Proposal: Let's talk about the Power Play

[Pens x]

It is clear the assistants will be the fall guys this summer. Why else would any organization continue to employ Todd Reirden? The team has to protect Sully at all costs. Maybe his 10th set of assistants will net different results….or not.

 

[cygnus47]

Obvious lack of coaching point aside.

The biggest on-ice issue is Sid and Geno don't seem like they want to score with wrist shots on the PP. Neither of them skate towards the net with the puck and take shots. All Kessel did on the PP here was loop high, take the puck hard to the dots and then shoot or shot pass. One play, over and over again, and there's nothing the PK can do about it without overcommitting. The only thing you have to do is prepare to skate towards the net when the puck comes up high and then do it when you have the puck. You could fix the PP with 2 minutes of coaching.

 

[Ryder71]

It is clear the assistants will be the fall guys this summer. Why else would any organization continue to employ Todd Reirden? The team has to protect Sully at all costs. Maybe his 10th set of assistants will net different results….or not.

Blame Sid, your fake hero, HE wants Sullivan here, start bashing him, it's largely his fault.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

The 16th ranked PP% this year is the Seattle Kraken at 21.2%. We're second worst at 14.3% above only the Flyers at 12.7% (lol). We've had 36 PP goals so far in 252 opportunities. The league average in the same number of opportunities would have 252 x 0.212 = 53 goals in that same spread.

Do you think the additional 17 goals we would have with a league average powerplay would make a difference in the standings? How many more points would we have? I'm sure you can comb through all the games and find 1 goal losses where we had tons of opportunities and find enough standings points to comfortably secure us the WC2 or even Metro 3 spot. So I did!

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Glancing through this spreadsheet I wanted to find every instance of a 1 goal loss where we had 2 or more powerplay opportunities and scored on zero of them. Here's the list:

11/22 NYR 0-1 L - 0 PPG 5 PPO
11/24 BUF 2-3 L - 0 PPG 2 PPO
11/28 NSH 2-3 OTL - 0 PPG 2 PPO
12/02 PHI 3-4 OTL - 0 PPG 5 PPO
12/04 PHI 1-2 OTL - 0 PPG 3 PPO
01/11 VAN 3-4 OTL - 0 PPG 4 PPO
01/13 CAR 2-3 OTL - 0 PPG 4 PPO
02/10 WPG 1-2 L - 0 PPG 3 PPO
02/20 NYI 4-5 OTL - 0 PPG 3 PPO
03/24 COL 4-5 OTL - 0 PPG 2 PPO
03/30 CBJ 3-4 OTL - 0 PPG 2 PPO
04/08 TOR 2-3 OTL - 0 PPG 5 PPO

That's 9 OTLs and 3 regulation Ls that could have been turned into 2 points if we scored one measly PPG. 15 standings points. Now there's no guarantee that those 17 additional goals came within these 12 critical games. 17/82 is about one additional goal every 5 games. So I'm sure it would flip about 1/5th of those games into wins. This also doesn't account for one goal losses where the other team scored an empty netter.

That's it. I didn't really have any other point other than showing how many points we've pissed away with our anemic PP. I'd go out on a limb and say we'd probably have about 5 more standings points if we had a simply league average power play.

Would have a better powerplay percentage have put the Pens comfortably into a playoff spot?

Is water wet?

The Pens wouldn't be any sort of Cup threat even with an average powerplay. But certainly would have easily been in the playoffs.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Shit, we might be in playoffs if we started Ned 10 more times instead of jarry

 

[ChaosAgent]

My POV:

*Entries are 100% a problem and lead to them psyching themselves on in-zone time. There is little dump/chase threat (a little better with Bunting I guess), Rust and Bunting can't carry the puck into the zone and the other 3 guys aren't great at it either.

*Choreographed passing at the top of the zone when neither 71 or Karlsson seems to want to shoot.
*For having skill these guys really show a lack of composure with the puck under pressure.
*In puck battles sometimes we get outnumbered. How is this possible when we have the extra guy? Laziness or lack of communication?

*They practice against a passive, turtley penalty kill here so they struggle when facing pressure IMO. Pressure us and we fold on the PP.

 

[66-30-33]

"Don't score goals"

 

[pi314]

It’s the lack of basic fundamentals that kill me.

Nobody in front of the net.

Pointless stupid drop passes to enter the zone.

They look like an NBA team trying to score a three pointer. Standing around the perimeter. Nobody moving their feet.

