People forget that. The PP hit a snag the second Subban lost his foot speed. We have the same issues today that plagued us then. We keep killing speed with drop passes and head up ice with a lack of options. There was one example of a decent entry and it was actually on PP2. The play didn't get dropped back behind the goal line and four players broke out simultaneously. Kind of like the flying V we tried last season to break the trap. Guess what it worked. The PK is basically a four man version of the trap. No more drop passes no more wasting time and no more players getting icetime if they have no sense of urgency on our odd man situations.
I don’t mind the drop pass, it’s just a zone entry play, the problem is down to execution, (as with almost everything PP related really) it’s a play that most teams in NHL use in order to gain the zone with possession. In theory if you do it right, there’s almost nothing the opponent can do to prevent it.
My biggest issue with the Habs PP is;
1. Too much passing once they’re settled in zone. Players are always picking pucks off the boards with their back to the play.
2. It’s too obvious what they’re trying to do (get the puck to Caufield).
3. They need to figure out how to make more seam passes …this breaks down the PK box and forces the goalie to move east/west. It’s a static PP. They switch sides by passing it around, rather than through.
4. Terrible at puck retrievals.
Most of these issues can be fixed by having a true PP QB who dictates the play. They don’t have this unfortunately.
I think it’s beyond Burrows coaching…
