Powerplay insanity

[ACC1224]

Watching the games, they played him in the bumper to start the season and he would immediately vacate his spot at the first opportunity and force someone else to cover it.

Movement is fine but he would barely stay in the bumper at all.

Perhaps he just following the coaches instruction?

 

[Twine Tickler]

I think the movement of the PP was actually not bad last night. Realistically if we could have got a f***ing shot through yesterday we probably would have got 1. The movement was there.

I'd run it back with the same units next couple games, and if we don't see any sizeable results I would make a shift.

I think swapping guys in and out is rearranging deck chairs on the titanic at this point. I suggested we should have a guy below the goal line last year as a different look.

Right now with the bumper and net front guy being so close together it allows their PK scheme to play in a tight box. It forces us to move the puck around the umbrella because that is realistically the only play.

We need the net front guy to go down low a lot more IMO.

A) it will force the low side defender to cheat a touch which will open up a shooting lane. Willy and Matts can beat any goalie clean any time. They are struggling to get pucks through right now because our net front guy + his defender are completely eliminating the shooting lane

B)If we move the net front guy down low from time to time, and the puck goes down to them, the net front D will cheat down low. It will in turn open up the bumper position for a low to high play, or it can be worked right back to the wall guy with a more clear shooting lane and may even open up the cross seem dish to the other wall guy.

IMO our net front guy is too stationary. the puck never gets worked down to them. I recognize this is not traditionally how a 1-3-1 powerplay works, but our puck movement is so unbelievably predictable. We no longer have a cross seem pass, as that is what teams have chosen to eliminate which in turn effectively neuters our PP. I really think if we work the puck down low it will open up the ice a bit. Draw one of the PK'ers away from the crease. Who knows, maybe that cross seem pass opens back up by doing so.

For the record, I am not suggesting to have zero net front presence, just a little bit more mobility. Actually a lot more.

 

[hotpaws]

how about we go old school and get rid of the bumper which hasn't done shit for us

Riely/Sandin on the points
AM/Willie on the halfboards
Spezza or Bunting net front

Marner and JT can anchor the 2nd pp

 

[notDatsyuk]

how about we go old school and get rid of the bumper which hasn't done shit for us

Riely/Sandin on the points
AM/Willie on the halfboards
Spezza or Bunting net front

Marner and JT can anchor the 2nd pp

Not a bad idea. We definitely need someone who will screen the goalie, and it isn't JT.

All that great puck movement is wasted if the goalie can track it easily.

 

[Coachcorner]

They don't change the fixation enough sire. Also uh, that matthews same shot all over again is way too easy to read. Always the same comes off..... he a great scorer, but that one move ain't saving our SEASON. At all. Matthews does what he wants in toronto, nobody dares to even question him. He is the golden boy, but some golden boys have given or taken one for the (TEAM). That' s what makes them great sire. You gotta play for the team and not laugh at fans or opposite players..... Take one for the team and let others score too. The game ain't changed. Nore the life ain't.

 

[capfit9]

how about we go old school and get rid of the bumper which hasn't done shit for us

Riely/Sandin on the points
AM/Willie on the halfboards
Spezza or Bunting net front

Marner and JT can anchor the 2nd pp

Simmonds net front

 

[TMLAM34]

There’s no threat from the blue line, all the opposing teams just clog the middle and make it hard for pucks to get through.

Sandin is a nice addition on the PP, would be nice to have another dman with a slapper.

 

[AvroArrow]

Marner not having a shot is a major issue, he's a non-threat and teams just play man to man and cover all the passing lanes when he has the puck. He still forces the pass anyway and it ends up getting turned over. Last night, that pass to Rielly on the blue line was horrible. I'd put Willy/Matthews on the wings with only 1 of Rielly/Marner QBing. I would personally love to see, JT/Matthews/Nylander/Rielly/Sandin on the top PP. Sandins foot speed is a major issue but I like how he plays on the PP.

 

[The Podium]

Last night there were a few times where the PP entry was a bit different. The wingers rang it hard behind the goal around the boards and kept in by the opposite side D. Worked well and gave them more room for the drop pass on subsequent entries because it was no longer as predictable.

Wonder if we see more of that moving forward.​

 

[Carltons Cup]

You need Marner and Rielly on different PP's.

I'd swap Marner and Bunting. Reintroduce the high tip from Tavares in the bumper position with Rielly's wrist shot, and have two of our best net-front trapezoid guys in Bunting and Tavares there to clean up rebounds.

If we start using Rielly with purpose instead of desperation, our PP opens up more for Nylander and Matthews on the flanks, and we get a ton of opportunities.

I agree. We can't have 2 muffin shots on the same PP unit.

 

[Twine Tickler]

This is what I am talking about with respect to the 1-3-1 powerplay we run, and having the net front guy by more of a passing option. This snap shot is a Tampa PP with Killorn circled below the goal line, who is the net front guy only when the wall guys are in a shooting position. The second Kucherov worked his way down to a non shooting area, Killorn worked himself into a passing lane. which forced the Net front D to not understand what he was doing, and stay on the top of the crease doing nothing. The strong side D then moved his stick into the passing lane down low. This opened up the bumper, where on this play the went to, and then burried.

If say the strong side D puts his stick in the lane towards the bumper, you go down low for a jam play or down low for a low to high in the bumper (if available).

