ON PENGUINS POWER PLAY WOES
The Penguins power play is a bad combination right now. Little about it is personnel but more of strategic issues and players unwilling to stay in their lanes.
This is a flawed team 5-on-5 and for Mike Johnston to stick around for the rest of the season, he might need the power play to save him.
Unfortunately for Johnston there’s not a good track record there.
Over the Penguins last 200 power play opportunities they have a 12.5 success rate.
FIXES
Getting Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to play in their proper spots has been a major issue for this coaching staff. On the Penguins first power play opportunity vs Toronto, they were setup in the proper formation with Evgeni Malkin at the half wall, but as soon as the puck worked over to the other side, Sidney Crosby as usual moves into Malkin’s spot on the right half wall.
Malkin needs to be the Alex Ovechkin of the Penguins’ power play — Firing one-timers at least once or twice on each power play — with Crosby who has great hand-eye coordination in around the net for deflections/rebounds.
No one on the staff having it in them to get Crosby to play in a set spot continues to hinder the Penguins.
And there’s zero chance anyone from upper management, Jim Rutherford in particular, is going to be willing to ruffle some feathers.
Unless John Tortorella is coming through those doors, a candidate to take over in Columbus, no one on this staff has it in them to tell Sidney Crosby what to do.
If the coaching staff was smart they’d bring Crosby into their office and show him some highlights of the Penguins power play setup in 2013-2014.
What you see on these highlights is Crosby being disciplined for the most part of playing down low and Malkin up top.
High Slot/Rover Role
During the Bylsma era when the Penguins had good success on the power play, the player in the high slot/rover role was a very productive player in that spot whether it was James Neal or Jussi Jokinen.
What stood out then was the comfort level Crosby/Malkin had with that player being left handed in the middle of the ice. That should be something the coaches start to ponder.
Power Play Quarterback
One personnel issue the Penguins have is the lack of a power play quarterback. No matter who the coach is, they seem to believe Kris Letang is a great power play quarterback. He is not.
In the past there has been a need for someone at that spot to be a shot presence but if the Penguins find a way to actually use Malkin and Phil Kessel the right way on the half boards, having a distributor in that spot might be more important.
Olli Maatta is attractive there because he’s a very good distributor in feeding players one-timers.
The Penguins have to start looking at other options than Kris Letang and also have to consider a way to cut down on Letang’s minutes. They’re going to run him into the ground, playing 27-28 minutes most nights. Getting him off the top power play unit would be a start.
Utilizing Phil Kessel the Right Way
Just because Phil Kessel has a great shot, doesn’t mean he has a great one-timer. The Penguins have made a poor strategic error in thinking Kessel was going to be their Alex Ovechkin on the left half wall and pepper one-timers to the net.
That is not his game. Go over the tapes and you’ll struggle to find a Kessel power play goal where he’s stationed in one spot and scores or even attempts an Ovechkin type slap shot one-timer on the power play.
The Penguins have been at fault for trying to utilize him like that and Kessel has been at fault himself for being too stationary and a bit stagnant in the left faceoff circle.
Looking at Kessel’s eight power play goals last season, he scored most of them by moving around and finding the open spots. His shot is most dangerous when he gets the puck in space and takes a couple steps in and then lets it rip.
As the puck works around the right side, having Kessel spot out wide and high on the left boards to put himself in position to receive the puck along the boards like this goal he scored vs Boston last season hasn’t been something we’ve seen out of the Penguins setup. He’s been in too tight (left faceoff circle) against the box most times through the first five games of the season. [hide]
Having Kessel initially setup up higher and wide similar to where Matt Niskanen is on this graphic should be an option for the Penguins to get Kessel away from the box and have him free lance up top a bit more so when the puck comes around to him he has some time and space to come off the wall or sneaks in to the low slot.
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David Perron = giveaway machine
Rust has played his best game I’ve seen him in the NHL
Added another jersey… early Bday gift… 3rd Jersey #81
So Spong won’t be in the lineup tonight because he’s back in Canada getting his work visa extended. Have to assume this means he has been informed he will be staying in the NHL for the entire season.
Why do we have to assume that?
Just don’t think it makes much sense to have him miss a game that still counts as 1 of his 9 games whether he plays or not just so that he can play 2-3 more games before returning to the Q. If they were set on him going back to juniors why not just send him back now if his visa is up?
I don’t thnk it counts as one of his nine games. I think you have to dress for 9 games to burn a contract year.
It’s definitely 9 team games not 9 games dressed. Otherwise a team could drag a player out for the entire season only playing him once every 9-10 games.
Makes a lot of sense actually
From section 9.1 of the CBA
In the event that an 18 year old or 19 year old Player signs an SPC with a Club but does not play at least ten (10) NHL Games in the first season under that SPC, the term of his SPC and his number of years in the Entry Level System shall be extended for a period of one (1) year
It’s definitely games played, Jay.
Yeah – they could – but why would they? What’s the motivation?
not correct
That would be awesome…. now they just need to tell Kunitz he is no longer on the top line cuz Sprong earned his spot lol
That would be awesome but a mistake at the same time. I don’t think moving Sprong to a prominent role and forcing him to switch and learn a new position is the best plan for his growth and I don’t think forcing Kessel or Hornqvist to switch position after playing their entire careers at RW is a good move for the team either. Playing his natural position on the 3rd line is the best plan for both Sprong and the team at this point.
