Speculation: Power Play Discussion

[PhilJets]

I think the powerplay will improve by having Stastny in Connor’s spot. It will really help to have a second playmaker in addition to Wheeler. Connor is very good around the net but it would be better to have two options for getting the puck to Scheifele or Laine IMO.

Next season for sure, there will be 2 playmakers.
Heinola and perfetti

 

[KingBogo]

So you want to take one of our best goal scorers off the PP ? Connor? That doesn't make sense to me. Everyone is bitching about Pionk on the PP , Wheeler is the guy that has to come off the #1 unit unless he's going to stand in front and screen the goalie.

I think what it does is give us 2 better power plays. Connor doesn’t pass well enough to move in and out with Wheeler. But on the 2nd pp he could be the trigger man on the right side and have Ehlers set up on the left wall and Morrissey could be the d on the left side.

 

[Jets 31]

I think what it does is give us 2 better power plays. Connor doesn’t pass well enough to move in and out with Wheeler. But on the 2nd pp he could be the trigger man on the right side and have Ehlers set up on the left wall and Morrissey could be the d on the left side.

The thing with Wheeler is he isn't a threat to shoot , all a team has to do is watch for his pass .

 

[Hunter368]

I thought we could use a PP thread to discuss possible options, player usage and structure.

 

[DRW204]

Need to get Pionk off it and a better Point-Man

Id get ehlers in there over connor. I think ehlers can do everything connor can, while being a superior puck carrier and causing PKers to scramble. Laine needs to find his shot again if he wants to reach 2017-2018 levels of PP scoring.

we should do PK thread though........ that's far more of a worry than our PP

 

[Jack722]

I really wish I had saved clips of the two games Ehlers spent in Wheels' spot this past season (was Wheeler banged up or something? Can't remember.)

It looked really good.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Does anyone else remember PM offering Ehlers PP1 time and Ehlers preferring to stay on PP2? I don't recall exactly when that was, about a year ago I think.

PP1 needs Ehlers for zone entries, if nothing else. Don't ask him. Just do it.

 

[Neuf]

Does anyone else remember PM offering Ehlers PP1 time and Ehlers preferring to stay on PP2? I don't recall exactly when that was, about a year ago I think.

PP1 needs Ehlers for zone entries, if nothing else. Don't ask him. Just do it.

Yeah I recall that Ehlers preferrred the role he had on PP2 vs whatever was offered for PP1. I would swith him and KC in a heartbeat. PP1 gains the zone, PP2 has a scoring threat.

The Stastny, Wheeler, Schiefele, Buff, Laine unit was really good from my memory, but I don't think we see more than 3 of those on a unit this year (obv no Buff).

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Part of the issue is Wheeler has only one place to go with his pass.

I'm not arguing that the PP isn't pretty bad and that coaching is a part of it, but it's a little tiresome of this attitude that Laine is doing absolutely nothing wrong and it's only the incompetence of the coaching staff that he hasn't hit 50 goals yet. He has some things in his game that he needs to improve upon himself to do that, and part of that is not standing still on the power play.

But the point is that he doesn't stand still on the PP any more than anyone else does. It doesn't work if he is the only one moving around. He is playing the PP scheme that coaching requires. The whole scheme is static, not just Laine.

 

[DRW204]

Yeah I recall that Ehlers preferrred the role he had on PP2 vs whatever was offered for PP1. I would swith him and KC in a heartbeat. PP1 gains the zone, PP2 has a scoring threat.

The Stastny, Wheeler, Schiefele, Buff, Laine unit was really good from my memory, but I don't think we see more than 3 of those on a unit this year (obv no Buff).

for all the moan and groan that's coming from Jets "Fans" in the laine thread.

our PP% was only 3-4% lower than 2017 and 2018. That's with no Buff of course which is obviously a huge subtraction. But, It's a mere difference of 5-7 goals over the entire year given the same PP opps.

 

[Jets 31]

for all the moan and groan that's coming from Jets "Fans" in the laine thread.

our PP% was only 3-4% lower than 2017 and 2018. That's with no Buff of course which is obviously a huge subtraction. But, It's a mere difference of 5-7 goals over the entire year given the same PP opps.

Yep , our PK needs way more help than the PP .

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

completely forgot about this. i think it was Wheeler spots, and Ehlers said he did not want to be on his off-wing. does that ring a bell?

I don't recall Ehlers putting it that way. I only remember him turning it down. What player says no thanks to being on PP1? Seemed very strange.