That’s X’s and O’s. That’s coaching.

 

[Andy99]

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

My POV:

*Entries are 100% a problem and lead to them psyching themselves on in-zone time. There is little dump/chase threat (a little better with Bunting I guess), Rust and Bunting can't carry the puck into the zone and the other 3 guys aren't great at it either.

*Choreographed passing at the top of the zone when neither 71 or Karlsson seems to want to shoot.
*For having skill these guys really show a lack of composure with the puck under pressure.
*In puck battles sometimes we get outnumbered. How is this possible when we have the extra guy? Laziness or lack of communication?

*They practice against a passive, turtley penalty kill here so they struggle when facing pressure IMO. Pressure us and we fold on the PP.

I'd argue it's more basic than that when they're in the zone. Boiling it down, you have 1 more player than the other team. The PP is about creating 2 v 1 or 3 v 2's in a certain area in the zone. There is no support or threats of a pass that are in a short area. The players who can receive a pass are at least 15-20 feet away from each other. Easily enough time for the goalie to reset his position and the defenders to adjust to the new puck placement

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

Blame Sid, your fake hero, HE wants Sullivan here, start bashing him, it's largely his fault.

Jokes aside, there is some truth here.

However....
Sid was clearly unhappy with the Guentzel trade. I think it was less about the trade itself, but more about the direction Dubas was taking the team. I'm sure Crosby will be speaking to Dubas about the direction, and want certain guarantees (ie. build to win, not just to rebuild, while he is here).

The question is in that conversation....
Will he realize Sully is a problem or not?

I mean, he will be doing soul searching into what he wants the rest of his career. That may result in changes how he thinks about Sullivan......or not .

 

[Dominance]

If we somehow signed Reinhart we could run a pretty unique powerplay that would be effective in its simplicity. After Sid takes the draw he and Bunting would collapse around the net while Reinhart would stay in the low slot where he scored a billion goals this year. All three of those guys are adept at tipping pucks and cleaning up garbage around the net. The system would simply consist of Malkin and Karlsson firing it on net or to the free stick of the guy at the near post all day long, when they had any kind of lane whatsoever. Empower Karlsson as the main guy to gain the zone, with Sid following behind and Bunting and Reinhart both fantastic puck retrievers making a dump-in a viable option, and you have a PP that I am certain would hover around at least 25% and - more importantly - would actually grind down opposing teams and goalies rather than just being a momentum drain.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think there are a ton of issues with the powerplay. The biggest ones that stick out to me are:

1. Bad zone entries. The Penguins powerplay breakout is basically just Karlsson (or Letang in the past) skating the puck up the ice with everyone else just standing at the other team's blueline. This team never enters the offensive zone with speed on the powerplay, and they usually have trouble even trying to pass the puck in the neutral zone. Absolutely moronic structure that makes getting set up in the offensive zone tougher.

2. Once they're in the offensive zone, the team just passes the puck back and forth without even threatening to shoot the puck. It's almost like a powerplay practice drill where the coach requires 5 passes before a shot. Their powerplay is wildly predictable and the passes are telegraphed. It doesn't even seem like they're trying to cause confusion among the defensemen or get the other team moving around, it literally just seems like a practice drill where they're just passing it around for the sake of passing it around.

3. They don't get any sort of traffic in front of the net, or at least didn't before Bunting came in. I don't think Bunting is quite a net front guy, but he's more of a "garbage man" to clean up rebounds around the net. The difference between those would be what Kunitz was on PP1 (garbage man) and Hornqvist was on PP1 (actual net front guy). Before Bunting, the goalie pretty much always had a clean line of sight on the shot because of how bad of a net front guy Guentzel was.

Honestly, the best way I can describe the powerplay is with one word: visionless. What exactly are they trying to do out there? With other powerplays, there is a clear idea for how to score goals there. Washington's powerplay is a good example of this, the vision is abundantly clear: feed Ovi 1-timers. I think Tampa also has a clear identity on their powerplay, there are a bunch of back door passes and 1-timer attempts from guys like Stamkos and Kucherov. But the Penguins? They kinda just aimlessly pass the puck around the top of the umbrella, and then finally shoot an unscreened/telegraphed shot after like 15 seconds of doing that. That shot either gets blocked or the goalie easily stops it.

The issues with the powerplay are definitely coaching, but the players aren't innocent here either. Rierden is probably not telling Crosby, Malkin and Karlsson to just casually pass the puck back and forth at the top of the umbrella for 30 seconds to just waste 30 seconds of the powerplay.

