The Power Play....

[periferal]

I know people are up in arms about the Isles power play not producing anything, but to me there's really nothing that can be done until more higher-end talent is added to this team.

I mean look at the top PPs in the league and consider the level of talent that they put out on the ice when they are 5 on 4...

Power-Play Percentage Leaders

RK	TEAM	GP	PPG	PPO	PCT	SHGA	PPGA	TSH	PCT	SHG
1	Edmonton	71	59	200	29.5	10	31	199	84.4	3
2	Boston	70	57	226	25.2	7	34	215	84.2	5
3	St. Louis	71	49	202	24.3	6	42	203	79.3	5
4	Vancouver	69	57	236	24.2	4	42	215	80.5	5
5	Tampa Bay	70	49	211	23.2	7	43	231	81.4	6
6	Toronto	70	45	195	23.1	7	43	193	77.7	5
7	NY Rangers	70	52	227	22.9	6	52	230	77.4	8
8	Carolina	68	46	206	22.3	4	39	243	84.0	10
9	Vegas	71	42	191	22.0	3	50	214	76.6	9
10	Florida	69	45	211	21.3	5	40	186	78.5	4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

When you're up a man and can keep possession inside the offensive zone you can let the raw skill of your best players create scoring chances...So it's natural to think that the more talent on the ice, the more scoring chances they will create.

It also explains how teams with high end talent can be superb on the PP, but not be good as a team (and even miss the playoffs) as you can see in the list above.

Barzal and Pulock (because of his shot) are the only current Islanders that would be considered usable on most first-unit PPs throughout the league...And they wouldn't be on all of them.

I mean here's the thing that always gets me...We have one of the best overall coaching staffs in the league. They have significantly improved most every aspect of this team since taking over, but somehow people think they just don't have a clue how to coach a power play?

At the same time the one year when the Islanders had both Barzal and Tavares they were a top-10 unit (when they were 28th the year before without Barzal). You think that's just a coincidence and that Doug Weight was a good coach? Please.

And on top of all that everyone's favorite PP whipping boy, Scott Gomez was part of the staff in 17-18 (when the PP was top-10) and then with Trotz in 18-19 (when the PP was bottom 5). Did Gomez forget how to coach the PP in just a few months?

Yes the PP sucks and yes we all want it to be better. And if your argument is "it only has to be marginally better" to take this team to the next level...Then Lou has to find a way to add "marginally better" talent. Find a way to sign Mike Hoffman (an actual "finisher") this summer and when the PP improves next year I won't give Trotz & co any more credit than blame I'm giving them now.

I think we have a superb coaching staff. In fact if our team had an MVP it would be that coaching staff because I think there are very few coaches out there that could take this team to the playoffs. And I think this staff is doing the best with what they have. Unfortunately when it comes to the one aspect of team play where you absolutely need top-end talent, that is clearly where this roster is lacking.

So for those out there that think the PP can be improved at all without improving the talent up front I think you're going to be complaining until Lou is actually able to do so.

Click to read more...

 

[IslesNorway]

Back in the day, Anders Lee used to be parked in front of the keeper, picking up rebounds and tipping in pucks all the time. Now he is nowhere to be found.
The main problems seem to be entries and just being too slow and methodical. it just takes forever to get to the right positions and they always seem to want to pass instead of shooting.

 

[Jethro]

Our 2015-2016 playoff team was at 23.1% with the advantage for the 11 games we played (9 goals in 39 opportunities)...we're we really that much more talented on the PP?

Player	PPG	PPA	PPP
John Tavares	2	3	5
Frans Nielsen	2	2	4
Kyle Okposo	1	3	4
Thomas Hickey	0	3	3
Ryan Pulock	1	1	2
Alan Quine	1	1	2
Nikolay Kulemin	1	1	2
Shane Prince	0	1	1
Josh Bailey	1	0	1
Brock Nelson	0	1	1
Marek Zidlicky	0	1	1
Nick Leddy	0	1	1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The biggest difference I see between teams that execute and us is that our players without the puck DON'T MOVE.

 

[Big L]

?

