Line Combos: Oilers Power Play

[tawheed]

Can someone please explain why they insist on running four forwards and one D on the PP?

I've never been a fan of that setup as pucks tend to get out easier without D to seal off the walls. I understand a forward usually plays high and then goes deep for to be a late guy, but with how abysmal the PP has been, I'm surprised they haven't gone back to a more traditional three forward / two defence system.

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[McDrai]

Can someone please explain why they insist on running four forwards and one D on the PP?

I've never been a fan of that setup as pucks tend to get out easier without D to seal off the walls. I understand a forward usually plays high and then goes deep for to be a late guy, but with how abysmal the PP has been, I'm surprised they haven't gone back to a more traditional three forward / two defence system.

It's called an overload which is basically meant to overwhelm the opposition by putting 4 bodies down low. However, it's not working for the Oilers at all so they should switch to the classic setup.

For next game...
PP1:

Hall/Purcell/Draisaitl
Sekera/Nurse

PP2:

Eberle/Pouliot/RNH
Davidson/Schultz

With everyone healthy:

PP1:

Draisaitl/Hall/Yakupov
Klefbom/Mcdavid

PP2:

Eberle/Pouliot/RNH
Sekera/Nurse or Schultz

 

[tawheed]

It's called an overload which is basically meant to overwhelm the opposition by putting 4 bodies down low. However, it's not working for the Oilers at all so they should switch to the classic setup.

For next game...
PP1:

Hall/Purcell/Draisaitl
Sekera/Nurse

PP2:

Eberle/Pouliot/RNH
Davidson/Schultz

With everyone healthy:

PP1:

Draisaitl/Hall/Yakupov
Klefbom/Mcdavid

PP2:

Eberle/Pouliot/RNH
Sekera/Nurse or Schultz

I could see the overload working if they had forwards that were able to get on the opposition quick and win puck battles, but it's typically Ebs or Nuge getting blown over by the wind with an easy clear out of the zone.

 

[Da McBomb]

So much wrong with the PP. I don't like our zone entry. I don't like the setup of having just one guy back at the point, especially when one of those guys is Sekera or Schultz. I don't like our pointmen's inability to get a good shot on goal. And I don't like having so many offensively challenged players on our second unit (although injuries are a big reason for this).

 

[Bryanbryoil]

From the PGT:

In his rookie year Schultz had 4 powerplay goals in 48 games.

Since then he has played:
74 games
81 games
18 games this year

and he has 1.

One powerplay goal in that span.

 

[McDrai]

I could see the overload working if they had forwards that were able to get on the opposition quick and win puck battles, but it's typically Ebs or Nuge getting blown over by the wind with an easy clear out of the zone.

I think Ebs and Nuge really miss Pouliot and even Hall as they are both pretty good on the boards and aren't afraid to go to the dirty areas.

 

[tawheed]

So much wrong with the PP. I don't like our zone entry. I don't like the setup of having just one guy back at the point, especially when one of those guys is Sekera or Schultz. I don't like our pointmen's inability to get a good shot on goal. And I don't like having so many offensively challenged players on our second unit (although injuries are a big reason for this).

This is another thing that's driving me crazy. I understand sometimes the Oilers don't shoot enough, but Sekera shoots everyFREAKINGtime! Usually into a set of shinpads right in front of him.. Absolutely no need to try and force shots when they're not there.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

As someone mentioned in another thread, it's becoming obvious why the Sharks fans were so overjoyed to see Woodcroft gone from SJ.

Really hoping that McLellan gets on top of this and tells his buddy to get the powerplay in shape or else. We've already lost more than a few games because of how bad we are with the man advantage.

 

[LTIR]

Can someone please explain why they insist on running four forwards and one D on the PP?

I've never been a fan of that setup as pucks tend to get out easier without D to seal off the walls. I understand a forward usually plays high and then goes deep for to be a late guy, but with how abysmal the PP has been, I'm surprised they haven't gone back to a more traditional three forward / two defence system.

