How many teams will still be using 2 defensemen on their first unit powerplay?

[WarriorofTime]

From my perspective, it seems the meta has shifted heavily towards 4 Forwards and 1 defenseman on the PP1. Which teams still use 2 D-Men on their first unit powerplay?

 

[SomeDude]

Pens will have EK and Letang. However, Letang should not be on there.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Unless theyre protecting a lead late in a game, i doubt any team will 2 defenseman regularly.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

Carolina Hurricanes. Someone correct me here. Is it Burns and DeAngelo? Or Burns and Orlov? Half our best scorers are D men

 

[Pablo El Perro]

Carolina Hurricanes. Someone correct me here. Is it Burns and DeAngelo? Or Burns and Orlov? Half our best scorers are D men

You could just say players and the comment stands.

 

[42]

Burns and DeAngelo in Carolina and Letang and Karlsson in Pittsburgh, to start the year. Not sure this will last, though.

 

[UnSandvich]

Nashville with Barrie and Josi

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Josi/Barrie tonight for Nashville.

 

[Evergreen]

I think if the Pens PP struggles at all during the season, they will you with Letang and Karlsson both on PP1.

 

[Murzu]

Avs used a three defenseman PP setup last season with Toews, Girard and Byram on the same PP unit.

 

[biturbo19]

Pens will have EK and Letang. However, Letang should not be on there.

The disdain Penguins fans have for Letang on the powerplay will never stop being hysterically hilarious to me. So many act like he's a completely useless bum that drags the whole thing down. Yet he manages to consistently show up as a Top-10/20 Powerplay points producing defenceman.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Detroit’s got Seider and Gostisbehere on PP1 to start.

 

[SomeDude]

The disdain Penguins fans have for Letang on the powerplay will never stop being hysterically hilarious to me. So many act like he's a completely useless bum that drags the whole thing down. Yet he manages to consistently show up as a Top-10/20 Powerplay points producing defenceman.

This is why watching the games and not just the stats is useful.

Letang has never been a good PPQB. That’s doesn’t mean he’s a bad defenseman. It’s just something he’s not good at.

He routinely kills the momentum of the PP because his passes to the trigger man (typically Malkin) are usually in his feet or behind him. Additionally, he’s not much of a thread to shoot because his slap shot is not very good which leads PKers to cheat a bit causing many turnovers and offensive chances for the PK.

Now the Pens bring in possibly the best PPQB of his era in Karlsson and move him over to the left side instead of letting him do what he’s always done. Why? Because Mike Sullivan and staff are god’s gift to coaching and want everyone to see how smart they are.

Also, hovering below 15 in dman PP points is the bottom half of the league considering most teams have 1 dman out there. Not as big of a flex as you make it out to be considering the level of talent on the Pens PP.

 

[Ezekial]

Unless theyre protecting a lead late in a game, i doubt any team will 2 defenseman regularly.

Sick assumption that was completely false.

 

[NyQuil]

You might see Chabot and Chychrun, particularly with Norris out.

 

[Machinehead]

This is why watching the games and not just the stats is useful.

Letang has never been a good PPQB. That’s doesn’t mean he’s a bad defenseman. It’s just something he’s not good at.

He routinely kills the momentum of the PP because his passes to the trigger man (typically Malkin) are usually in his feet or behind him. Additionally, he’s not much of a thread to shoot because his slap shot is not very good which leads PKers to cheat a bit causing many turnovers and offensive chances for the PK.

Now the Pens bring in possibly the best PPQB of his era in Karlsson and move him over to the left side instead of letting him do what he’s always done. Why? Because Mike Sullivan and staff are god’s gift to coaching and want everyone to see how smart they are.

Also, hovering below 15 in dman PP points is the bottom half of the league considering most teams have 1 dman out there. Not as big of a flex as you make it out to be considering the level of talent on the Pens PP.

I'm not doubting you, as you've seen a lot of Letang, but Karlsson isn't any different.

Karlsson is literally one of the weirdest players of all time.

His even strength offense is in the discussion for best ever. Not by a defenseman. Ever. Period.

His 74 even strength points last year are 7th all-time among defensemen behind Coffey, Orr, Orr, Orr, Coffey, and Coffey. Pastrnak had 76 and McDavid had 75. A defenseman almost led the league in even strength scoring, something that's only been done by Bobby Orr, once.

For all that, Karlsson is just another guy on the powerplay. Neither are bad, but I wouldn't be in any rush to get both of them out there.

 

[SomeDude]

Karlsson is literally one of the weirdest players of all time.

His even strength offense is in the discussion for best ever. Not by a defenseman. Ever. Period.

His 74 even strength points last year are 7th all-time among defensemen behind Coffey, Orr, Orr, Orr, Coffey, and Coffey. Pastrnak had 76 and McDavid had 75. A defenseman almost led the league in even strength scoring, something that's only been done by Bobby Orr, once.

For all that, Karlsson is just another guy on the powerplay. Neither are bad, but I wouldn't be in any rush to get both of them out there.

I’m not going to pretend I’ve watched Karlsson much his whole career, but what we’ve seen so far in his admittedly very short sample of time with the Pens PP is encouraging just based on the raw talent to make plays compared to a guy like Letang.

He’s able to stick handle and hold the line better than anyone the Pens have had since Gonchar and his saucer passes through traffic that land on the tape of his intended target are the kind of plays that only few can make routinely. This should result in a lot more chances, especially when he has guys like Crosby and Malkin who can think and have the vision at his level, but time will tell.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Letang wasnt on the 1st unit yesterday, surprisingly. He probably will show up there soon though. Penguins have a weird thing right now with too many right handed shots on the first unit.