 

[Khelandros]

Would have a better powerplay percentage have put the Pens comfortably into a playoff spot?

Is water wet?

The Pens wouldn't be any sort of Cup threat even with an average powerplay. But certainly would have easily been in the playoffs.

If they had a functioning PP, they would certainly be contenders. Even against the West their record wasn't bad while only scoring 5 PP goals in 16 games.

 

[Ryder71]

Jokes aside, there is some truth here.

However....
Sid was clearly unhappy with the Guentzel trade. I think it was less about the trade itself, but more about the direction Dubas was taking the team. I'm sure Crosby will be speaking to Dubas about the direction, and want certain guarantees (ie. build to win, not just to rebuild, while he is here).

The question is in that conversation....
Will he realize Sully is a problem or not?

I mean, he will be doing soul searching into what he wants the rest of his career. That may result in changes how he thinks about Sullivan......or not .

Of course there's truth to it, and if Sid doesn't realize Sully is a problem then he absolutely should shoulder some of the blame. #Enabler

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

What’s a powerplay???

 

[MartinS82]

Honestly, the best way I can describe the powerplay is with one word: visionless. What exactly are they trying to do out there? With other powerplays, there is a clear idea for how to score goals there. Washington's powerplay is a good example of this, the vision is abundantly clear: feed Ovi 1-timers. I think Tampa also has a clear identity on their powerplay, there are a bunch of back door passes and 1-timer attempts from guys like Stamkos and Kucherov. But the Penguins? They kinda just aimlessly pass the puck around the top of the umbrella, and then finally shoot an unscreened/telegraphed shot after like 15 seconds of doing that. That shot either gets blocked or the goalie easily stops it.

This is exactly what I see too. They don't seem to have a plan (it used to be to set up Malkin with the one time shot from the RW circle or it ran through Kessel off the LW half wall). Washington is a good example - feed it to OV at the top of the circle. If you take that away plan b is to use the low support bumper play - Kuz to Oshie or Carlson can shoot from the top of the umbrella. But they ALWAYS had a plan. Pens need to first figure out what they want to do, and force teams to stop that, then have a plan B if the other team sells out.

 

[lokomotiv15]

This is exactly what I see too. They don't seem to have a plan (it used to be to set up Malkin with the one time shot from the RW circle or it ran through Kessel off the LW half wall). Washington is a good example - feed it to OV at the top of the circle. If you take that away plan b is to use the low support bumper play - Kuz to Oshie or Carlson can shoot from the top of the umbrella. But they ALWAYS had a plan. Pens need to first figure out what they want to do, and force teams to stop that, then have a plan B if the other team sells out.

That is why I run a 1-3-1 on my team and am a big proponent of teams using it unless they absolutely don't have the horses for it. The Pens with the current roster they have are probably more suited to a Box+1 or 2-1-2, which ever you'd like to call it but I'd love to see them run a 1-3-1 like I saw come out (maybe by accident) a few times in their last 5 or so games.

The 1-3-1 obviously works best when you have a great one-timer option from either side-wall, and a great PP QB who can make great lateral passes to players like Stamkos, Ovechkin or Draisaitl for their one timers, and we might not have all that, but hey, why not try it? Don't know if we have quite the perfect bumper player with high end skill and a quick release and touch either, but it is what it is (the 09' Pens with their clientele running it though, mmmmm)
Have to love how it creates so many offensive triangles and options. Also helps having Sid working off the wall or rotating down low than being stuck high on an umbrella where he is much less effective with his best passing partner 5 feet away from him.

Oh the things I want, but probably wont get.

 

[MartinS82]

That is why I run a 1-3-1 on my team and am a big proponent of teams using it unless they absolutely don't have the horses for it. The Pens with the current roster they have are probably more suited to a Box+1 or 2-1-2, which ever you'd like to call it but I'd love to see them run a 1-3-1 like I saw come out (maybe by accident) a few times in their last 5 or so games.

The 1-3-1 obviously works best when you have a great one-timer option from either side-wall, and a great PP QB who can make great lateral passes to players like Stamkos, Ovechkin or Draisaitl for their one timers, and we might not have all that, but hey, why not try it? Don't know if we have quite the perfect bumper player with high end skill and a quick release and touch either, but it is what it is (the 09' Pens with their clientele running it though, mmmmm)
Have to love how it creates so many offensive triangles and options. Also helps having Sid working off the wall or rotating down low than being stuck high on an umbrella where he is much less effective with his best passing partner 5 feet away from him.

