Same as it ever was ..... CBJ Power Play

[majormajor]

I said this before and will say it again. Try Milano on the PP. the PP allows space and rewards players with vision and scoring skills. There aren’t four forwards on this team who are better playing with space and with the vision Sonny possesses. Be bold Larsen, Torts...or is it Shaw.

If it doesn’t work, so what? The PP can’t be worse. As it is now, the better scoring opportunities are usually generated by the PKers.

It was worse with Milano.

 

[MoeBartoli]

It was worse with Milano.

Ah, are you referring to the same Sonny that drew the penalty to set up the tying PP goal????

 

[majormajor]

I'm really hoping the Jackets PP bottomed out and found new life tonight. It was... atrocious. They had trouble getting set up, but even when they get set up there's nothing threatening. Just 3 non-one-timer shots passing it around the umbrella. By the time they get the puck settled on their forehands the scoring opportunity is gone. I've been beating the drum on a couple things for a long time - 1) get guys on their one-timer sides, and 2) get Werenski on the right half wall, on the same unit as Jones. I'm not the only one who has been saying it, and Alison Lukan came out with a well researched article to back those points up. [Edit: and Jody's been talking about it too].

And what did they switch to on the tying goal tonight, our only PP success?

-------- Wennberg
Dubois - Nyquist - Werenski
--------- Jones

And the scoring opportunity comes from Werenski being able to dart in on a loose puck in the middle of the ice, he doesn't need to pull it back to his forehand, he can just shoot right away because he's on his one-timer side ("off side"), already on the forehand.

I'm sorry if this is pedantic, and I apologize to my fellow fans for being so repetitive. I'm angry about this. I don't even know which coach(es) are responsible for this mess.

 

[majormajor]

Ah, are you referring to the same Sonny that drew the penalty to set up the tying PP goal????

Yep, good kid.

 

[DarkandStormy]

The PP goal scored last night came after multiple guys actually moved, the puck got thrown on net, and someone was there for a rebound. Basically, the complete opposite of what happens on 90% of our PPs if we actually make a zone entry cleanly. I don't know who's coaching the PP, but freaking replay that goal on a loop in video sessions. The normal let's stand around and look at each strategy is garbage.

 

[CBJ VGK]

The decision-making on the PP is what is most perplexing to me. Players are usually spaced out well and in the right position, but whenever we get the puck about halfway (especially along the boards) in the zone our tendency is to force the puck deeper into the corner rather than trying to reset at the point. A good PP is all about an effective point and being able to recycle the puck around the perimeter until a lane or shot opens up. Pushing it in the corner is almost always a recipe for a scrum and a clear, despite our reasonable ability to forecheck and fight for loose pucks.

Also, Jones is a true master of controlling the point. His shot accuracy, though.....ooof. Guys need to start looking for re-directs instead of rebounds when Jonesy shoots. The puck can literally go anywhere.

 

[majormajor]

The decision-making on the PP is what is most perplexing to me. Players are usually spaced out well and in the right position, but whenever we get the puck about halfway (especially along the boards) in the zone our tendency is to force the puck deeper into the corner rather than trying to reset at the point. A good PP is all about an effective point and being able to recycle the puck around the perimeter until a lane or shot opens up. Pushing it in the corner is almost always a recipe for a scrum and a clear, despite our reasonable ability to forecheck and fight for loose pucks.

I don't know about that, for the entirety of last year the powerplay was vanilla umbrella. They never looked for down low set plays. Going back to down-low plays (the bread and butter from 2016-17) is a recent thing, and in my opinion we need to try it from time to time to keep defenses honest.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I'm convinced the PP is a lost cause. It's a lot like previous years, its a coaching and confidence issue and not player personnel.

We keep hearing how Bjorkstrand has one of the best shots on the team, and he lines up on the 2nd unit on the right side point. Now I know he has scored from here before, but if his shot is so lethal he needs more room to get it off. Perhaps working on his one timer side would help him use his shot more.