Because we have NO Dman good enough to QB a PP.
When Nikitin and Purcell are your PP QBs you know you need help. This isnt on McLellan or woodcroft .. This is on Chiarelli.

Trading Schultz for Boyle would be a good start.

 

[tawheed]

As someone mentioned in another thread, it's becoming obvious why the Sharks fans were so overjoyed to see Woodcroft gone from SJ.

Really hoping that McLellan gets on top of this and tells his buddy to get the powerplay in shape or else. We've already lost more than a few games because of how bad we are with the man advantage.

To be fair, they ran with the same setup last year IIRC.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

To be fair, they ran with the same setup last year IIRC.

So this is a relic from the Eakins era?

 

[McCombo]

Yes, watching the powerplay is frustrating. They are not the best guys to win board battles, but they have one more guy on the ice. Being smart and skilled should overcome the lack of physicality. There for I see the biggest problem being decision making, quality of passes, support and for the guy with the puck knowing where your teammates give support/move when opposition gives a lot of pressure.

When PK gives a lot of pressure Oilers PP seem to make very bad decisions, those bad decisions create battles where guys like Ebs, RNH, Hall, Purcell are not best suited for.

Bruins have best powerplay in the league. Their top PP unit (Eriksson, Bergeron, Spooner, Krejci, Krug) solve PKs pressure very, very well ! They make (blind) one touch passes, because they know without looking where teammates are. They use espicially well Bergeron in the middle in those situations. When Spooner in the halfwall is being pressed he gives little pass to Bergeron who gives proper support and one touches it to blue line.

You hardly see Oilers doing it. It is just chaos after misshandle or bad pass. And after that PK usually ends up icing the puck. When that happens 3-4 times in one powerplay it is extremely hard to score at high rate.

Oilers lack quality righthies. Eberle, Purcell, Letestu, Schultz and Pakarinen are the only ones. And not many of those qualify as quality.

I have hard time building good units. Without McDavid and Yak, I would probably try these:

Top unit:
---------------29-
----------4--------
14----------------
----------------93
--------88--------

When Klef comes back he takes Davidsons spot. Nuge and Drai run the play. They can also trade places (You should not be standing still). Hall's skillset isnt best suited to powerplay. And his decision making in tight places isnt on par with his other attributes which are superb. 88 slapshot, 93 wrister, 93/29 to 14 onetimer, 93 to 4 high tip, 29 to 4 who is crashing net.

Second unit
---16------------
--------67-------
----------------25
19---------------
---------2--------

Three defenseman if Schultz counts as one. Right now there isnt many quality forwards if first unit is as stacked as I made it. If it starts with faceoff Letestu or Lander can replace Pouliot as netfront presence.

 

[LTIR]

So this is a relic from the Eakins era?

relic also known as Justin Norris Schultz.

Schultz and Nikitin were our PP QBs last night.

 

[K1984]

So much wrong with the PP. I don't like our zone entry. I don't like the setup of having just one guy back at the point, especially when one of those guys is Sekera or Schultz. I don't like our pointmen's inability to get a good shot on goal. And I don't like having so many offensively challenged players on our second unit (although injuries are a big reason for this).

I also don't like the addiction our PP has of playing high in the zone. 90% of the time the player on the wall will defer to the point, which essentially leaves the two remaining players down low absolutely useless as we almost never get a shot through. It's also easy as hell to defend against.

This PP is starting to give me flashbacks to the dark days of when Eakins was running it. All the same issues are there.

- Schultz at the point
- Overcomplicated zone entry
- Refusal to move the puck deep on entry
- compulsively deferring to the point even when it isn't the best option
- zero shots on net from the point
- poor puck movement
- players standing still

The only feature missing from this being a full Eakins PP is giving up a shortie every game.

Nothing drives me crazier than coaching staffs that find ways to **** up our PP, it should be the easiest thing on this team to get working. Hell, pull some tape from the second half of last season and use that as a template. This should only be hard if Woodcroft chooses to make it hard, and that seems to be the route he's taking.

