Just another look at Leafs defenders and the PP.

Kaberle and big point shot? Hmmm?
Around the same number of games as Rielly.

 

[Fogelhund]

Just another look at Leafs defenders and the PP.

Kaberle and big point shot? Hmmm?
Around the same number of games as Rielly.

View attachment 1043183

It's amazing that Kaberle scored so many PP goals, when he had that no shoot clause in his contract. I can recall so many times yelling at the TV for him to shoot.

The leader in the NHL, over the last three combined seasons, in PP goals as a D, is Makar at 24 goals. Bouchard is 6th, with 13 goals.

13 D have 10 goals, or more, everyone less.... Over three seasons... that's not really a very significant number of goals. Rielly is 50th, with THREE. OEL also has three.

As crazy as it sounds, there aren't any Free Agent D, who have actually scored more PP goals than Rielly over the last three years.... Provorov has one... Gavrikov has zero.

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[Fogelhund]

Lowry out 5-6 months, after hip surgery.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

It's amazing that Kaberle scored so many PP goals, when he had that no shoot clause in his contract. I can recall so many times yelling at the TV for him to shoot.

The leader in the NHL, over the last three combined seasons, in PP goals as a D, is Makar at 24 goals. Bouchard is 6th, with 13 goals.

13 D have 10 goals, or more, everyone less.... Over three seasons... that's not really a very significant number of goals. Rielly is 50th, with THREE. OEL also has three.

As crazy as it sounds, there aren't any Free Agent D, who have actually scored more PP goals than Rielly over the last three years.... Provorov has one... Gavrikov has zero.

NHL Stats

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Kaberle had the no-shoot-clause and Dion Phaneuf had the no-shot-on-net clause

 

[Puckstuff]

delete

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Lowry out 5-6 months, after hip surgery.

This information is too personal and dangerous to share.

 

[Superstar]

On the PP:

RW position - Draisaitl versus marner

Maybe we should dig up Einstein to see if he can figure out the difference, eh?

Draisaitl's shot is at the speed of light, while Marner's shot is relatively at the speed of sound, that is if a muffin could travel at the speed of sound...and one is a blackhole...

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Draisaitl's shot is at the speed of light, while Marner's shot is relatively at the speed of sound...and one is a blackhole...

The amount of energy required to accelerate an object of non-zero rest mass to the speed of light in vacuum with respect to local spacetime increases asymptotically without bound

SEE MOM AND DAD I CAN SAY SMART THINGS SOMETIMES

 

[TheGreenTBer]

And don't get me started on black holes unless you want to go full General Relativity

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

And don't get me started on black holes unless you want to go full General Relativity

Please, we would like to hear your rant on Holmberg and Jarnkrok

 

[Rare Jewel]

Lowry out 5-6 months, after hip surgery.

Toews to Wpg, now surely...

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Please, we would like to hear your rant on Holmberg and Jarnkrok

These two are both pure vacuum solutions of the Einstein Field Equations, meaning they are devoid of virtually anything other than quantum field fluctuations and spacetime foam. They leave you feeling empty, cold and alone.

EDIT: Jesus Christ you really can shitpost about the Maple Leafs in physics terms!

 

[Superstar]

These two are both pure vacuum solutions of the Einstein Field Equations, meaning they are devoid of virtually anything other than quantum field fluctuations and spacetime foam. They leave you feeling empty, cold and alone.

EDIT: Jesus Christ you really can shitpost about the Maple Leafs in physics terms!

superstar vs stardust...

 

[TheGreenTBer]

superstar vs stardust...

Fun science fact: a magnetar is a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field.

It would destroy any credit cards within a 200,000 km radius. From 1000 km away, it would turn your component atoms into, in essence, magnetic spaghetti.

 

[Superstar]

Fun science fact: a magnetar is a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field.

It would destroy any credit cards within a 200,000 km radius. From 1000 km away, it would turn your component atoms into, in essence, magnetic spaghetti.

That sounds like a money sucking phenomenon like some of our players...come playoff time, we have a few dwarf stars, instead of the brilliance of a supernova that gives all it has, leaving nothing.

 

[Trapper]

On the PP:

RW position - Draisaitl versus marner

Maybe we should dig up Einstein to see if he can figure out the difference, eh?

He might say:

 

[Aashir]

Aho did what nylander couldn’t for us the last 3 games

Score a breakaway