I have no effing idea what's going on, really. It's just pathetic and it's costing us games, just like it did in the playoffs last season. Deja effing vu.
I'm definitely no expert on it, but I don't think it's as simple as a lot of people would like to believe ("Move Stamkos to the circle! Problem solved!"--Like we haven't been trying that for four years.).
But just when you look at our PP compared to successful PPs, ours doesn't move nearly as much. Both our players with and without the puck. Everybody stands still, assessing options, including our opponent. The only time it doesn't look that way is when we start Stamkos on the right and then try to mix him over on the left without the other team noticing. I don't see how this isn't a coaching issue. I hear Coop preach a lot about shots, but I don't hear him preaching much about keeping your feet moving, which, when you look at other PPs, seems to invite mistakes.
When it comes to "shooting the puck," I also think that's an over-simplified solution. Yes, it would probably help. But we almost never have guys in place to capitalize on second and third opportunities when we do shoot the puck. Our shots so quickly turn into turnovers that I understand the players' reluctance to fire. I mean, even when we have Callahan out there, a noted net-front presence, more often than not he's not playing anywhere close to the crease. The fact that we've had about five intentionally tipped in goals ALL YEAR is a symptom of a much larger problem.
Our team is dripping with offensive talent. We also have a couple of guys who can play well in front of the net. The fact that we don't have an A-grade QB shouldn't make the PP THIS bad. We're too easy to defend. With TWO guys who shoot roughly 15%, or better, that shouldn't be the case.
The problem is Cooper, and the problem is Yzerman. It's not on Yzerman for any personnel reasons, but it's on Yzerman for not taking the PP out of Cooper's hands. Brad Lauer wasn't hired to take over the PP--it's still Jon Cooper's. And it shouldn't be.
