The Power Play....

[notDatsyuk]

Isles PP? Shouldn't this be moved to the 'fantasy hockey' sub-forum?

 

[SI]

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.

I'd prefer a LH sniper from the right dot - ala Hoffman.

Right now the Nelson unit is playing better, but all things considered, the best potential grouping would be -
IMO - here is the first unit

• Lee - front net presence - best in the business and would start on many teams 1st unit because of what he does.
• Barzal - LH shooting spot
• Pulock - at the top of the umbrella.
• Beau - RH shooting spot
• Pageau - C and taking the faceoffs... and in that bumper spot.

* Placing Pulock on this unit fills the need of a big-time shooter on the first unit preoccupying the opposing team's PK unit with Pulock's shot, causing other lanes to open up.

The second unit

• Nelson - front net presence and C
• Toews - RH shooting slot
• Leddy at the top of the umbrella
• Eberle - LH shooting slot
• Bailey - bumper spot

Another variation would be to swap Beau for Toews or Leddy...
Barzal moves to the RH side where he can protect the puck the better and QB from the half wall - Pulock sliding into the Ovechkin spot on the left side and Leddy or Toews at the top. If Barzal was better at Faceoffs, then I'd Pageau would move to the second leaving Beau on the first unit.

 

[FourRings]

I don't know why Trotz doesn't use Pulock as a trigger man from Ovi's spot. He did it once this postseason and it worked to perfection.

 

[PK Cronin]

I don't know why Trotz doesn't use Pulock as a trigger man from Ovi's spot. He did it once this postseason and it worked to perfection.

I think it has something to do with his speed and quickness. Trotz seems to like having a defenseman at the top of the PP on the blue line, so shifting Pulock to the top of the circle would require a second defenseman being out on the PP. He doesn't seem to like having to do that and having Pulock at the top decreases the thread of his heavy shot and also means he's the last line of defense as an average skater. If there was a better group of forwards to choose from I think it'd be more likely that we see Pulock get more of a chance.

 

[Big L]

I don't know why Trotz doesn't use Pulock as a trigger man from Ovi's spot. He did it once this postseason and it worked to perfection.

I’d bet Ovi is quite a bit more accurate with his shot than Pulock. Not a good spot to miss the net from.

 

[Whiskey In the Jar]

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...

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.

Islanders dont shoot a lot on PP, very low shot rate. Same as 5on5. It's actually a hallmark of Trotz teams', even during washington time, very low possession and shooting stats yet very effective. It's very unique style Trotz teams' play when it comes to how it looks in statistics. And he is the among the best if not the best coach in the world. Perhaps he even has figured out something about hockey that most coaches have not because the statistics of his teams are so weird looking while the performance level is extremely good. But yes for PP it is possible one thing to consider is that isles shoot too little.

 

[Islesfan22]

Had a chance to win the series last night twice in the third period. Could not get it done. Will probably be the reason they lose this series.

 

[Poulin 0n My St1ck]

Had a chance to win the series last night twice in the third period. Could not get it done. Will probably be the reason they lose this series.

So many moments to point to as reasons they lose the series. The most frustrating part is they're all self-inflicted.

 

[Islesfan22]

So many moments to point to as reasons they lose the series. The most frustrating part is they're all self-inflicted.

Agreed turnovers killed them last. The Towes one is the worst one. Your up one on the pp third period. You cannot turn the puck over there at the blue line under any circumstances.

 

[miscs75]

Not so much for this season but for the start of next year, i'd be curious to see if Roscoe can do something as a net front presence on the PP. He's a massive human being and can just stand there and screen similar to how Boston did it with Chara a few times.

 

[TMI]

Agreed turnovers killed them last. The Towes one is the worst one. Your up one on the pp third period. You cannot turn the puck over there at the blue line under any circumstances.

As I stated in the other thread, the biggest culprit on that play is Trotz. No freaking way do you go with 1 D and 4 forwards for the PP when you're protecting the lead in the third period in an elimination game. You have 2 D-men 100% of the time. Brutal decision.

 

[Joedoggy]

5 on 5 hockey will produce the win...12-14 mins toi ...5 on 5 for the Identity line is required....don't water down lines for the purpose of "face offs" (#44)....The less special team play there is the more chance of winning...The above will produce a high possession game(islander hockey)...shutting down flyer play and producing goal spurts on the islanders behalf...Some timely saves will be the icing on the cake who ever is between the pipes...Both tenders have the ability. Lastly dump ins by the top six need to be better..todate they are little more than giving the puck away allowing the flyers to break out with 1 pass causing odd man rushes............Book the win 4-1 Islanders if they apply whats required with their personel.

 

[Jethro]

Amazingly, we're currently 12th in the league with a very respectable PP% of 25%, thanks to a whopping 41% success rate in February.

 

[PK Cronin]

Amazingly, we're currently 12th in the league with a very respectable PP% of 25%, thanks to a whopping 41% success rate in February.

