Reason for PP success anybody’s guess
Law of averages? Stepping up? Luck?
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2012 (4971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
THERE are a few theories on why the Winnipeg Jets power play has is running at full power of late.
Before getting to those, a brief: Asking a player to dissect the reasons for success typically elicits the same reaction as mentioning the word ‘shutout’ next to a goaltending coach watching his student blank the opposition. Messing with success and taunting Hockey Gods are one and the same.
If we talk about it, then it won’t happen, or so the superstitious feeling maintains.
Anyway, what’s up with that power play?
“Execution is probably the biggest change,” Jets forward Evander Kane said, offering a blanket statement on why the home power-play percentage (24.3) has moved into top spot in the NHL.
Winnipeg has scored seven goals in the last eight man-advantage opportunities, the lone blemish coming in the latter stages of the 4-3 win over Tampa Bay Thursday evening. The 7-for-7 run the club was on came out of left field, as the Jets struggled to the tune of a 2-for-32 clip prior to heating up.
Real explanations for the turnaround are out there.
The truth is somewhere in the middle.
Kane figures the group is playing with more confidence. That appears to be the case. Blake Wheeler mentions the tough work captain Andrew Ladd has been doing in front of the net. Another truism. Others, like Tim Stapleton, say the little things — gaining possession on faceoffs deep in the attacking zone, taking smarter shots — have led to the outrageous production.
“We’re getting those shots through and getting to those rebounds… right now it’s just working,” he said. “Now we’re gaining more puck possession off of rebounds and guys are just stepping up and scoring.”
Interestingly, coach Claude Noel said the team hasn’t done anything different over the last two-plus games. From his vantage point, the burst of offence on the power play was simply bound to happen.
Law of averages, that kind of thing.
“I think the guys are just sick and tired of being sick and tired, either listening to people talk about it or having a lack of success,” he said. “My feeling is that it’s cyclical. How do you redesign a power play that goes 7-for-7? Why wouldn’t we design that at the beginning of the year and go 100 per cent?”
Noel might be onto something here. If no drastic changes were made to the power play plan and no players were added or subtracted from the equation before the goal explosion, how to you account for the positive change?
“Sometimes you don’t know what’s going wrong, sometimes you don’t know what’s going right,” Wheeler said.
WAVE BYE-BYE: Antti Miettinen waived his no-movement clause so that the club could place him on waivers Friday morning. The club asked the forward to waive the clause, but it’s not known if they have a deal in the works involving Miettinen or if they just want to send him down to St. John’s.
“I don’t know, it just gives them the option to (trade me) if they find someone to do it,” said Miettinen, who continues to endure through his frustrating season. “I don’t want to be in the way of (the Jets) doing what they want.
“I’m in the same spot I’ve been in every year, as all us players are. We’re close to deadline and there’s a chance players get moved. I treat it like every other year. I just happened to have that clause in the contract… it’s the same thing, as always.”
Miettinen has no goals and four assists in 27 games, and was a healthy scratch against the Lightning Thursday.
GRIND GAME: The biggest adjustment defenceman Mark Flood had returning to the lineup after a 15 game absence: Board work.
“The biggest thing was the battling. I handle the puck every day out there in practice and stuff like that but getting engaged in a battle and going at with someone in the corners — you can’t really get that in practice,” he said Friday.
Flood had 13 shifts and played 9:03 against the Lightning Thursday. He also picked up his fourth assist (seventh point) of the season.
adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca
