Ongoing Powerplay Discussion

[piqued]

Ray Whitney is a smart man:

I’ve looked at the stats and it’s not so much that the power play was 13 percent, and where it was in the league ranking. That can be misconstrued. The problem was the lack of power play opportunities, which meant a couple of things. First, you don’t have the puck enough five-on-five to generate power plays. That tells me you are not forechecking well enough or playing with the puck long enough to establish a power play. ... Trust me, 30th isn’t where we want to be, but I think we have to look past the power plays to five-on-five to be better on the power play.​

http://starsinsideedge.com/2013/01/10/catching-up-with-ray-whitney/

 

[BigG44]

I was hoping this thread would disappear....

Don't want this bad juju following the team into 2013.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Well won't have to worry about Ribeiro staying on the ice for 1:45 of the powerplay and holding onto it for 1:30 of that trying to find the perfect pass. yay.

 

[ginblossoms]

so what the stars do here? most of my concern starts from the points. i don't think the stars have 4 defensemen worthy of consistent pp duty. i'd preferably use 3: goligoski, larsen, & daley (maybe robidas... ugh). (didn't consider dillon here as i'm not convinced we can trust him in such a role yet and to me seems like he'll be an overall solid dman in the mold of a zbynek michalek.)

we've read that morrow will be used on the pp, and the remaining top 6 forwards should get pp time as well. this leaves a forward to man the point on one of the pp units. who would you prefer? i can't recall any of them having past experience in such a role. and none pop out as an obvious choice. maybe benn?

totally speculating...

pp1
ryder - roy - jagr (ryder one-timers from jagr or benn)
goligoski - benn

pp2
whitney - morrow - eriksson (who takes faceoffs?!)
daley - larsen

follow-up question... who was the 3rd center used when brad richards ran the pp point? ott?

 

[eartotheground]

all i want... all i've wanted to see from the powerplay in years... is for there to be some movement of the players, not just the puck. SOOOOO frickin tired of the stand around and pass theory.

 

[piqued]

Benn played a little bit on the point last season.

I don't know, I don't really see a lot of natural solutions. Larsen and Goligoski are the only D who are worthy of playing on the PP. If it were up to me I'd have them out there for 2/3rds to 3/4ths of each PP. I wouldn't split them up either. Better to have a good chance to score with your top unit than a so-so chance to score with 2 units. I've never been crazy about putting a forward on the point, whether that's Benn or Richards.

Not sure there's a place for Morrow either with the top 6 needing time, although I know the quotes that said he'd be on it.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

I think Dillon would be a decent trigger man for the 2nd unit.

 

[Verbal Kint]

Whitney played point on PP in Coyotes.

 

[ginblossoms]

Whitney played point on PP in Coyotes.

that would open up the pp possibilities then. gets rid of the no center on pp2 problem on my speculated pp lineup.

 

[BigG44]

Unless he changed his mind, Gully told Heika on Saturday that there would be a 15 minute break after practice before they went into a 30 minute PP session.

We could get some info on this today.

 

[Cin]

Dillon was always pretty fantastic on the PP down here. He'll fire off quick passes, transition really well from the neutral zone breakout, and he'll get up in the slot if he sees a good chance. Should definitely be considered.

 

[glovesave_35]

I'd like to see some kind of production from Morrow that shows giving him PP time with the forward corps we have is anything other than ego stroking. As it stands, and I just assume Benn will be there soon, there isn't a place for Morrow on the PP. Putting him out there over any of the top 6 forwards would be a mistake.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

I'd like to see some kind of production from Morrow that shows giving him PP time with the forward corps we have is anything other than ego stroking. As it stands, and I just assume Benn will be there soon, there isn't a place for Morrow on the PP. Putting him out there over any of the top 6 forwards would be a mistake.

From interviews it sounded like they promised him PP time in replacement for moving out of the top 6.

Here's what Mark said the PP units were today in practice:

Mark Stepneski ‏@StarsInsideEdge

Power play units today: Morrow-Roy-Jagr-Goligoski-Robidas & Eriksson-Whitney-Ryder-Daley-Larsen

I'd say you're more likely to see a D-man dropped and Benn or Whitney play point on the 1st unit.

 

[LT]

That first unit is disgusting, and not in a good way.

 

[glovesave_35]

From interviews it sounded like they promised him PP time in replacement for moving out of the top 6.