Also, I think it's funny that our second unit is better than the first unit and has been for a while now.

 

[PWJunior]

Also, I think it's funny that our second unit is better than the first unit and has been for a while now.

Just goes to show how a player like Wahlstrom with a legitimate high end shot and the smarts of knowing when to rip it or use it as a decoy to make a good pass can do for a PP.

We've been bitching about wanting/trading for a player like that (Laine, Hoffman, etc.), looks like we may have it already in our homegrown Wally.

We all saw the shot in all it's glory on his goal, but I loved seeing him draw 2 defenders to him before making the cross ice pass to Bailey that led to Pageau's goal last night. His assist to Nelson in the first Pens game showed me he's a lot more than that wicked shot too.

 

[PK Cronin]

Just goes to show how a player like Wahlstrom with a legitimate high end shot and the smarts of knowing when to rip it or use it as a decoy to make a good pass can do for a PP.

We've been bitching about wanting/trading for a player like that (Laine, Hoffman, etc.), looks like we may have it already in our homegrown Wally.

We all saw the shot in all it's glory on his goal, but I loved seeing him draw 2 defenders to him before making the cross ice pass to Bailey that led to Pageau's goal last night. His assist to Nelson in the first Pens game showed me he's a lot more than that wicked shot too.

That's the key for sure, being good enough at more than one thing to be a real threat. All of our threats are pretty one dimensional, adding in players who can do more than pass or shoot makes the power play less predictable for the opposition and better overall.

 

[mm11]

not gonna knuckle snap yet but the PP is looking pretty damm good all of a sudden...

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

The Wally effect!

 

[JKP]

I think having the 5 days to practice it after the covid cancelations played a big role as well.

If they can have a consistently top 1/4 of the league PP, this team should win a lot of games.

 

[mm11]

boy the PP would of been handy 2 years ago against Carolina and perhaps get us to game 7 vrs the bolts last year. Stay healthy fellas and the Isles may do some damage in the playoffs if they get there. LGI!

 

[Lame Lambert]

The real question is how they respond when teams start covering Wahlstrom

 

[Jethro]

Guys without the puck are moving around more too.

We're still near the bottom of the league for PP opportunities (although nothing like last year) but maybe now teams will be more hesitant to risk taking cheap shots.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

Guys without the puck are moving around more too.

We're still near the bottom of the league for PP opportunities (although nothing like last year) but maybe now teams will be more hesitant to risk taking cheap shots.

The movement is noticeably improved.

We went through a period where everyone was stationary and were just passing the puck around in a circle like it was show & tell.

Give & Go is the name of the game. They've been opening up lanes and making life for the PKers difficult. I like that guys have been dishing it off and then getting to the middle of the ice. I've noticed Nelson do this a few times more recently and it makes a world of a difference because they can't leave someone like him unmarked in the slot. Now that extra player down low can slip behind the play and wait for a quick cross ice pass.

 

[Uncle Duke]

The real question is how they respond when teams start covering Wahlstrom

Every team with a true PP sniper deals with that. Some are lucky enough to have two or three. In any event, should Wahly be the consistent threat he is potentially showing himself to be it will open up space that has not previously existed and that should allow space and time for others to pot a few more. Early days and adjustments will undoubtedly be made should his upward trajectory continue but what a nice problem it would be to have for a change.

 

[periferal]

Gosh....I like probably 10 of the last 15 posts a lot.

It's what I've been saying for a long time. The success of almost any team's PP is the talent they can put on the ice at a man advantage. It's why teams like Florida could miss the playoffs each year, but when you could put Barkov, Huberdeau, Hoffman, Yandle, Ekblad, etc on the ice in a "half-court" game, they had a top PP.

And then go look at all the top PPs in the NHL the past few years and think about who those teams are putting on the ice 5 on 4. Then compare those units to the PP units the Isles put on the ice. Talent-wise there is a severe gap between those and us and that is, and has been, the issue.

So many in Islesland have been up in arms the past 2-3 years as the Isles PP flat out sucked. It's like people think we have an all world coaching staff who's making great playoff runs with one of the lesser-talented playoff rosters, but...All of a sudden they have no idea how to coach a PP.

It's just that the same way there's no way to "coach" some of the things Conner McDavid can do on the ice, there's only so much you can do when your team lacks high-end creativity and finishing that a PP demands to be successful.

And as referenced above many times...This newfound success of the Isles PP has a lot to do with the "Wally effect." His size, creativity, and MOST IMPORTANTLY HIS SHOT has given the PP a massive jolt that was insanely needed.

Now of course he's mostly been on the PP2 unit meaning he's seeing the PK2 unit of the opponent, and of course teams will soon start trying to compensate for the Isles newfound "sniper," but that doesn't take away the overall point which is...

I don't care if you have a combination of Al Arbour, Scotty Bowman, and Toe Blake coaching your team...In today's NHL without legit high-end offensive talent you won't have a successful PP.