SENATORS’ POWER PLAY RIDDLE: WHY SO BAD AT HOME, SO GOOD ON THE ROAD?
When Ryan Dzingel was asked to join the Ottawa Senators’ power play late in the second period of Game 1 Thursday against the New York Rangers at the Canadian Tire Centre, naturally he didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t want to use the word surprised, but I don’t think I have run the half wall (boards) the whole year, and when I got the opportunity, I was just trying to take advantage of it,” Dzingel said of scoring the goal that tied the game 1-1, setting the table for captain Erik Karlsson to score the game-winner late in third period.
“I was playing with four unbelievable players out there, so I was just trying to do my thing and, honestly, try not to mess it up too bad.”
Dzingel would have had a hard time messing up the power play any more than it already had been before he joined it. As a first-year player, he’s likely not all that familiar with the Senators’ rather bizarre recent yo-yo history on the power play. Surely, his teammates and Senators coach Guy Boucher hope the goal is a sign of change.
Dzingel’s power-play goal was only the Senators’ second on home ice in four games in the playoffs. Their 13.3 conversion rate at home ranks 13th among the 16 playoff teams.
On the road, though, it has been a different story. It was a TD Garden Party for the Senators in the opening round. They converted on four of 12 power plays in Boston, a 33.3-per-cent success rate that ranks them second among playoff teams for road productivity.
Two of those goals — from Bobby Ryan and the series-clincher from Clarke MacArthur — came in overtime. According to Elias Sports, the Senators are the first team since the 2002 Vancouver Canucks to score two overtime game-winners on the road in a single playoff series.
Generally speaking, a team is usually better on the power play at home for several reasons, including the fact they can control the matchups and because they have the encouragement of their fans behind them.
So surely the current disparity in home and road power-play success this spring is just a blip, right? One of those statistical anomalies that occur from time to time? Well, let’s dig a little deeper. During the regular season, the Senators’ power play operated at 14.5 per cent at the Canadian Tire Centre, 27th among the NHL’s 30 teams on home ice.
On the road? They converted at 19.4 per cent, in the top half of the league, 14th overall.
Go back some more and a clear pattern appears.
In 2015-16, the Senators’ play with the man advantage ranked 30th at home, eighth away from Ottawa.
In the 2015 playoffs? They didn’t score once at home, 16th among 16 teams at home. They went 5-for-12 at the Bell Centre, first among all road power plays.
In 2014-15? A dismal 26th at the CTC, a solid 13th in other buildings.
In 2013-14? Thirtieth, dead last, at home, with an atrocious 11.8 conversion rate, but an impressive second overall and 25 per cent in opposition arenas.
In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2011-12, when Cory Clouston was the coach and the lineup boasted the likes of Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Nick Foligno and Sergei Gonchar, to find the last time the Senators’ power play was more productive at home.
Asking around the dressing room, most players found the numbers intriguing, but couldn’t put their finger on why there has been such a disparity.
Then MacArthur offered his two cents.
“On the road, you’re shooting the puck more, you must be,” he said, speaking before the puck dropped on the Rangers series. “We’re ticking it around here more (at home), probably, trying to make the perfect play, but not many of the perfect ones go in.
“Now that I think about it, you do look for better plays at home, where on the road you just try to get (the puck) to the net.”
His series-clincher against Boston is a case in point. It was a broken play. Ryan’s attempted pass across the crease to Mike Hoffman bounced off the pads of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, directly to MacArthur in the slot. From there, he one-timed the shot into the net. A split-second later, the celebrations began.
“Yeah, that was ugly, ugly,” he said. “That’s not a set play at all. Clearly, we feel better on the road. Maybe we should pretend we’re on the road. Power plays are going to be more and more key as we go along.”
Maybe MacArthur’s teammates were listening. Dzingel’s powerplay goal Thursday wasn’t a set play, either. He was stationed at the side of the net, in position to cash in when Henrik Lundqvist stopped a shot from Kyle Turris.
“When you look at that goal, it’s not the prettiest goal, but the finish is pretty,” said Mark Stone. “It’s just getting it there. A good, hard shot and a rebound. Those are the types of goals that you have to have.”
Especially at home.