Its the same 1-3-1 that we run, but has a different look other than just working it around the umbrella for a shot from the wall guys, or a cross seem dish that's just not been there for 10 months.

right now our PP is far too scripted. Work around the umbrella and wait for the shot to open up, Which never happens. We need to take what the PK is giving us. Having the net front guy go down low more often gives us way more options to move the puck and get PK'ers out of position. We have the advantage of an extra man, it's about time we start f***ing using it

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Like I said last year take your best 5 and let them do their own thing for a few weeks .. da coaching of PP is pure BS and is only making things worse .. you don't need speed to succeed on PP .. skill on this team is top 5 in league so should be a top 5 PP

 

[robertmac43]

The PP actually breaks my brain at this point. I have been watching a lot of other NHL teams this year and everyone seems to have more dynamic PP's. I think our PP is a little too free-flowing and we may need some more direct, option-based puck movement. There is no way Zuccarello, Greenway, Erikson Ek, Kaprizov, and Spurgeon are a better PP1 than what we are sending out.

 

[hockeynorth]

x-Bunting-x
Nylander-Tavares-Matthews
x-Rielly-x

x-Ritchie-x
Kase-x-Spezza
Sandin-x-Marner

 

[All Mod Cons]

Like I said last year take your best 5 and let them do their own thing for a few weeks .. da coaching of PP is pure BS and is only making things worse .. you don't need speed to succeed on PP .. skill on this team is top 5 in league so should be a top 5 PP

Those 5 are 9 for 103. That's mental.

 

[nobody]

PP units really aren't that complicated. You need a net front guy and a point man to QB, 2 shooters and a bumper who can play anywhere but the slot (because it's hard to thread passes from the middle with so many sticks in the way as compared to shooting it).

Bunting/ Ritchie/ Simmonds - Our best net-front options
Sandin/ Rielly - Our best QBs at the point
Spezza/ Marner - Our best passers and bumper options
JT/Nylander/ Matthews - Our best shooters

PP1:

Spezza (bumper) - Bunting (net front) - x
Nylander - Spezza (bumper) - Matthews (2 slot shooters)
Rielly (QB up top)

PP2:
Marner (bumper) - Ritchie - x
Kase (need a better shooter option) - Marner (bumper) - JT (shooter)
Sandin (QB up top)

With the current setup, it makes no sense to have Mitch as the bumper/ main passing option in the middle because he's just getting harassed. He also has nowhere near a good enough shot to be respected by NHL teams. Guys like Brayden Point success in that position because they can rip the puck. Marner will have time and space taken away and not only does that kill his shot but also kills the passing lanes. We need a very good deft shooter in that position and to be honest, we don't really have any player for that role outside of maybe Bunting.

 

[notDatsyuk]

They don't change the fixation enough sire. Also uh, that matthews same shot all over again is way too easy to read. Always the same comes off..... he a great scorer, but that one move ain't saving our SEASON. At all. Matthews does what he wants in toronto, nobody dares to even question him. He is the golden boy, but some golden boys have given or taken one for the (TEAM). That' s what makes them great sire. You gotta play for the team and not laugh at fans or opposite players..... Take one for the team and let others score too. The game ain't changed. Nore the life ain't.

Somebody tell Ovechkin that the same shot from the same spot on the PP doesn't work.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Is there any precedence for this? Players that dominate 5v5, but suck on the PP year after year after year?

 

[ToneDog]

Like I said last year take your best 5 and let them do their own thing for a few weeks .. da coaching of PP is pure BS and is only making things worse .. you don't need speed to succeed on PP .. skill on this team is top 5 in league so should be a top 5 PP

Poulin had some interesting insight into the Flyers PP way back in his day (Kerr had 34 PP goals one year). They never practiced the PP and were told to do whatever they wanted. This way the opponent had no way to predict what they were going to do. Everybody and their uncle knows who is afraid to shoot and who to key on when our #1 PP is out there.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Poulin had some interesting insight into the Flyers PP way back in his day (Kerr had 34 PP goals one year). They never practiced the PP and were told to do whatever they wanted. This way the opponent had no way to predict what they were going to do. Everybody and their uncle knows who is afraid to shoot and who to key on when our #1 PP is out there.

Yeah now that you say it I don't remember ever having a PP plan outside of a face off setup and strategy .. I remember my old coaches would always say budd you are never going on it because only scorers who know how to score go on PP and that can't be taught .. I think it all my years i got only a handful of times and once was to stick other teams tender to knock him out of game .. strategy was always have your fastest guy take puck into other teams end and then let creativity take over

 

[Tak7]

Is there any precedence for this? Players that dominate 5v5, but suck on the PP year after year after year?

They haven't sucked year after year after year after year - they were good under Babcock.

It's basically been a disaster since Keefe rolled up

 

[Niagara Bill]

Get Reiily off the pp. We need a shot back there that scares shotblockers.
Nit sure who that us. Not Nylander, too tricky, not Matthews or flippin Marner who cannot shoot.
We have no one that can blast a puck that hurts.

 

[Coachcorner]

Somebody tell Ovechkin that the same shot from the same spot on the PP doesn't work.

Yes, it works for some. It doesn't for matthews and his powerplay. Period. Also ovechkin is a tougher player, harder. Doesnt give a F. He has the Ring. Matthews aint have none. Matthews will have to learn to win some, or he aint. Ovechkin plays smarter pp, matthews doesn't. Caps whole pp plays smarter than ours, ours dont sire.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Yes, it works for some. It doesn't for matthews and his powerplay. Period. Also ovechkin is a tougher player, harder. Doesnt give a F. He has the Ring. Matthews aint have none. Matthews will have to learn to win some, or he aint. Ovechkin plays smarter pp, matthews doesn't. Caps whole pp plays smarter than ours, ours dont sire.

Woah! Take it easy. You seem to be getting awfully bent out of shape over a little bit of humour.

 

[TheScandal89]

The thing I find we have always sucked at with the group is zone entry. If we don't win the faceoff or we make a brutal pass we usually spend the rest of the PP trying to gain zone control.

We do the drop back pass and then get stood up at the line a lot.