Penguins fans don't exactly need any sort of statistic to tell them just how bad the power play has been, but just in case inquiring minds want to know it's not the brightest of spots on this team. When the Penguins have the man advantage, and send out any number of combinations that may include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and/or Sergei Gonchar, to name a few, they officially rank last in the NHL. Dead last. 30th overall. Worst. Power play. Ever.
Well maybe not ever. But saying the Pens are converting only 13.8% of their opportunities definitely appears better on paper than saying something like, "Oh, they're only picked up 22 goals in 159 attempts." Yes, 159. And unfortunately you can't even chalk it up to making the most of whatever opportunity they get, because the Penguins are second overall in the league for power play opportunities, just one behind Dallas' 160.
So, how about that PK then, huh? At 83% the Pens penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, just a nudge away from Ottawa (83.4%), Minnesota (83.6%) and Phoenix (83.8%). Out of 141 time shorthanded , Pittsburgh has allowed only 24 goals and scored five shorties (second in the league). So maybe there IS a bright spot in the PK. Of course if you want something to be there you can always find it.
I'm not here to point fingers. The blame game hardly produces results. I am, like many Pens fans, genuinely curious as to why/how this power play is not clicking. What are they missing? What is the real issue here?
Last season assistant coach Mike Yeo received tons of criticism for the power play's performance, but if I'm not mistaken Tony Granato is now playing a part in the team's special teams. So can you really blame a coach at this point?