Leafs 27th in PP % since Nov 30

[Blanche Blanche]

This is Hiller’s 5th year as the main PP coach (1 with the Red Wings, and his 4th with the Leafs). 3 of those seasons his PPs have been top 2 in the league, so clearly he’s had success in the past. But our PP is indeed crazy bad this year (other than the start of the season), especially given our MASSIVE amount of talent. If Hiller can’t figure out a way to turn it around soon (next 5-10 games), we should let him go so the guys have time to learn a new system before the playoffs.

Best case scenario :
The players are just PP slumping and it will be better when playoffs are near. Slowly they tweak it a bit and we have a scoring deadly pp again.

Worst case scenario : Hiller wasn't actually good and the lineup was just good at scoring by luck years ago. Until that is, you have a top team in the 2018 Leafs now, and EVERYONE and EVERY team is scouting the way we play.

We are not sneaking up to people anymore, this isnt 2016. People arent looking at us as a MAYBE club like 2017. This year every team gets up and splashes cold water on their balls and plays heavy metal as they lace up Vs us.

I agree though, 5 to 10 games. Major changes and if it still fails. Bye bye. For the sake of a PP in the playoffs.

 

[Rielly4]

The first unit was very good last night. Anyone who thinks otherwise didnt watch the game.

 

[Burnie97]

The first unit was very good last night. Anyone who thinks otherwise didnt watch the game.

Good in terms of creating chances...absoloutely . Terrible at finishing.

Leafs would be much closer to Tampa if our powerplay wasn't doing as poorly as it has since November.

 

[Warden of the North]

Im surprised there are teams worse then us in that time period almost as much as im shocked ours is this bad given the talent on ours.

Last night it was unlucky not to score at least one, though.

Anyways, our is far too stagnant. Go back to the traditional 1-2-2 setup as opposed to the 1-3-1. Ive never liked just one guy on the blueline.

 

[ToneDog]

JT is great to the side of the net but we need a big strong forward to distract the goalie. If we can grab a Simmons (Savard rumoured a 2nd, a 3rd and Brown last night but I can't believe another team won't offer a 1st) stick him in front of the net. Replace Kadri with JT. Kadri can help the 2nd unit which is weak.

 

[TOGuy14]

The first unit was very good last night. Anyone who thinks otherwise didnt watch the game.

I can accept a game to game fluctuation on success, it happens.

But over the past 2.5 months we are essentially dead last in the league at converting. With our level of firepower that is completely unacceptable.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

But over the past 2.5 months we are essentially dead last in the league at converting. With our level of firepower that is completely unacceptable.

We play down to other teams. We even play down when we have the man advantage. No team chemistry. RFAs getting overpaid to make sure Kappy and Johnsson get less. 1 left winger, zero top4 RHD. The math doesn't add up.

A team who needs to outscore can't score on the man advantage in the regular season ? We have a 10% chance of taking 4 against Tampa.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Time to:

1. Put those who are capable of chaos on one unit: Dermott Nylander Ennis Johnsson Kapanen
Or
2. Split talent evenly

in order to drive competition.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The PP is abysmal, just amazing that we're as high as we are in the standings despite how bad it's been. I heard the numbers on the radio this morning, it was over 30% in October, lower in November and again in December, can't remember the exact numbers. Then it was something like 6% in January and so far, running at about 3% in February. At this rate we'll be giving up more goals then we score on the PP by the time the playoffs start.

This is an embarrassment and should be 100% the first priority of the coaching staff. If this doesn't get fixed, it's hard to see us winning a round in the playoffs no matter who we play.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Fire Jim Hiller
Hire Quennville.

 

[FlareKnight]

This does need to be their main focus. There were some decent signs last game with some of the powerplays. But that still isn't actually scoring on most...or really any of their chances. The players and the coaches all need to figure it out before it costs them more points. I just hope they can solve it in the games remaining in the season.

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

"Our Powerplay is our toughness" - Mike Babcock - Michael Scott

 

[Hockey Crazy]

Fire Jim Hiller
Hire Quennville.

Lol too many cooks in the kitchen

 

[LeafsNation75]

Did their power play struggles against the Rangers remind anyone else when they went 0-6 against Tampa Bay back on December 13, 2018?

It's also weird how in that game they had 49 shots on goal against Tampa Bay and yesterday they get 56 shots on goal against the Rangers.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

The first unit was very good last night. Anyone who thinks otherwise didnt watch the game.

It’s not that they were “very good”. They didn’t even score.

That’s just what a power play is SUPPOSED to look like. Always.

Instead of looking like complete and utter crap (like the past month or two), it looked “normal” last night.

 

[janesy12]

Since October:
Rielly to Marner, slap pass to Kadri for a tip.
Rielly to Marner, pass across the slot to Matthews, Matthews toe drag wrister.

Teams have adjusted. So, they switched to this:

Rielly to Matthews, Matthews pass to Kadri in the slow for a weak one timer.
Rielly to Marner, pass down low to Tavares, cross seam to Matthews.

This was their big adjustment. It took the Rangers less than 4 minutes to figure out the changes, and make their own PK adjustments accordingly.

You can blame the players if you want, but at the end of the day they're told to execute those plays specifically. That's what they work on, that's what they're expected to do as told by the coaching staff.

 

[ACC1224]

Fire Jim Hiller
Hire Quennville.

lol, the optics of that would be terrible.
Babcock would essentially become a dead man walking.

 

[Anthrax442]

lol, the optics of that would be terrible.
Babcock would essentially become a dead man walking.

We are okay with that

 

[ACC1224]

We are okay with that

We don't have a say in that.

 

[Anthrax442]

So if our 5 on 5 is top notch, but PP sucks, doesn't it make more sense to leave the lines on the PP the way they are on 5on5?

 

[RLF]

PP has been looking much better lately. They are starting to use Marner less to carry and set things up and using everyone else more. If they keep giving the other teams different looks consistently, I am confident the PP will break through very shortly. If they go back to Marner always bringing it into the zone and always through him at set up, it will fail as it is too predictable.

 

[Egghead1999]

Since October:
Rielly to Marner, slap pass to Kadri for a tip.
Rielly to Marner, pass across the slot to Matthews, Matthews toe drag wrister.

Teams have adjusted. So, they switched to this:

Rielly to Matthews, Matthews pass to Kadri in the slow for a weak one timer.
Rielly to Marner, pass down low to Tavares, cross seam to Matthews.

This was their big adjustment. It took the Rangers less than 4 minutes to figure out the changes, and make their own PK adjustments accordingly.

You can blame the players if you want, but at the end of the day they're told to execute those plays specifically. That's what they work on, that's what they're expected to do as told by the coaching staff.

That is the problem; the coaching staff could not do a simple in-game adjustment. I don't mind that they had a game plan and they stuck to it. Just had a plan to counter opponent's PK adjustments. I will say that is lazy coaching

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Good in terms of creating chances...absoloutely . Terrible at finishing.

Leafs would be much closer to Tampa if our powerplay wasn't doing as poorly as it has since November.

If the PP can created chances then the scoring will come. On this team with this talent so long as you’re able to create space and get chances, the puck will go in. Not always at the right time, but that happens to all teams

 

[Burnie97]

If the PP can created chances then the scoring will come. On this team with this talent so long as you’re able to create space and get chances, the puck will go in. Not always at the right time, but that happens to all teams

Yeah I agree... it'll come back, but it's been hurting for a while.

Hopefully going into the playoffs it'll get on fire.

 

[Menzinger]

Not making any significant changes and expecting different results is stupid. This is 100% a coaching problem.

Babcock needs to step up and order his guys to adapt and do something major.