Roster Building Thread - Part XII(Training Camp/Preseason)

[bhamill]

I think many of PP2's initial on ice situation include offensive zone draws. Goalie gets a stoppage/save on PP1... PP2 comes over the boards.

Id wager that is fairly common.

FAR more often the puck gets cleared with 30-40 seconds left on the PP and only then the 2nd unit gets sent on.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

The problem is it HAS gone stale the last two post seasons when we needed it and we had NO alternatives. We lost to both the Devils and Panthers in large part because we had all of our eggs in one PP basket and the f***ing bottom fell out of that basket. Saying it was against better defensive teams (which I would HARDLY call that NJD team) is just another way of saying it’s a PP that just feasts on lesser teams. I don’t care what ranking it has, for the year or the last 2 decades, or how many regular season goals it scored… if that’s the case it WILL cost us in the playoffs again.
The regular season is when a team on the level of NYR needs to work out these alternatives. Get other units familiar with each other. We need to have contingencies. We are making the playoffs. Trading off finishing first in the league for 5th in the league for being a team prepared to win in the playoffs is a no brainer. Unless what’s important to one is being able to tout what great rankings we have even though we lose in the playoffs.

The solution is easy, just incorporate some different looks on the pp, I mean Stevie wonder could see we're constantly trying to get the puck to Zibanejad. I've said for a long time that putting Laf in the bumper instantly creates other opportunities. You can pass to Zib, he can either shoot or pass to Laf for a one timer. Work it down low to Kreider, now he has two options for a shooter with Zib and Laf. Sometimes all it takes to throw a team off is to change the handedness of the bumper.

 

[SA16]

There are 32 teams. Give us 2 (which is barely 6%) where 1. you think PP1 didn’t go stale for 10-15 game stretch at no point during season and 2. Before it got Rangers level stale they were able to correct it through a personnel change.

In fact, I can tell you the Oilers went through:
3 game stretch without a PPG - 9 times
4 game stretch without a PPG - 3 times
5 game stretch without a PPG - 1 time

Playoffs:

3 game stretch: 2 times
4 game stretch: 1 time

(And ended the season on a game 2 stretch, didn't get a third game).

Kind of surprising they didn't try to balance out the units after it went stale and split up McDavid and Draisaitl. They had some young guys like Holloway and experienced vets like Henrique who could have used the time.

 

[bhamill]

There are 32 teams. Give us 2 (which is barely 6%) where 1. you think PP1 didn’t go stale for 10-15 game stretch at no point during season and 2. Before it got Rangers level stale they were able to correct it through a personnel change.

Why? That’s not my point AT ALL. My point is that it has in large part cost us two PLAYOFF series. I frankly couldn’t care less whose PP did or didn’t go stale during the season. I care about NYR pp going SO stale in the post season that it is a huge reason for a playoff series loss. And you are missing the rest of the point as well: we should be working out alternatives BEFORE it goes stale. That’s the whole point of what I’m saying: we watched our PP fail two post seasons in a row while we got bounced, let’s find a solution BEFORE it happens again… not sure why this is some sort of controversial idea. Hahahaha.

 

[bhamill]

Why does this team think they need two power play units ???

Because very few PP unit’s play the full 2, 4 or 5 minutes of any given power play? As in NONE.

 

[bhamill]

I don't think the alternative of "playing your worse players" is a good alternative.

Lafreniere is our “worse” players now? Okay.

 

[haohmaru]

Um...where is Kreider?

Literally the one thing he is amazing at and we are taking him off the PP? Must be a mistake.

We don't have two Chytils.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

Because very few PP unit’s play the full 2, 4 or 5 minutes of any given power play? As in NONE.

Right but literally 0 teams spread out their clear cut 5 best power play players between two units and then roll them evenly.

 

[eco's bones]

Top 5 power plays 23-24 regular season.

1. Tampa Bay 28.6
2. Carolina 26.9
3. Rangers 26.4
4. Edmonton 26.3
5. Colorado 24.5

I don't know. If anyone here were to ask me if a 26.4 power play was okay I think I'd have to say yes, I'm fine with that. Some of the best offensive players in the league in those top 5 teams--Kucherov, McDavid, Draisatl, MacKinnon, Makar.

So I looked up what those top 5 teams did in the playoffs on the power play.

That goes like this:

1. Colorado 36.7
2. Edmonton 29.3
3. Rangers 24
4. Tampa Bay 20
5. Carolina 19.4

There wasn't a lot of drop-off with the Rangers power play which was killing it kind of in the Colorado/Edmonton range of % until they hit what was to become the Stanley Cup winner.

That said---Rangers only got 15 power plays in 6 games against the Panthers. The last game they only got 1. Part of that is the deeper teams go into playoffs it seems the more the refs put their whistles in their pockets but also the Rangers had a hard time generating any offense and were pinned in their own end a lot in that series. Rangers only scored one power play goal in those 15 chances. Our power play didn't do it against the Panthers yes but it didn't get lots of opportunity either and against a very good defensive team. Even splitting up the power play if you're only getting two a night odds are stacked against it anyway.

 

[80s Kid]

Our PP is the least or our problems. When you get to the playoffs, the opponents are not only better but they have time to specifically game plan against your PP unlike during the regular season.

Part of the game plan includes staying out of the penalty box which Florida was better at last year. Vegas also took very few penalties during their run.

The solution is better 5v5 play (shocker). Sure you want your PP to be good but even the best PP runs cold at times and if the opponent stays out of the box, they've just neutralized your strength.

I just think all this talk about how to improve one of the best PPs in the league is missing the big picture. 5v5 has been this team's weakness for a while and until it gets better, we'll continue to live and die by the PP and we've seen how that's worked out.

 

[Kaapo Cabana]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840428178172473744

I don’t even know where to start

They’re trying shit. It’s fine. This isn’t worth an overreaction

 

[kovazub94]

Why? That’s not my point AT ALL. My point is that it has in large part cost us two PLAYOFF series. I frankly couldn’t care less whose PP did or didn’t go stale during the season. I care about NYR pp going SO stale in the post season that it is a huge reason for a playoff series loss. And you are missing the rest of the point as well: we should be working out alternatives BEFORE it goes stale. That’s the whole point of what I’m saying: we watched our PP fail two post seasons in a row while we got bounced, let’s find a solution BEFORE it happens again… not sure why this is some sort of controversial idea. Hahahaha.

I think my point is that you’re trying to find a solution that either doesn’t exist or impossible to really address. Rangers “luck” is that PP dried out in playoff but this is where those calling for 5x5 improvement are right - 5x5 is more important than PP even if there could be some bad luck influence as well. Rangers PP is at the very top of the league and this is what best of the best looks like.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I think my point is that you’re trying to find a solution that either doesn’t exist or impossible to really address. Rangers “luck” is that PP dried out in playoff but this is where those calling for 5x5 improvement are right - 5x5 is more important than PP even if there could be some bad luck influence as well. Rangers PP is at the very top of the league and this is what best of the best looks like.

Both things can be true. We need to be better 5 on 5 and be able to adapt when teams get on to our pp setup.