He lost his spot in the top 6 with his play. I don't see why the team should suffer because the captain needs his ego stroked. A real leader would say "use me how you see fit." The compensation Morrow gets for being relegated to 3rd line duty is in the form of being one of the most handsomely compensated 3rd liners in the league.

Edit: Those PP combinations are not very appealing.

 

[BigG44]

There's an art to being a net front presence on the PP, and I for one want to see if Morrow can at least still manage that. It's the once place Homstrom remained effective still late in his career.

Certainly I'm not putting Morrow in Holmstrom's league, but he definitely deserves the shot to retain that position. The entire PP was a failure last year so I'm not so quick to say he was one of the main reasons it was so poor.

Robidas on the point is truly ... just stunningly absurd ... but Morrow is a reasonable option. The rest of your Top 6 forwards are better triggermen or at dishing the puck. Getting dirty with pucks flying at him just might be Morrow's only contribution to the team, and it could be a big one.

 

[glovesave_35]

There's an art to being a net front presence on the PP, and I for one want to see if Morrow can at least still manage that. It's the once place Homstrom remained effective still late in his career.

Certainly I'm not putting Morrow in Holmstrom's league, but he definitely deserves the shot to retain that position. The entire PP was a failure last year so I'm not so quick to say he was one of the main reasons it was so poor.

Robidas on the point is truly ... just stunningly absurd ... but Morrow is a reasonable option. The rest of your Top 6 forwards are better triggermen or at dishing the puck. Getting dirty with pucks flying at him just might be Morrow's only contribution to the team, and it could be a big one.

Part of his ineffectiveness on the PP was that he had gotten away from being the net presence he once was. I don't have a problem giving him a chance to retain his spot but implying, or outright confirming, that you had to appease the guy by throwing him some PP minutes because you took away his 5-on-5 minutes is absurd.

I'll just go ahead and echo the sentiments of a couple posts above me, none of the personnel changes made will matter one bit if the players don't move their bodies on the PP. It's ridiculous how stagnant they've been for 2-3 years now.

 

[BigG44]

Part of his ineffectiveness on the PP was that he had gotten away from being the net presence he once was. I don't have a problem giving him a chance to retain his spot but implying, or outright confirming, that you had to appease the guy by throwing him some PP minutes because you took away his 5-on-5 minutes is absurd.

I'll just go ahead and echo the sentiments of a couple posts above me, none of the personnel changes made will matter one bit if the players don't move their bodies on the PP. It's ridiculous how stagnant they've been for 2-3 years now.

I could be wrong, but I don't recall a single team official making that statement. Maybe it was an interview I missed, but the only thing I've seen his fan speculation.

It's funny because I remember last year when Morrow was still in the Top 6, this is the role several fans were screaming for him to have. Anything to get him out of the Top 6.

I honestly don't believe this has anything to do with making him happy. If you're going to stick with a net front presence on the PP, I don't see a better option on this team. Like I said, the rest of the skilled players are better served moving or shooting the puck on the PP. Plus, the position is more than just obstructing the goalies view, and Morrow has proven to be highly effective in that role.

That said ... with neck and back issues ... I can't see him holding up in front of the net long. How many cross checks can that spine take?

 

[piqued]

It could be argued that Loui is the team's best net front PP option.

 

[BigG44]

It could be argued that Loui is the team's best net front PP option.

Am I remember this wrong because I don't remember Loui ever being a fixture as a screen for a goalie? He's definitely never far from the goalie playing in the slot, but I honestly can't recall him being used as a traditional net front guy.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Am I remember this wrong because I don't remember Loui ever being a fixture as a screen for a goalie? He's definitely never far from the goalie playing in the slot, but I honestly can't recall him being used as a traditional net front guy.

He's been used as the screen a lot yea.

 

[LT]

Don't ever remember him being used as a screen.

 

[Cin]

Eriksson-Benn-Jagr
Goli-Daley

Morrow-Roy-Ryder
Larsen-Dillon

I think Morrow still has it when it comes to being in front of the net. Both options allow for great movement, a couple of AWESOME one-time options, and guys in front of the net.

 

[WhoahNow]

Eriksson spent some time going for the high tips between the hash marks, but I know if he was ever right in front of the crease screening.

 

[Verbal Kint]

Eriksson-Benn-Jagr
Goli-Daley

Morrow-Roy-Ryder
Larsen-Dillon

I would give Whitney at least some PP time, but hey, that's just me.