I don't know the exact number, but the PP was humming before Marner went down as well. It's not like there was zero success and then Mitch goes down and we instantly become unstoppable. As some posters have mentioned, the pace we are operating at in his absence is flat out unsustainable. It is a statistical outlier. If we really want to look into the recent success, we need to look at how we are scoring those goals.
Gm1: Minny - 2 PPGs
Spezza - Unbelievable fake shot, 1 touch pass from Matthews to Spezza in the bumper and great finish. Likely a shot Mitch can make in the Bumper, but definitely a shot that Spezza has a better chance at finishing
Matthews - Set play off a won draw, Spezza throws a beautiful dish to Matthews back door, a pass that Marner can make in his sleep. Good read by Spezz, but this is a set play, he is looking for Matthews the entire time.
Gm2: Winnipeg - 2 PPGs
Bunting - Goal scored by PP2
Matthews - 5 on 3 to Matty who rips it
Gm3: Columbus - 2 PPGs
Nylander - cross seam dish Matthews to Nylander, and finish. Both players are playing in their normal PP spot, Marner would not have factored into the play. Also came 12 seconds into the PP off a won draw. Maybe not as much of a set play, but pretty bang bang.
JT- Tip from Rielly shot off of a won draw yet again
Gm4: Tampa - 2 PPGs
Kase - Broken play at front of the net, Kase makes a skilled play to put it over Vasy's right shoulder in tight. This is a greasy goal that may not materialize with Marner on the ice. The reason the puck fell to Kase in the first place was because his one touch pass to JT in the bumper got burped back to him. Bit of a fortunate bounce.
Nylander- Broken play off of a neutral zone draw, and complete melt down from TB in final 12 seconds of the Period
Gm5: Chicago - 2 PPGs
JT - Terrible shot from the wall, little to no traffic, and it somehow goes in. Again off of a won faceoff. Not sure how Marner would have prevented this from occuring
Matthews - Puck gets worked down low, kase attempts to go cross crease to JT back door, Lankanin deflects to Matthews in the bumper and he has an open net. Similar to TB Kase goal, this one almost went in as a result of Kase's failed pass, and the boys were getting in tight to score a greasy goal. Complete playoff goal. Bit lucky, but also a lot of making your own luck by being in the right spots.
Gm6: Edmonton - 1 PPG
Matthews- Puck is thrown towards the goal off yet another won draw, JT and Kase crash the front of the net and will it over to Matty back door who is like a f***ing shark in bloodied water.
the takeaways I grab from all of these goals, is that they are not perfection. They are working the puck down low way more than last year, and it is keeping the PK'ers guessing for a change. No more just working around the umbrella trying to work a shot onto Matthews tape. In fact Matthews is scoring from every position on the PP other than the point. He is far more mobile, often interchanging with the bumper. They cannot key into him like they were last year. The minute they do, it leaves a play towards the net open.
I think the one difference in having Kase down low is maybe that he really doesn't get cute with it. It's always on and off his tape, and he doesn't try feathering stupid cross crease passes far side that end up in turnovers. Something that maybe Marner is guilty of from time to time. For Kase, It's usually a play towards the goal, or a one touch to the bumper. Oddly enough though, all of the goals that Kase has been a part of have been because he failed to make the pass lol. It's all scramble goals. Which all count the same. That said, I still think I'd rather JT play that role, because he is a better passer than Kase, Better finisher in tight, and he also has that same simplicity to his game.
Long story long, I really think this recent success of the PP is just a run of good fortune. There is a lot to like about the simplicity of this PP. There is always a minimum of 2 outlets for our wall guys, and we are scoring in so many different ways. Which has been the case all year. Even when Marner is here
