Oilers keep it simple, get rewarded on power play
The Edmonton Oilers’ power play has been red hot. Here are four big points about the success of that unit:
1. The main rule: Unless you’re named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, quickly move the puck or shoot it.
From what I’ve seen, Oilers power play coach Jay Woodcroft is pushing a Keep It Simple, Stupid approach, with the following top of mind:
Get as many touches of the puck as possible for the most creative player in the NHL (McDavid), and get it to him in his most dangerous spot, the right half-wall, where he has room to wheel.
Have a big, tough and somewhat skilled guy screening and winning board battles down low (Milan Lucic), and have that guy know to pass it to a more skilled player as soon as he can.
Have a pointman (Oscar Klefbom) who doesn’t hold the puck, but either fires it hard on net or passes it deftly to McDavid as soon as he can. When Andrej Sekera was running the power play, especially last year, he had a habit of passing it to Letestu, not McDavid, but you hardly ever see that same mistake now.
Have a right shot (Letestu) on the left half-wall who doesn’t hold the puck, but either fires it on net or passes it to a teammate as soon as he can. When Jordan Eberle was in this left half-wall spot, he tended to hold the puck before shooting or passing, trying to make a play.
Have one bit of complexity, another key attacker (Draisaitl) who moves around (high and low slot, both half-walls), making reads off of McDavid and getting open for combination plays with McDavid, to either shoot or set up McDavid or another shooter. Draisaitl moves around enough to keep the unit from being too predictable.
2. Draisaitl is a slightly better power play performer than McDavid
There are not many areas of the game where any Oilers player is superior to McDavid, but Draisaitl has a slight edge when it comes to power play performance. Not a major edge, but a slight one, which speaks to Draisaitl’s strength when it comes to offensive zone hockey. Draisaitl can move the puck almost as well backhand as forehand, he’s got a wide, strong frame ideal for protecting the puck, his one-time shot is strong and improving and his ability to pick out passing targets rivals that of McDavid.
At even strength, McDavid edges Draisaitl. McDavid chips in 4.2 even strength scoring chances per game and has 43 even strength points. Draisaitl chips in on 3.8 per game and has 30 even strength points.
On the power play, though, in slightly fewer minutes, Draisaitl has more points than McDavid, 26-24, and he also has a higher rate of major contributions to Grade A power play chances.
3. This Oilers power play is better than the best Nugent-HopkinsHall-Eberle power plays
The Oilers had terrible teams from 2010-15, but they had some good power plays, mainly on the strength of the work and skill of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Whitney and Justin Schultz. The 2011-12 power play was ranked third overall in the NHL. The 2012-13 power play was ninth.
The Woodcroft power play is ranked fifth, but it’s creating more scoring chances than the 2011-12 and 2012-13 power plays. The 2016-17 power play is at 35.1 chances per 60 minutes of power play time, while the 2011-12 was at 33.1 and the 2012-13 at 31.9.
Woodcroft’s power play is also creating more goals, 8.0 per 60, as opposed to 7.5 per 60 in the other two good years.
In recent dry years, the Oilers power play has created about 6.0 to 6.3 goals per 60.
4. All the pieces of Woodcroft’s power play are functioning at a high level
If we look at the top power play performers on the Oilers from 2010-17 (the first year I started to track scoring chances for and against the Oilers), we see that many of the key power players, McDavid, Draisaitl, Andrej Sekera, Mark Letestu and Klefbom, are among the top-25 overall leaders for chipping in on scoring chances.
Top of class is Ales Hemsky, who chipped in on 1.22 chances for every two power play minutes in 2012-13, but McDavid is next best with 1.17 this year, third is Sam Gagner, 2012-13 at 1.15, and Draisaitl is fourth, 1.14. Sekera is eighth at 1.05, Letustu 13th at 0.99, and Klefbom 18th at 0.94.
Lucic doesn’t make the cut-off, but he’s at 0.88 per two this year, so just below that mark, and a major part of the winning equation.