Trials and tribulations of Pittsburgh's power play
by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 12:00 PM EDT
in News
11 comments
The Pittsburgh Penguins' power play has been under ample scrutiny throughout the season. Much of the inability to execute earlier in the season was attributed to Pitt's top-two point men, Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar, being injured and out of the lineup.
When Whitney returned to the ice on December 23 to man the blue line against the Lightning, a lot of fans expected more or less an instant impact. All hope was quickly squandered 60 minutes later when Tampa shutout the Pens 2-0.
That game aside, Ryan Whitney was not the solution. This was later solidified when he was shipped off to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi.
Right around that time Sergei Gonchar returned to the defensive corps. Gonchar, a notorious slow starter, was not expected to have an immediate impact. Maybe some of that was based on the disappointing return from Whitney.
Gonchar got his skates wet on February 14 against the Maple Leafs for the first time since going down with a shoulder injury during the preseason. The end result was a pointless effort in a demoralizing 6-2 loss. However, in the following game against the New York Islanders Gonch picked up an assist to launch the first point of a six-game point streak in which he accumulated two goals and five assists.
The Penguins' power play is currently ranked 22nd in the league at 17.1%. You wouldn't know that if you watched Pitt go 2-for-5 against the Devils last night or 1-for-2 against the Flames last week. However the game in between against the Rangers poses as the prime example of a power play still looking to find itself. In case you need a reminder, the Pens were 0-for-9 with the man advantage in that game, yet still managed to squeak out a 4-3 win.
Following his two assist effort in last night's 6-1 win over the Devils, Gonchar now has six goals and 17 points over 20 games. Five of those points have come on the power play. So is Gonchar really the solution on the power play? That's hard to say. In fact it's hard to pin point any specific reason for the recent success, unless you consider the idea that Dan Bylsma approached Mike Yeo, gently brushed him aside and calmly said, "I got this."
An efficient power play heading into the playoffs can't hurt. Yet when you think of how dangerous this team has been at even strength, it's scary to imagine what they can do with a loaded power play.
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Very nice write up Frank. The Penguins PP has received a lot of criticism over the season and I really think they can still do better with the man advantage. With all the talent that this team has they should be at least %25 on the PP. But the game against the Rangers is a great example of how far this team has to go in regards to their PP. It’s also really hard to pin-point what is occasionally sparking the PP. Is it Gonch? Maybe. I would still like to see Tanger shoot more. I see him choose the pass more than the shot and it becoming a little annoying. Or is it just me?
by lambofgad on Apr 2, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If Tanger is on the point with Gonch then frankly I’d rather see Gonch taking the shot. Last night against the Devils he took that one shot that went in off Sid’s skate. Intentional I highly doubt it. But at least he has the idea. Later in the game he cranked one that landed in Brodeur’s pads.
I like seeing him shoot but I agree, he can afford to do it a little more.
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by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I really attribute a lot of the recent power play success to Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar just adds a much better presence on blue line, and provides the stability you would want as a forward to take certain attempts. Even when he’s on puck, he patient towards his shot attempts, and can move it around to the right spots.
That said, the trade of Whitney for Kunitz clearly added a jolt on and off the power play. He has 3 PPG’s to go with 2 PPA’s. The first things I noticed of him, as a Penguin, was bringing back that Ryan Malone element from last year of rebounding goals, and getting in front of the net, not just for dumping them rebounders in but to screen and set the teammates up as well.
Couldn’t ask for a better time to get pieces fitting.
PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 minutes for hijynxing.
by Lavender on Apr 2, 2009 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think Gonchar’s return helped a lot, but the presence of Kunitz or Guerin at the front of the net is even more important. My guess is the PP will produce more if they take more shots and let those guys crash in for ugly goals off of rebounds. As far as why they’ve struggled throughout the season, the Flyers game a couple weeks ago spoke volumes: when you play your top unit for the entire 2 minutes (a LONG shift for anyone), and much of that 2 minutes involves Malkin, Crosby, Gonchar, and Letang passing the puck around the perimeter (looking for a pretty tic-tac-toe play down low that never quite comes together), you aren’t going to score very often.
P is for Latrobe.
by holiday park on Apr 2, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At times it looks like the passing thing has died down. Other times it seems like all they do. Last night against the Devils they passed with efficiency but most important kinda closed a cage around Brodeur. With the way the Pens pass and the efficiency of keeping guys in front of Brodeur, a system like that is bound to be near flawless.
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by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, second from left, celebrates his second period goal with teammates Chris Dunitz (14)
Chris Dunitz?! No wonder — you’re playing the wrong guy!
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Apr 2, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hah. Good ol AP and Getty shakes fist
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by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Personally I think the biggest thing to take from the power play is the fact that they look more alive out there. Some hockey stat purist will turn around and tell you the numbers are all that matters but I don’t believe that at all. The power play looks alive. Kunitz, Guerin and Cooke are always ALWAYS in front of the net. Sid and Malkin are retaining the zone when pressured by the man and Gonchar simply owns the point. So even though the Penguins are ranked 22 overall in that department I really feel they are playing with the pizazz of a much better ranked team. After all, the Pens went 0-for-9 against the league’s best penalty kill. Although I would’ve been happy to see them score at least once, they still produced chances and that’s all that matters.
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by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 2:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Great literal metaphor
In all these years of hockey fandom, I’ve never heard the phrase, “…got his skates wet.”
I like it…
by ahtrap on Apr 2, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hah Thanks. I like to mix it up…
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by FrankD on Apr 2, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This and goal scoring are the biggest advantages guys like Ovechkin and Kovalchuk have over playmakers like Malkin; scorers can make the PP work, I guess because they spread the PK. Ovechkin’s PP is 2nd, and Kovalchuk’s is 9th.
I liked (as a hockey fan; disliked as a Caps fan) the Pens’ look with Malkin at a point and Crosby down low. With Gonchar sneaking in weak side (a la Green) I get nervous rooting for the other team to kill off the penalty, because if someone is open, Crosby will find him.
by red army line on Apr 3, 2009 12:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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