 

[LowLefty]

But the point is that he doesn't stand still on the PP any more than anyone else does. It doesn't work if he is the only one moving around. He is playing the PP scheme that coaching requires. The whole scheme is static, not just Laine.

Laine could do more with the puck than the one timer - that would help in getting it moving.
You're right in stating they are all pilons out there - but the target is Laine and he's pretty much setting up in his office and staying there.
If he moved, the rest would move - I'd like to see him go to the net or even behind the net once in a while - if he did, you'd likely see movement in the slot and with the down low man.
He'd also drag defenders with him which will also drive movement within the group.

I don't think Maurice is telling him not to do these things.

I'm not suggesting this would make our PP great again - there are others things we can try that have been covered here. I'm simply stating, as is, there are ways to get more out of it.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

He absolutely needs to improve on things but he is doing what he's asked to do on the PP imo. I think the whole setup needs to be scrapped and redrawn.

Where Wheeler has to go with the puck is based on where he is and where his stick is. Given he is going cross ice through 5 or 6 players he has probably a 2 foot window to move the puck. Its essentially Laine's job to find that window. It's an incredibly specialized set up that requires specialized movement by Laine. Him moving around aimlessly doesn't help Wheeler make that pass.

I think Laine has done a very good job of mirroring Wheeler on the PP which is why our PP has had a good amount of success since 2017.

Now what I would like to see is more down low play incorporating Stastney/Conner making cross crease passes and walking it to the front of the net with Laine coming in hard from the his spot to get that pass or Barry the rebound.

The current scheme for PP1 has only 1 plan. There is really no plan B. Nothing is done to make the PK react and move and make a mistake.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

So in other words, it's Laine fault as well.
Everyone knows the puck is going to Laine on the PP - much like everyone knows the puck is going to Ovi on the PP.
Ovi is moving on the PP - he's in and out of his sweet spot where he likes to let them rip - and he's taking the puck to the net as another option.
Do you think Moe is telling Laine to stand there and wait?

Yes.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Laine could do more with the puck than the one timer - that would help in getting it moving.
You're right in stating they are all pilons out there - but the target is Laine and he's pretty much setting up in his office and staying there.
If he moved, the rest would move - I'd like to see him go to the net or even behind the net once in a while - if he did, you'd likely see movement in the slot and with the down low man.
He'd also drag defenders with him which will also drive movement within the group.

I don't think Maurice is telling him not to do these things.

I'm not suggesting this would make our PP great again - there are others things we can try that have been covered here. I'm simply stating, as is, there are ways to get more out of it.

I don't think it is up to Laine to move unless Wheeler moves. I think they are all executing the plan. The plan is the problem.

I agree that if he did the things you are suggesting the PP would be better. But that is not the plan. It isn't that PM is saying 'don't do this' or 'don't do that'. It is that he is saying 'do this'. So he is doing this.

It is like there is tape on the ice marking the spots everybody is supposed to be on. Like a stage play. Find your mark. When/if they ever gain the zone, they ALL go directly to their assigned marks and stay there. No way that is on one of the 5 players any more than any other of the 5.

 

[PhilJets]

Laine since coming in the league, is 3rd in most power play goals.

Behind Ovie and Pastrank

Their power play goals % to their total goals last 4 years.

Ovie 37%
Pastrank 39%
Laine 38%

 

[Duke749]

I agree about needing a Buff at the point absolutely but i don't want Connor off the #1 unit. I just don't think Wheeler is our best option we have for the first PP .

What does Connor offer other then the occasional goal right now? Nothing. He stands down low not sure what he’s supposed to do. There’s no proper rotation to give him a look shooting wise on the far side. He only ever beats a goalie in tight and those are rare occurrences. If there’s no movement he’s completely wasted there. Probably been the most improperly used player on our PP the last 2-3 years.

 

[Jimmyjets]

For me there's 3 changes that would help:

1) Ehlers in for Wheeler. Taking the captains spot at the half wall would be tough but as others have mentioned we need his zone entries. With him being a Left shot it also gives us another one-timer option for when Laine or the D have the puck. Right now the pass goes over to Wheeler and you know they're just setting it up again. so the PKers and goalie get a chance to settle and reset. With Ehlers there, when Laine flips those cross ice passes he could be the triggerman on the other side. I think Connor's hands are so deadly in tight I like him where he is so that means we need to pull Wheels to get Ehlers on.