That would be a mistake. Send Sprong back before he’s poisoned by Cindy.
Remember the people that wanted to keep Jordan Staal over Malkin? Imagine Sid and Staal as our 1-2. 0 points in 10 man/games. What an amazing team THAT would be!
Well, Princess Cindy has been bowed down to once again. Sounds like Kunitz on the PP in place of Hornqvist. Kessel has now been moved off of the halfwall, and is the new “rover.” Who’s taking his place? That’s right. Malkin. Left shot Malkin. All so we can keep the princess happy on the other half wall. Seriously, the guy is more of a detriment than an asset at this point. What smug canadian asshole. And these coaches are ball-less.
My best friend might be the biggest supporter I know…and even he said he would sit Sid down for a game or two to see if that lights a fire under his ass.
Your best friend is queer.
I have a different take Stanch. They are playing Kunitz net front hoping he gets hit with a shot, hurt and placed on LTIR.
That’s the change I have the least problem with, quite honestly. Not like Hornqvist was doign anything.
There is no doubt Sid has slowed down and is not the same player who was leading the NHL a few years ago. The coaches should recognize that and let Malkin lead the team. Some players age early and Sid lost a step, hands, vision and the zip on his shot.
i think pens are stuck with scuderi.since Blues are believed to be willing to trade one of their defensemen, Gunnarsson 29 year old .while tampa looking to trade Braydon Coburn or Matt Carle is available 30 and 31 years olds .while our scuderi is 36 turning 37 in december .only place scuderi can go is with the devils if shero does us a favor
I think the PP comes down to work.
Stempniak 650k and has 1 goal and 2 assist in 5 games
Better ROI than your precious Cindy.
Not even a blurb on Pitt getting Paris Ford last Friday and Kaezon Pugh tonight? Two local standouts that are recognized on the national scene select the hometown Panthers and D can’t say 1 thing about it? Where did Dale go?
It’s just a verbal. Don’t get me wrong I’m stoked, but I’ll curb my enthusiasm until after they actually sign. Ford is still a junior a lot can change in a year.
Any word on how Pouliot’s handling his time in the AHL?
What, Letang’s not a great offensive defenseman? Where have I heard that before
Get Crosby off the power play. Problem solved
I’m gonna go out on a limb and bet cash money that after 20 games Crosby is at least a point + a game player, anyone want that action? Because if he is dying alive, pouting and ALL those other things, surely there is no way he can get 20 points in the next 15 games,,,,,,,,,,oh by the way what is WRONG with all these players oh my oh my????? Corey Perry 5 games 0 goals 1 assist 6 SOG’s. Ryam Getzlaf 5 games 0 goals 1 assist -4 Ryan Keslar 5 games0 goals 0 assist -3 Mark Giordano 5… Read more »
He could king-he can rack up 3-4pts a game against the stiffs of the league like he did last year.
Love this king. Educate those bandwagons
I’ll take the action – 1.33 points per game – that’s higher than what he averages. That’s 110 point pace, which he couldn’t even sniff last year. What’s the bet?
I know you are only low level management so I don’t want to take all of your date money…….so let’s just go with $200?
Low level management! You’re a piece of work. I assure you I do quite fine.
Every player goes through a span of games where they don’t get points…for some human instinct reason we seem to go into freak mode x20 when its first 5 games. Take a chill…I guarantee Crosby will be in top 3 in scoring at end of season.
I wonder what the PP would look like if they setup off what is technically the weakside half wall and let Kessel run the PP. This would solve the issue of Sid & Geno trying to play the same position because it puts Malkin in the one-timer spot like Ovie and forces Sid to hover low, it also negates having to replace Letang by putting Kessel in the QB role and it also puts Kessel in a position to walk off the wall and rip wrister which is his best shot.
This is exactly what should be happening.
I like it
hey ron klatt did you vote for trudeau
I like how people in canada think that their political landscape matters.
yeah like U.S politic is serious when you have clowns like thrump ,bush making headlines , soon celebrities will run president thats how dumb the country is .whos next oprah ? charlie sheen ? hulk Hogan ?
Lol, torts in the burg would be hilarious!
let’s face it. the PP sucks because crosby refuses to shoot. you can’t have the guy on the wall refuse to shoot a one timer.
how about malkin with his soft passes that turns into a breakway for the other team
malkin daydreams about swimming with the whales when he is on the PP
Vs the no look gems Crosby fires off for anyone in the area to pick up? No matter how you wanna cut it sam Sid, right now, is struggling far worse than Malkin. You should be giving Geno credit where it’s due here
You must be confusing 71 with 87, we all knew you were pretty dumb but figured you could at least recognize numbers.
Even when he shoots its not that effective-wrong guy on the wall. 71 should be there.
How about his shot is pretty much on par with Scuderi’s…let’s talk about that. In the words of the immortal Harry Doyle, “there’s some real puss lined to center…”
kessel has a good wrist shot but not a slap shot yet pens want him to take slap shot and malkin was setting kessel for one timers on a multiple occasions