Oh the things I want, but probably wont get.

Nice. My teams never had that big one-time option (I coach HS and lower levels, some AA) so I usually was a proponent of the "overload" - basically an umbrella but run off the half wall with the weak side D/F more up by the blueline with the ability to jump backdoor if needed, Kind of like the Pens ran when Kessel was there: Low support and an option in front that can manipulate the net front D to allow for that back door pass.

Maybe we should put in our applications for Assistant coach. I honestly don't think my powerplay would be worse then what they ended up with.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Nice. My teams never had that big one-time option (I coach HS and lower levels, some AA) so I usually was a proponent of the "overload" - basically an umbrella but run off the half wall with the weak side D/F more up by the blueline with the ability to jump backdoor if needed, Kind of like the Pens ran when Kessel was there: Low support and an option in front that can manipulate the net front D to allow for that back door pass.

Maybe we should put in our applications for Assistant coach. I honestly don't think my powerplay would be worse then what they ended up with.

Haha the way some stuff has been run for a few seasons, I can't see us not having the credentials to step in seamlessly.

 

[Andy P]

I think its simple.... Malkin is your scorer but EK65 cant pass him the puck fluently like Gonchar did

Trade EK65 for Roman Josi and power play is fixed

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

I think its simple.... Malkin is your scorer but EK65 cant pass him the puck fluently like Gonchar did

Trade EK65 for Roman Josi and power play is fixed

You are probably right...

You need someone that passes across the body (shoots left) to get it right in the wheelhouse for Malkin, quickly and consistently.

RH take too long to pivot the body and make the pass look too obvious. That's why whenever EK sets up the 1-timer, there is a back and forth pass with Malkin before the one-timer. Also once you pivot to the right, you can't fake anything as the pass becomes your only option.

This also factors in where Malkin likes to shoot which is further out and higher up(vs someone like Stamkos, Zibenijad, Ovechkin). If Malkin could adjust shooting creating a different passing angle, this would make the one-time pass easier for RH passer.

Try Graves/POJ there, and see what happens. Put EK on the left side for the one-timer.

So basically...
Bunting - Crosby
EK ---------------------- Malkin
Graves/POJ

I did some quick screen shots, but you can see the angles involves. The passer body position, vs shooter angle. The higher up Malkin goes, the longer it takes a RH shooter to position themselves to pass it. The further down he goes, the worst the one-timer angle. The easier to pass it incorrectly, or the easier to mess up the shot.

What I'm surprised also, is nobody is good enough to set Malkin up with a BACKHAND pass. You think NHL players would be capable...I guess not.

The other option is to put Letang at the point, and focus on setting EK up for the one-timer on the left side.

 

[vodeni]

You are probably right...

You need someone that passes across the body (shoots left) to get it right in the wheelhouse for Malkin, quickly and consistently.

RH take too long to pivot the body and make the pass look too obvious. That's why whenever EK sets up the 1-timer, there is a back and forth pass with Malkin before the one-timer. Also once you pivot to the right, you can't fake anything as the pass becomes your only option.

This also factors in where Malkin likes to shoot which is further out and higher up(vs someone like Stamkos, Zibenijad, Ovechkin). If Malkin could adjust shooting creating a different passing angle, this would make the one-time pass easier for RH passer.

Try Graves/POJ there, and see what happens. Put EK on the left side for the one-timer.

So basically...
Bunting - Crosby
EK ---------------------- Malkin
Graves/POJ

I did some quick screen shots, but you can see the angles involves. The passer body position, vs shooter angle. The higher up Malkin goes, the longer it takes a RH shooter to position themselves to pass it. The further down he goes, the worst the one-timer angle. The easier to pass it incorrectly, or the easier to mess up the shot.

What I'm surprised also, is nobody is good enough to set Malkin up with a BACKHAND pass. You think NHL players would be capable...I guess not.

The other option is to put Letang at the point, and focus on setting EK up for the one-timer on the left side.

Oh my! This is 100%. EK does not even bother faking it with a look to the right. Thats why Geno is going now down low and around the net. I was hoping that Ty Smith would be that guy, but that did not pan out. I do tink that POJ with some seasoning and coaching could be good PP QB

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

I'd rather talk about snapping into a slim jim.

 

[BobCole]

There's been more thought put into the PP in this thread than the organization did all season.