What should the Penguins do about the power play?
Posted 10:28 PM ET | Comments 2
In a 2-1 loss to Columbus Thursday night, Pittsburgh continued to struggle on the power play. They failed to score again in the defeat, going 0-2 with the man-advantage. They now have gone 21 opportunities without a goal, and it is becoming a concern for the Pens.
Despite having the star power to excel on the power play, Pittsburgh has been unable to do that recently. After starting the season scorching with the advantage, on record-setting pace, the Pens have dropped to sixth in the NHL in the category. So what do they need to do to improve?
Now, everybody has said that the key for the Penguins is to shoot the puck more. That is something they need to do, but that isn't the key. They need to stick with they have been doing well in recent years. And that is using their plentiful skill to create chances. They need to get the puck in the front of the net, and shooting isn't always the way to do that. Get the puck behind the net in possession of somebody like Sidney Crosby, who can pass the puck very accurately. Chris Kunitz, who is very good in front of the net, should be able to scrap and find a way to knock the puck past the goalie.
This is something they have been failing to do. Instead of just passing the puck around the perimeter, the Penguins need to find a way to get it in front, where players like Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist have the ability to score goals. Their inability to do this is the main reason for Kunitz's lack of scoring in recent games. The Pens have left what made their power play so good, and to fix the power play, this is what they need to do.
Despite having the star power to excel on the power play, Pittsburgh has been unable to do that recently. After starting the season scorching with the advantage, on record-setting pace, the Pens have dropped to sixth in the NHL in the category. So what do they need to do to improve?
Now, everybody has said that the key for the Penguins is to shoot the puck more. That is something they need to do, but that isn't the key. They need to stick with they have been doing well in recent years. And that is using their plentiful skill to create chances. They need to get the puck in the front of the net, and shooting isn't always the way to do that. Get the puck behind the net in possession of somebody like Sidney Crosby, who can pass the puck very accurately. Chris Kunitz, who is very good in front of the net, should be able to scrap and find a way to knock the puck past the goalie.
This is something they have been failing to do. Instead of just passing the puck around the perimeter, the Penguins need to find a way to get it in front, where players like Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist have the ability to score goals. Their inability to do this is the main reason for Kunitz's lack of scoring in recent games. The Pens have left what made their power play so good, and to fix the power play, this is what they need to do.
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Crosby needs to shoot more.
Can they go at least 1 power play and not have the puck touch the boards? All they do is send it around the boards and it never gets to the front of the net or the open slot area. They dump the puck entering the zone along the boards behind the net only to have it immediately cleared. If they do get possession it is fired back around the boards to the defenseman at the point who just dumps it back in. I know of no other power play in the league that employs the boards more than this team.