- Oct 31, 2007
- 39,213
- 41,103
It's on a heater, obviously. Probably the best its looked for almost two decades at this point. But I was curious if anyone had any insight on what caused this sudden turnaround. Because not too long ago, it was straight garbage. It was the PP we've known for the last few years.
IMO, the obvious place to start looking is the Western Canadian road trip. 4 losses, 4 games where the PP failed to make an impact and even had opportunities late in those games for game tying or game-winning goals.
The following 7 games, they alternated between successful and not.
2/2 vs OTT
0/4 vs DET,
2/3 vs NSH
0/4 vs WSH
3/3 vs VGK
0/2 vs PIT
2/4 vs NYI
So, some signs of life, only occasionally though. Still, 9/22 is a pretty good hit rate overall. Then we get to our current 5-game winning streak:
2/5 vs NSH
1/3 vs MTL (though it was an ENG)
2/4 vs TOR
2/4 vs NYR
2/3 vs WSH
So in the last 12 games,18/41 on the man advantage, or a 43% success rate.
So something changes between the Vancouver loss at the end of that road trip and the win vs OTT. Obviously, players were rightfully upset about that road trip and said the right things afterwards. I believe they even held a player's only meeting upon their return.
But was that all it took? The personal has changed a little. I believe TonyD was removed from the PP in the midst of these past 12 games, and obviously, Svech has made a big impact on the PP in his return as well. But I believe the structure of the PP and the plan when they're out there has remained consistent.
Thoughts?
IMO, the obvious place to start looking is the Western Canadian road trip. 4 losses, 4 games where the PP failed to make an impact and even had opportunities late in those games for game tying or game-winning goals.
The following 7 games, they alternated between successful and not.
2/2 vs OTT
0/4 vs DET,
2/3 vs NSH
0/4 vs WSH
3/3 vs VGK
0/2 vs PIT
2/4 vs NYI
So, some signs of life, only occasionally though. Still, 9/22 is a pretty good hit rate overall. Then we get to our current 5-game winning streak:
2/5 vs NSH
1/3 vs MTL (though it was an ENG)
2/4 vs TOR
2/4 vs NYR
2/3 vs WSH
So in the last 12 games,18/41 on the man advantage, or a 43% success rate.
So something changes between the Vancouver loss at the end of that road trip and the win vs OTT. Obviously, players were rightfully upset about that road trip and said the right things afterwards. I believe they even held a player's only meeting upon their return.
But was that all it took? The personal has changed a little. I believe TonyD was removed from the PP in the midst of these past 12 games, and obviously, Svech has made a big impact on the PP in his return as well. But I believe the structure of the PP and the plan when they're out there has remained consistent.
Thoughts?