The Confluence
Confluence Soapbox: Pens’ powerplay won’t get better until Yeo isn’t running it
by Tony on 11/06/09 at 04:33 PM ET
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I apologize in advance: I know most Penguins fans are sick and tired of hearing about the putrid powerplay. I’m not even referring to the current Malkin/Gonchar-less PP units, the Penguins were mediocre on the PP even with them.
Sorry, I can’t help it. I must get on the soapbox and vent so, forgive me.
We fans have been giving our half-assed theories for a couple years now on ways to improve the Penguins’ powerplay. After all, it’s pretty much inarguable that the Penguins possess two of top handful of hockey players in the world.
So with all that firepower at your disposal, why the hell isn’t this unit constantly near the top of the NHL in powerplay percentage ??
One schmuck’s opinion ?? ‘Cause even after a head coaching change, there’s been one constant regarding the Penguins’ powerplay since December 2005, and that is Michael Yeo has been in charge of it.
As of right now, when of course Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, not to mention Tyler Kennedy on the second unit are injured, it’s understandable when the powerplay doesn’t click at peak efficiency. But even with Geno and Sarge in there, the Penguins’ powerplay was woefully underperforming. After a lowly 17.2% success rate in ‘08-‘09, “good” enough for 20th in the league, this season to date it’s down to 15.5%, rated tied for 23rd in the NHL.
The powerplay of the Pittsburgh Penguins should automatically make the opponent’s #1 priority to stay out of the penalty box, or it will pay a severe price. But, as it is now, the Penguins’ penalty killers are scoring nearly as much as the powerplay.
You would have thought when Michel Therrien was fired last February and Dan Bylsma was brought in, with the Penguins already having a lackluster powerplay, that a coaching change relating to the powerplay would be made. There were coaching assignment changes indeed, but the one change that was not made was that Yeo would remain in charge of the powerplay.
There are some in Penguin Nation that disagree with me, which of course is fine; They see it as more of a lack of execution issue with the players. I’m sorry, I just don’t agree with that notion at all. The players execute the system on the powerplay that the coaches set up. But I’ll expound on that in a bit.
But for a team with such world-class talent at its disposal, they (read: Yeo) couldn’t make things much easier for the opponent’s penalty killing units. For the vast majority of time in their own zone, the penalty killers can basically remain in their box or diamond, however they have it set up. They can collapse towards the goal, making any centering pass to the slot, where Bill Guerin has been mostly set up, very difficult. They can concentrate from the center point to the right, with only token resistance on Kris Letang, because he has still not gotten over being gunshy on the left point. So what that leaves is the PK units shifted towards center/right point, where it’s been either a healthy Sergei Gonchar or Alex Goligoski, or to the right slot, where Evgeni Malkin hangs out when healthy, or Sidney Crosby has there in his absence. Lately, Chris Kunitz has been there fumbling around, looking so out of place.
Having said all that though, the opponent’s PK units can do all of the slanting towards the right they want and the Penguins could still counteract it, if they (read: Yeo) would incorporate a system that emphasizes movement without the puck. Even when the Penguins are completely healthy, simply passing the puck between Crosby at the right end line, Gonchar at center point and Malkin at the right slot is barely effective if no one is moving. How can you expect to get open passing and/or shooting lanes if the PK are able to stand relatively still while the Pens merely “play catch” ?? If you watch good powerplays, like Philly, Washington and Detroit, they all emphasize movement without the puck, thereby increasing shooting/passing lanes. But for whatever reason, Yeo has hardly any movement incorporated in his system.
So, what are their options (assuming of course that the Penguins don’t listen to me and have someone else run the PP) ?? Many fans are clamoring for Kennedy to replace Guerin in the slot. On the surface, I guess I wouldn’t mind that. But the problem with that is if the PK units are already sagging, does it really matter who is in the slot ?? More are saying Jordan Staal should be up there, specifically in front of the net. If not Staal, how about Mike Rupp ?? The man has already been impressive with his hands for a rugged-type player. In my opinion, those changes are merely cosmetic. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t think personnel changes will fix this. Strictly my .02, I firmly believe this is a systematic problem, not a personnel execution problem.
And if it’s indeed a systematic problem, there’s only two ways to remedy that: Either change the system, or change the person who implements the system.
OK, off the soapbox. Discuss.
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Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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