It doesn't matter who they put out on the PP because the focus of said PP has been the same for years, and it's why it sucks as a whole. You cannot use the PP solely to get a shot from the point when you don't have any traffic in front, and you don't have any movement from the rest of the players. Nobody moves without the puck, and all they try to do work it back to the point for a shot. How this can still be an issue 3 years later is beyond me.
Stop making the singular focus a shot from the point. Work the puck down low and on the half wall. Forwards need to move without the puck. Create passing lanes, and player overloads Then, if you have to feed it back to the point, maybe you'll get a screen for a tip or a rebound to capitalize on.
Either way, this 50 foot unscreened shot crap has to end. It's not working. It hasn't worked for 3 years. Be professional and fix it.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS! Finally some perspective on this non issue -
“I could throw a lot of things at you whether it was LA winning last year without a [good] power play or Tampa Bay not even practicing the power play this year because they know you can’t win a Cup without strong five-on-five play. But I think people need to step back and maybe take a breath a little bit . . . and not make a mountain out of a power play. We want it to work well, but it’s not the end of the world. We’re still winning hockey games.”
How did that kick a$$ PP help the Bolts in game 7 of 2011?
A great PP wins you the Presidents trophy, a great PK wins you the cup.
Gimme a team that is top five in 5 on 5 scoring and top 5 in PK over a bunch of PP whores any time.
You don't have to convert every PP chance you have, and you would certainly be better served playing and scoring at a higher level when skating 5 on 5, but a PP is an advantage. One that this team hasn't consistently converted on for 3 years now. It's laughable. If they could have mustered even a decent PP during that series with the Caps last year, they may have advanced. Instead they got beat by a team that shouldn't have come close to hanging with them, let alone won the series.
The problem is that you never know what kind of ref'ing you're gonna get. Last couple years have been good, but with the garbage calls this year I'm afraid divers and whiners will be rewarded with countless PP opportunities. Even a great PK is sometimes bound to give up a couple of goals with 7-8 PP opportunities per game.
and every year come playoff time the refs start to emulate the Walkom/O'Halloran gold standard and let those ticky tack calls they made during the season go by the wayside. Looky looky who has another lights out PP so far this year....the San Jose Thorntons. Live by the PP, die by the PP.
You don't have to convert every PP chance you have, and you would certainly be better served playing and scoring at a higher level when skating 5 on 5, but a PP is an advantage. One that this team hasn't consistently converted on for 3 years now. It's laughable. If they could have mustered even a decent PP during that series with the Caps last year, they may have advanced. Instead they got beat by a team that shouldn't have come close to hanging with them, let alone won the series.
it's nice to have a good PP. it's ESSENTIAL to have a good PK. i'll take the great PK and 5 on 5 scoring and just let nature take it's course with any PP opps, and hope it doesn't let up any shorties.
It doesn't matter who they put out on the PP because the focus of said PP has been the same for years, and it's why it sucks as a whole. You cannot use the PP solely to get a shot from the point when you don't have any traffic in front, and you don't have any movement from the rest of the players. Nobody moves without the puck, and all they try to do work it back to the point for a shot. How this can still be an issue 3 years later is beyond me.
Stop making the singular focus a shot from the point. Work the puck down low and on the half wall. Forwards need to move without the puck. Create passing lanes, and player overloads Then, if you have to feed it back to the point, maybe you'll get a screen for a tip or a rebound to capitalize on.
Either way, this 50 foot unscreened shot crap has to end. It's not working. It hasn't worked for 3 years. Be professional and fix it.
right on with this.
No movement. They all just stand around in their little place from the X and O chalkboard. And none of them are in front of the net screeing.
On Friday night I pointed this out to my buddies, and then on the next PP we saw the same thing.
First of all there's very little movement...not news, here.
But this really threw me: The pk-ers are in a basic box formation, and the Bruins got one guy inside the box, but not only is he NOT trying to move and get a defender out of position, he's actually creeping towards a defender. And then when he gets right next to the defender, he stays there. It was as though he glued himself to the penalty killer.