All of our offense from the PP seems to be ran through our one defensemen whether that be Jones or Z. While I think both are very good PP players, I don't know if they're good enough to be PPQB's. Opponents don't fear our puck movement at all, and I don't necessarily think its Jones/Z's fault, but when they know the puck is going to the point its a lot easier to defend.

Wennberg and PLD are fine PP players but neither inspires fear in shooting (especially Wennberg). So when they get the puck its either going to be passed or driven to the crease. Predictable.

Bemstrom and Texier have been no impact players on the PP. I fear trusting Milano on the PP because of his tendency to be a one man band type of players and alienating the other 4 options when he's out there. But all three have the skills to positively impact our powerplay. When we traded for Panarin we were told at how lethal his one timer was, and how it was his staple on the PP. How many times did we see him rifle a one timer from the left circle on the PP and score here? I can't recall many times. Now, we are told and shown the same things with Bemstrom about his one timer. Have we seen it used in regular season play? Not once, unless I'm mistaken. It's clearly a systematic issue as to why these guys can't get their shots where they want them.

Maybe putting Anderson in the front of the net will help out the team get traffic in front of goalies, which is one thing I don't think we do enough on the PP. Only Foligno, Anderson, and PLD are big and skilled enough to screen the goalie and also contribute on the PP. But I don't know how good they actually are at screening the goalie. They all seem to stand there and move out of the way rather than keeping the goalies vision impaired.

Another thing we don't do enough (IMO) is work the puck down low. It seems whenever we have the puck behind the net its because we just dumped it in. If we win that board battle it goes right back to the point, only going down low if a pass or shot was missed.

Atkinson has been largely MIA this whole season, but especially so on the PP. He is already our best threat to score, but he needs to improve on moving the puck too.

The powerplay is fixable, I just don't know if Torts and Larsen are the coaches to do it. They lack confidence which is also killer, especially when moving the puck. Nothing I said here is breaking news or anything new, but our PP is predictable and slow moving. If I can see this in 9 games from my couch in Columbus I'm sure its even easier to dissect for coaches who do it for a living.

 

[DarkandStormy]

The power play is terrible, and it is high time the coaching staff (and specifically Brad Larsen) answers for it

How long of a leash does Larsen have?

 

[Monk]

The power play is terrible, and it is high time the coaching staff (and specifically Brad Larsen) answers for it

How long of a leash does Larsen have?

Can't speak for Torts, but for most posters here I think it's about this long:

 

[majormajor]

Can't speak for Torts, but for most posters here I think it's about this long:

He'd have lost his PP coaching job a year+ ago if HF posters had say in the matter.

 

[cslebn]

Can't speak for Torts, but for most posters here I think it's about this long:

I'm not a fan of shock collars, but for Larsen...... I might make an exception.

 

[majormajor]

I'm going to be watching closely when the PP goes out there tonight to see if the coaches keep Werenski out there on the same unit with Jones. It worked immediately last night, and it shouldn't be a surprise that Werenski is effective from the right wall, or that guys on their one-timer sides are better at getting pucks on net.

This was the set up the other night:

--------- Wennberg
Dubois - Nyquist - Werenski
--------- Jones

Dubois has hit a couple posts on the PP from the left wall but I'm going to stick to my doctrine and say we need a right-hand-shot there who can release it quicker. I'd rather put Bemstrom or Atkinson on the top unit left wall.

--------- Wennberg
Atkinson - Nyquist - Werenski
--------- Jones

This set up has the convenient feature that the 4 outside shooters can easily rotate clockwise in formation and keep both half walls in ideal shooting position (on their one timer sides):

---------- Atkinson
Jones - Nyquist - Wennberg
---------- Werenski

That just allows for simple spontaneous movement to throw off the defenders, and frankly I'd love to see Jones' bomb from the left wall.

Second unit:

------------- Dubois/Anderson
Bemstrom - Bjorkstrand - Dubois/Texier
------------- Murr/Nuti

 

[thebus88]

At some point you have to realize its on the players to execute on the ice.