 

[Lame Lambert]

Yes we know you’ve told us

 

[Tres Peleches]

The problem is they’re too methodical. Their zone entries (which they suck at), puck movement, and shot-taking all happen in slow motion. We rarely see one-timers, unless it’s from the point. Too many players are standing still, even the puck carriers along the half wall

 

[MJF]

And once again I'll tell you that in our case I don't think it's about not having finishers, it's that we don't even get started on the PP well. It's poorly designed for a group of skaters who don't move the puck particularly well.

Our power play is designed for that "one shot" that is dictated by one of the wingers on the wall. We don't move the puck quickly enough or accurately enough (have you ever noticed that we are not a great passing team?) to get the other team moving so the window opens for a shot. Furthermore if the PKers defend us aggressively we give the puck away or flub the pass out of pressure. So that's why our PP has looked bad for 2 seasons. This is one area I take issue with Trotz and the staff. Given the skaters we have we would be better off running a power play that takes a lot of shots from the point and everywhere else and crash for the rebounds, like the Panthers do. The way we run our PP now it's a quality shot over quantity of shots and it hasn't worked in 2 years.

Yes it's a factor of the skaters we have but it's not finishing, it's that we don't even get started.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

Given the lack of talent we do have to ice a strong 5 man unit, it is even more of a case against injecting Brassard, how do you justify playing a guy with 10G on the season who scored 5 of the 10 over a 5 game span in October?

Most teams probably would've waived him. We value Vets and don't have the depth to justify doing so but he is a an absolute ZERO on the PP.

We don't need to be the best PP in town, but 1 for 19 (and counting) in a series is just unacceptable.

 

[IslesCLT]

interesting that 4 of those teams didn't make the first round, and another 2 won't make the second.

 

[MJF]

Given the lack of talent we do have to ice a strong 5 man unit, it is even more of a case against injecting Brassard, how do you justify playing a guy with 10G on the season who scored 5 of the 10 over a 5 game span in October?

Most teams probably would've waived him. We value Vets and don't have the depth to justify doing so but he is a an absolute ZERO on the PP.

We don't need to be the best PP in town, but 1 for 19 (and counting) in a series is just unacceptable.

We couldn't waive him during the season because we had no center depth. Especially after Cizikas got hurt. We had to put Unlce Leo at center FFS (not bad on faceoffs actually but that's about it for 47 at center). Brass was signed for 1 year. He's gone after this.

 

[ndgolden]

Back in the day, Anders Lee used to be parked in front of the keeper, picking up rebounds and tipping in pucks all the time. Now he is nowhere to be found.
The main problems seem to be entries and just being too slow and methodical. it just takes forever to get to the right positions and they always seem to want to pass instead of shooting.

Are you watching? Lee is always in front of the net, the problem is the puck is not anywhere near the net. All the puck movement in the world is worthless if you don't get pucks to the net. It is not rocket science. Teams are more than content to let Barzal do laps, figure eights around players and the perimeter if it results in fewer shots on goal. Maturation is a process that needs to continue.

 

[doublechili]

I think having an elite offensive LHD on one of the points would help.

 

[Bones45]

I think having an elite offensive LHD on one of the points would help.

GIMME SOME AL "MONSTER BOMB FROM THE POINT" MACINNIS!

 

[Tres Peleches]

What I want to see on the PP is having the 3 forwards coming with speed through the zone and the player moving the puck flipping it HIGH into the corner. Have two guys pressure the puck to get possession, and then cycle it. Their entries are just so ugly

 

[periferal]

?

Trust me the occurs every time someone complains about this PP with the current group of players.

 

[TheWhiteWhale30]

It is a little bit of everything. It is talent. At times it is lack of shots and other times it is just poor execution of entering the zone. For now if we can just gain entry quicker and have more 1 timers set up, it would be enough to hang in special teams and the 5v5 would take us the rest of they way.

 

[Chardo]

Edited....

 

[Chardo]

I don't buy it. Surely better talent would help. But these are NHL players, not scrubs. This same team is 5th in overall scoring. They have multiple 25 goal scorers, they have playmakers, they have blue line shooters and puck moving defensemen. They should not be this pathetic on the PP.

 

[GOLFWANG]

our powerplay is very predictable no matter who is on the powerplay....They gotta change up the zone entries, move without the puck, and shoot when there is a any good opportunity to shoot on net.