 

[Da McBomb]

Eberle is our best Right handed shot and best option to play with other skilled players on the opposite side half wall. Having him stuck on the second unit with players like Korp and Letestu doesn't make sense to me... and especially now that he has the hot hand.

 

[I Like Foolish Posts]

http://thehockeywriters.com/connor-mcdavid-oilers-power-play/

This article seems to suggest that injuries (especially to McDavid) are a major factor in the awful PP, which is a fair point, however in my opinion even with McDavid the PP was still not as good as it can be. The PP should be our bread and butter with all the talent available, and it has cost us points this season with how ineffective it has been. A lot of the time it seems to be a momentum killer as our top offensive guys just go out there and skate around with the puck getting repeatedly iced for 2 minutes, wasting shifts from our best players.

 

[K1984]

http://thehockeywriters.com/connor-mcdavid-oilers-power-play/

This article seems to suggest that injuries (especially to McDavid) are a major factor in the awful PP, which is a fair point, however in my opinion even with McDavid the PP was still not as good as it can be. The PP should be our bread and butter with all the talent available, and it has cost us points this season with how ineffective it has been. A lot of the time it seems to be a momentum killer as our top offensive guys just go out there and skate around with the puck getting repeatedly iced for 2 minutes, wasting shifts from our best players.

Our powerplay was best in the NHL over the second half of last season sans McDavid, sans Hall (injured for some, playing injured the rest), sans Draisaitl, etc.

We were tops by running RNH, Eberle, Pouliot, Yak, and that's about it. Injuries are not even close to a good enough excuse for this PP as the article suggests.

 

[Giggli G]

Ebs should be on the first unit. That's all I know.

 

[I Like Foolish Posts]

Ebs should be on the first unit. That's all I know.

With everyone healthy; McDavid, Hall, Draisaitl, Eberle and Klefbom on the first unit please!

 

[rasarhdasd]

That second unit is so bad. I know there are injuries but Letestu/Korpikoski/Pakarinen/Eberle/Sekera needs less of the first three and literally anyone else.

 

[gwiz999]

In the lockout year, RNH, Hall, Schultz, Eberle and one other player (Smytty?) were the top PP unit. That unit was quite successful. We have 4/5 of those players still on the team so how hard would it be to go back over video from that season and see why it was working then and not now. What is different... besides terrible zone entries and no real net-front presence?

 

[hallhopkinseberle]

In the lockout year, RNH, Hall, Schultz, Eberle and one other player (Smytty?) were the top PP unit. That unit was quite successful. We have 4/5 of those players still on the team so how hard would it be to go back over video from that season and see why it was working then and not now. What is different... besides terrible zone entries and no real net-front presence?

if it was that easy everyone would have 20% power-plays

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I wonder if we've got our Jultz PP heir apparent in our system in Ethan Bear. 35 points in 31 games in the WHL, right shot, bullet of a slapper. Already has 11 goals and is leading the WHL in defenceman scoring.

 

[hallhopkinseberle]

Korp and Letestu have been good 2nd unit guys in their careers statistical


Korp has 6.61P/60 and 7 power-play goals since 2014, which would be second on our team in goals. I think if I remember correctly he has gotten most of those goals in front of the net.

Hall has been a terrible power-play player in his career always has been, he is one of the best 5 on 5 scorers in the league.

Korp-Nuge-Ebs-Klefbom-Letestu
Hall-Drastaitl-Purcell-Sekera-Schultz

is what I think we should be runnning until yak,poo and McDavid comes back and when Klefbom comes back.

 

[hallhopkinseberle]

I wonder if we've got our Jultz PP heir apparent in our system in Ethan Bear. 35 points in 31 games in the WHL, right shot, bullet of a slapper. Already has 11 goals and is leading the WHL in defenceman scoring.

A big percentage of his points comes from the power-play. Like he has 20 power-play points or something so maybe.