Never seen anything like it.
I think it was Horton the first time, but not sure who it was the second time.
Anyway the pp has been so bad for so long, I think they're over-thinking it.
I'd simply keep the lines together. Whichever line is hot that night starts the pp provided they're not winded.
Krecji and Horton both shoot right, Lucic shoots left.
Bergy and Sequin both shoot right, Marchand shoots left.
Then you have D-men at the points, not forwards which just hasn't worked.
Chara and Seidenberg both shoot left, Hamilton and Boychuck both shoot right. Pair them how you want.
Keep it simple.
P.S. Nice goal by Chara on Friday. Nice quick accurate wrister...no huge wind up... and what a look of relief on his face!
This team plays a puck possession game. They make low-risk passes and safe plays. When THAT is the mentality (and believe me, I appreciate it) that you take into the man-advantage, you won't move the puck effectively enough to open up shooting lanes.
Remember when the board would get up-in-arms about how Savvy would pass the puck into open ice all the time and give the play away? And then how happy we were when his vision led way to some gorgeous offensive chances? Yeah. He was a high-risk/high-reward kind of player and PRECISELY what the team lacks right now. When he was in control of the PP, defenders didn't know what to expect.
Until we get that personality-type back on the roster OR until the gains the ability to switch their mentality for two minutes or less (the latter of which just isn't realistic), then I'm afraid we're not going to see the top-end powerplay that we'd all prefer.
This team plays a puck possession game. They make low-risk passes and safe plays. When THAT is the mentality (and believe me, I appreciate it) that you take into the man-advantage, you won't move the puck effectively enough to open up shooting lanes.
Remember when the board would get up-in-arms about how Savvy would pass the puck into open ice all the time and give the play away? And then how happy we were when his vision led way to some gorgeous offensive chances? Yeah. He was a high-risk/high-reward kind of player and PRECISELY what the team lacks right now. When he was in control of the PP, defenders didn't know what to expect.
Until we get that personality-type back on the roster OR until the gains the ability to switch their mentality for two minutes or less (the latter of which just isn't realistic), then I'm afraid we're not going to see the top-end powerplay that we'd all prefer.
This is the most convincing theory re our PP that I've come across. In short, you're proposing that their greatest weakness is also their greatest strength. I find it the most convincing because it's the only one that really explains why, after so much time, they still haven't been able to fundamentally change it. When you're trained to think and play a certain way it's hard to unlearn for the occasional two minutes.
I'm still not sure I buy this explanation 100%, but it's the one I like best.
This is the most convincing theory re our PP that I've come across. In short, you're proposing that their greatest weakness is also their greatest strength. I find it the most convincing because it's the only one that really explains why, after so much time, they still haven't been able to fundamentally change it. When you're trained to think and play a certain way it's hard to unlearn for the occasional two minutes.
I'm still not sure I buy this explanation 100%, but it's the one I like best.
Think about how we rarely see one-time passing on the PP. How often the team attempts to dish through traffic (almost never) and WHEN that happens, how unsuccessful it is. How it doesn't matter what formation or what proposal, it always seems that execution is the problem.
How the B's are SO much better at creating scoring chances when they skate five a side...
It's not preferable. But it's OKAY (isn't it?). Until the team gets the player that thinks the game on a different level - a change up... I don't see how our expectations can be any different in this ONE aspect of the sport.
Think about how we rarely see one-time passing on the PP. How often the team attempts to dish through traffic (almost never) and WHEN that happens, how unsuccessful it is. How it doesn't matter what formation or what proposal, it always seems that execution is the problem.
How the B's are SO much better at creating scoring chances when they skate five a side...
It's not preferable. But it's OKAY (isn't it?). Until the team gets the player that thinks the game on a different level - a change up... I don't see how our expectations can be any different in this ONE aspect of the sport.
IMO that means until we upgrade on a Krejci to an Oates level talent, the PP isn't going to improve. It's really tough to find those playmaking centers with uncanny vision. They usually go very early in the draft. Of course we can hope that Seguin evolves into that type of player but we have been playing him more as a winger/scorer type.