 

[beach]

Back in the day, Anders Lee used to be parked in front of the keeper, picking up rebounds and tipping in pucks all the time. Now he is nowhere to be found.
The main problems seem to be entries and just being too slow and methodical. it just takes forever to get to the right positions and they always seem to want to pass instead of shooting.

I don't agree with this. If there are no/few shots on goal, or if they can't even gain the zone for PP set up, then of course Lee can't do his job. It takes the Isles 90 seconds to even shoot the puck much of the time during a PP.

 

[isles55]

It amazes not only how bad the power play is, but how there is never any changes to improve it. If our forward units were as ineffectual as the power play, the lines would've been shuffled long ago.

To me, it seems Bailey and Pulock are the only ones who have been threatening on the power play since the playoffs started. Why not add Bailey and Pulock to a unit with more talent than the likes of Brassard? At least change something.

Lee brings nothing to h the power play. His value is deflecting pucks, but this teams power play doesn't shoot. On another team he would be effect. For us, he isn't.

 

[KevFu]

I disagree about the talent level on the power play. Our "lack of talent as scrappy underdogs who just play TrotzHockey" is ridiculous.

In 2017-18 our Power Play was 6th in the NHL regular season in Pct (23.2, with 58 goals). We are 16.7, 34 for 203 this year RS/PI/PO.

Our Top 11 PP TOI per game leaders.
2017-18: (JT), Leddy, Barzal, Lee, Bailey, Eberle, Nelson, Pulock, (Ladd), (Ho-Sang 22 GP), Beauvillier 71 GP
2019-20: JGP (7 Gms) Barzal, Eberle, Lee, Toews, Nelson, Bailey, Beauvillier, Pulock, Brassard, Leddy

That's 8 common guys out of 11. JT, Ladd, Ho-Sang vs JGP, Brassard, Toews.
Tavares is good, but he isn't "single-handedly create 24 power play goals" type good. If he was, Toronto wouldn't be watching us on TV tonight.


We have Pulock (Cannon Shot), Barzal (elite playmaker), Beauvillier (good playmaker), and Lee (awesome net-front presence), and Leddy is a very good passer.

Maybe we should be doing those 5 together on the PP. But we have to get Lee camped in front of the net, because Lee went from 14 PP goals in 2017-18 to 10 last season (without JT), to just TWO this entire season. Zero career Playoff PP goals.


Maybe our issue is that the TrotzHockey PP is built around an elite sniper like Ovechkin and we don't have that? I don't know. But bust out the tape from 2017-18 and do that. Do something. 5% in the series is unacceptable.

 

[Big L]

Let’s give credit to the Caps PK. They are aggressive and dominating. They always have someone attacking the puck carrier. And it works. Makes the PP team have to move the puck when they don’t want to and increases the chances of making a mistake. It’s a great philosophy.

Why we sit around in a box and wait on our PK is mind boggling.

but if the caps are aggressive, then there should be a man open on the PP. isles gotta pass the puck quick and find the open man. Can’t play this passy-cake against this PK.

 

[MattMartin]

 

[blinkman360]

I really don't buy this "don't have the personnel" argument. Barzal is obviously a huge piece and is the type of guy you can build a high-end PP around. Elite zone entry ability and elite skating/vision/creativity. His ability to create space and find the open man is among the best in the league.

After that you have your "big bodied" guys in Lee and Nelson who you can park in front - both of them have good hands in tight. We have the big shot on the point in Pulock if we want to go that route and design something around getting him space to shoot with traffic in front. We have Tito who we can park on the right circle to use that one-timer which has proven to be pretty damn good. Bails is really good in the possession game and at the very least brings some good puck moving ability and vision to the table. He's not great with board battles but most high-end PP's aren't relied upon to do much battling along the boards. Set up shop and move the puck - get the PKers to chase until you get your high-end opportunity. This dump and chase garbage is a problem.

After that any of Eberle, Toews, JGP, and Leddy should be considered "good" options. Especially Leddy who is probably our 2nd best player as far as zone entry goes. Say what you want about Pageau but he's damn good in front of the net and does all the little things well. Leddy might be on the outs but guys like Wahlstrom, Bellows, and Dobson could become big pieces to PP1 and 2 going forward.

Ideally a RH sniper from the left dot would be a big add(Boeser/Wahlstrom if all goes well) but overall we have enough talent here to produce a quality PP with the right system/coach in place.