2) Movement. Ehlers also helps with this as lots of the time he circles back towards the blue line with the puck so he can attack with speed against defenders that are standing still. I think this makes it more difficult to keep the lane over to Laine blocked and if Ehlers is attacking the box he's on his forehand so you have to respect the shot more than if Wheeler was making the same move. I'd also like them to try more backdoor set plays where if the D moves to far to the half wall Connor takes the pass in the corner and goes to the front of the net with Laine crashing from his spot at the circle. You'd have either a shot from a high danger area from Connor, a pass to Schief in the slot or a back door tap for Laine.

3) Need a big shot on the point or at least someone that makes a quicker pass to Laine. Pionk chiseled out a lot of points, but he's not nearly the threat that Buff was. When the puck heads to Laine the goalie is selling out to get over there to make a save. The pass needs to beat the goalies push and it isn't anymore.

I do think the 1-3-1 is the way to go but our setup is to static and predictable right now. Puck goes to Wheeler and he looks for a pass to Scheif or Laine then repeat. We need the other dimensions to kick in. One-timer from the point, quicker up and over to Laine through the D, Connor to be a threat down low and to add another shooting option opposite Laine on the half boards. Do that while keeping the seam passes to Schif and Laine and teams really need to pick their poison because they can't stop it all. Right now we're stuck using two options and teams are able to focus on defending those 2 things.

 

[Daximus]

I would still replace either Connor or Wheeler with the zone entry god Ehlers. We would get an extra 10-15 seconds/PP in the O-zone for the first unit.

Ehlers is nice to have on that 2nd unit though. Because they would never gain the zone without him.

 

[Daximus]

What does Connor offer other then the occasional goal right now? Nothing. He stands down low not sure what he’s supposed to do. There’s no proper rotation to give him a look shooting wise on the far side. He only ever beats a goalie in tight and those are rare occurrences. If there’s no movement he’s completely wasted there. Probably been the most improperly used player on our PP the last 2-3 years.

I disagree. He has been awesome at funneling the puck to Scheif and has elite hands in tight.

 

[Daximus]

I agree about needing a Buff at the point absolutely but i don't want Connor off the #1 unit. I just don't think Wheeler is our best option we have for the first PP .

I don't want Connor off that unit either. Though Stastny was pretty good there so maybe we see Stats back in that behind the net spot and Connor goes down to help PP2.

 

[LowLefty]

I don't think it is up to Laine to move unless Wheeler moves. I think they are all executing the plan. The plan is the problem.

I agree that if he did the things you are suggesting the PP would be better. But that is not the plan. It isn't that PM is saying 'don't do this' or 'don't do that'. It is that he is saying 'do this'. So he is doing this.

It is like there is tape on the ice marking the spots everybody is supposed to be on. Like a stage play. Find your mark. When/if they ever gain the zone, they ALL go directly to their assigned marks and stay there. No way that is on one of the 5 players any more than any other of the 5.

I'm referring to when he gets the puck - there are more things he can do than the one timer.
Sometimes the shot is not even there and he's taking a crack at it anyway - might even be impacting the shooting % drop.
I'd like to see him carry it (as noted earlier) - maybe open up the ice for others on the PP -

 

[Daximus]

The thing with Wheeler is he isn't a threat to shoot , all a team has to do is watch for his pass .

That's why you give him options. If everyone else is a threat to shoot and the puck has to go through Wheeler then you make the defence pick who they are going to cover. Obviously the focal point is the Laine one-timer but having more options for that pass is what makes it so dangerous. Want to cover Laine? Okay we will pass to Scheif in the slot who can rip it, or to the point so they can rip it or down low to Connor who can finesse his way to the front of the net.

 

[Daximus]

I'm referring to when he gets the puck - there are more things he can do than the one timer.
Sometimes the shot is not even there and he's taking a crack at it anyway - might even be impacting the shooting % drop.
I'd like to see him carry it (as noted earlier) - maybe open up the ice for others on the PP -

He tends to handle the puck like a grenade on the PP. Not sure what it is but he's killed many a chance with the puck just dying on his stick when he's forced to make a play. He's a great passer and a good stick handler so I'm not sure why when he gets the puck on the PP it looks like he's playing hot potato and trying to get rid of it as soon as possible. Other teams have keyed in on it to so they pressure him instantly and because he has no way to outmanuever them it usually leads to a turnover or a zone exit.