I believe we should re-focus on firing management and the players, not Torts and Larsen.

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

We keep icing the same PP unit and plays and we are expecting different results.

It's insanity.

 

[DEF]

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Abraham Lincoln -1866

 

[thebus88]

We keep icing the same PP unit and plays and we are expecting different results.

It's insanity.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Abraham Lincoln -1866

HAHAHA, oh the irony. Doing WHAT, over and over? What year is it??

Its almost like A HUGE CHUNK of CBJ fans have bitched and complained more about anything they possibly could during these past few years more than ever, while the team has been VERY SUCCESSFUL.

Some people would not be "happy" with the teams performance unless they were top-5 in every possible statistical category. Then if the team did perform at an exceptional rate, they would simply claim it wont last.

That is "insanity".

 

[majormajor]

They're doing it!

Werenski with Jones' unit.

And Bjorkstrand on his one-timer side on the second unit, I don't think we've seen that before.

JLGP on why it works - "the one-timer". Exactly.

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

They're doing it!

Werenski with Jones' unit.

And Bjorkstrand on his one-timer side on the second unit, I don't think we've seen that before.

JLGP on why it works - "the one-timer". Exactly.

Uninsanity?

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Uninsanity?

 

[Old Guy]

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Abraham Lincoln -1866

That's incredible that quote was attributed to him in that year. He died in 1865.

Amazing.

I should know......I was at the funeral.

 

[Viqsi]

That's incredible that quote was attributed to him in that year. He died in 1865.

 

[majormajor]

That's incredible that quote was attributed to him in that year. He died in 1865.

Amazing.

Apparently Lincoln was gifted the use of a time machine by some virtuous scientists who wanted to save Lincoln. They picked him up from Ford's Theatre just before he got shot. But Lincoln uses the time machine to go back, sneaking to avoid John Wilkes Booth, because he really wanted to see what happens at the end of Our American Cousin. Booth finds him and kills him. This all happens again a few times. Hence, Lincoln says "the definition of insanity..."

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Most NHL assistants toil under the radar, getting little of the glory in good times and little of the scorn when it goes sideways. But Larsen has become a reviled target by some in the Blue Jackets’ fan base.

“It’s bullshit,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “Absolute bullshit.”

Tortorella kept Larsen on his staff when he joined the Blue Jackets early in the 2015-16 season, and he kept him in place later when he could have asked to replace him.
Asked why he’s stuck with Larsen as his power-play coach, Tortorella did not hold back.

“Because he’s a good coach,” Tortorella said. “The decisions made on the power play don’t fall on Brad Larsen. Brad Larsen does a lot of work as far as preparing it and showing the tendencies of the other team. It’s his power play, but all of the decision-making and all the things we talk about as far as how to operate, that does not fall fully on his shoulders, so I call bullshit.

“I don’t read (social media), (but) I hear it. Shut up. Because he’s a good coach and the players like playing for him. I think he’s thorough, I think he’s a really good coach. And I really don’t give a shit about what fans think. But it’s kind of gotten to me a little bit on this guy here. He’s an important guy to this coaching staff, and it gets old for me.”

As power-play woes continue, Blue Jackets' John Tortorella...

 

[MoeBartoli]

As power-play woes continue, Blue Jackets' John Tortorella...

Thankfully Porty put the question on the table. Torts was a bit prickly in his interview. It's clear he feels there's no coaching problem; rather players' mindsets or player combos need changed. On paper we have Somme good players to put on the PP. yet it doesn't prove out in live action. Biggest surprise - Jones has no PP goals in the last 88 games. Yet he's the guy everyone thinks should be out there. Nada in 88 games is mindboggling so I'll be the one to ask: Based on performance - not reputation - should someone else be put in the spot?

And why isn't "Bumper Specialist" Nyquist not adding more?

Finally, do we have the right players correctly slotted for one timers on their "opposite wing", the preferred style of most teams.