Think about how we rarely see one-time passing on the PP. How often the team attempts to dish through traffic (almost never) and WHEN that happens, how unsuccessful it is. How it doesn't matter what formation or what proposal, it always seems that execution is the problem.
How the B's are SO much better at creating scoring chances when they skate five a side...
It's not preferable. But it's OKAY (isn't it?). Until the team gets the player that thinks the game on a different level - a change up... I don't see how our expectations can be any different in this ONE aspect of the sport.
This is precicely why I'd like to see them simply keep the lines together for the PP.
The guys are used to playing together, they already have a feel for where one another will be, and where to go to receive a pass.
If they can play well together 5 on 5 they've GOT to be able to play together 5 on 4 and do a better job than what we've seen.
I also think the whole PP looks different when Big Z uses the wrister instead of the wind-mill wind-up.
This is precicely why I'd like to see them simply keep the lines together for the PP.
The guys are used to playing together, they already have a feel for where one another will be, and where to go to receive a pass.
If they can play well together 5 on 5 they've GOT to be able to play together 5 on 4 and do a better job than what we've seen.
I also think the whole PP looks different when Big Z uses the wrister instead of the wind-mill wind-up.
talk about latency! at 6'9" it takes him forever to wind up. Telegraph your shot much? That windup should only be on a one timer, otherwise you're right, just settle the puck and fling it towards the net if you're trying to get a shot off.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS! Finally some perspective on this non issue -
“I could throw a lot of things at you whether it was LA winning last year without a [good] power play or Tampa Bay not even practicing the power play this year because they know you can’t win a Cup without strong five-on-five play. But I think people need to step back and maybe take a breath a little bit . . . and not make a mountain out of a power play. We want it to work well, but it’s not the end of the world. We’re still winning hockey games.”
How did that kick a$$ PP help the Bolts in game 7 of 2011?
A great PP wins you the Presidents trophy, a great PK wins you the cup.
Gimme a team that is top five in 5 on 5 scoring and top 5 in PK over a bunch of PP whores any time.
Speaking of PP whores... how about those fabulous diving Oilers last night.
One major problem I notice is with breaking into the offensive zone on the powerplay. They have a few key puck carriers.. Krejci, Peverley, Bergeron, Seguin. These guys generally get the puck in the defensive zone or around the blueline, then move with speed to gain the zone. Meanwhile, the 4 other players are standing still, waiting to bust into the zone to retrieve a dump-in. The standing still is the problem. Just like in the flying V, if all 5 players are moving, it backs up the defenders and gives a lot more space to make a play. When standing still, defenders can stand their ground, makes it a lot easier to put a stick out to disrupt a play.
Got quad box going on game centre tonight, and watched a ton of Detroit's PP. It's unreal how much faster they move the puck around the box than us.
Frankly I have no idea why a player like Milan Lucic is on our power play. He's everything you don't need on a power play unit. Slow, a bad passer, bad in tight spaces, and bad with pressure in his face. I wouldn't hesitate to remove him.
Got quad box going on game centre tonight, and watched a ton of Detroit's PP. It's unreal how much faster they move the puck around the box than us.
Frankly I have no idea why a player like Milan Lucic is on our power play. He's everything you don't need on a power play unit. Slow, a bad passer, bad in tight spaces, and bad with pressure in his face. I wouldn't hesitate to remove him.
I don't think Looch, or any particular player is the sole problem. I watched a bit of the Wild/BJ game last night and even Colombus' PP looked 100x more creative than the B's ... and Darrel Powe was out there. It's just lack of movement, whether that's by design to play safe as theorized above or otherwise. You'll notice that teams play tighter once in the attacking zone against the B's on the PK because they're able to and it's effective since it's relatively easy to defend.
^ They have a better, more creative pp coach sadly. I think its time for ours to go. But that won't happen so we gotta make do and hope the pp steps up or we're looking at almost of 4 years of the same pp plays.
