Turning chaos into goals

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This article was published 22/10/2017 (2882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It has become a common sight in National Hockey League games.

A team is awarded a power play, breaks the puck out of their own zone — and then immediately passes it backwards as they get in the vicinity of centre ice. To many fans, it may seem like a puzzling move. After all, isn’t the whole idea of hockey to go forward with the puck?

The Winnipeg Jets are not immune to the play, which coach Paul Maurice said was first popular in European hockey before making its way overseas.

“We’re running the drop now more consistently,” he said, following practice Saturday, one night after his team potted a pair of power play goals in a 4-3 win over Minnesota. “It was pretty important for two of those goals (Friday) night.”

The way Maurice explains it, the play is all about trying to create chaos on the ice and catching the other team flat-footed.

“What it does is the drop sets everybody at the blue line and pushes everybody back, and then you’re standing still with two guys (coming in) with a tremendous amount of speed,” he said. “The team that first used it to great effect was Vancouver when they went to the finals that year (2011). They basically won their first three playoff rounds on the drop. They just killed teams on their power play until they played Boston, and Boston decided to let them drop the puck, let them gain the zone and they’ll not be out of position.”

Maurice said the play can quickly backfire, especially if you have an aggressive penalty killer who reads it well. The Jets, for example, have already scored three short-handed goals this season.

“There is a bit of risk. Because if you attack those two guys coming late, you can break something loose sometimes. You’ve got to be right on that one, you’ve got to handle that puck right, if not you’re going to see more short-handed goal, more short-handed rushes,” he said. “I think you’ll see teams get away from the drop when they have a lead. But it’ll be here for a while.”

Like everything in sports, teams are always looking to find an advantage, and imitation really is the most sincere form of flattery. To that extent, Maurice said another new trend has emerged on power plays in recent years.

“You’re seeing more players on the flanks on their natural sides. Detroit used that a few years back quite a bit, and now you’re seeing a bunch of teams,” Maurice said.

“So you see Blake Wheeler on the right side of the ice, on his natural side, not on the one-timer side. And then kind of driving things down to the net, where you’ve got four guys collapsed at the net, something Montreal did really well a few years ago when Saku Koivu was there running it.”

Of course, the Jets have a not-so-secret weapon which they hope gives them an advantage over their opponents: Patrik Laine. The Finnish sensation was responsible for both power-play goals Friday night, including a rocket of a shot he called a “muffin” after the game.

“Well it might be accurate for him. He didn’t get all of it. He just gets it to the right spot. He’s fired some heaters here in practice that move everybody. When he’s teeing that up, I have no problem with everybody leaving the front of the net. It’s safer for the goaltender. It’s safer for everybody,” Maurice said.

“It comes off his stick with so much heat. That’s the big piece of why he’s just different than everybody else. He can get a shot to the net with a lot of pace to that shot, from anywhere on his body.”

Winnipeg’s power play is currently running at 17.4 per cent through its first seven games, which puts them 18th overall in the NHL. Winnipeg clicked at 18.2 per cent last season, also good for 18th.

The Jets will get the next opportunity to improve those numbers when they return to game action on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg