Winnipeg Jets put special emphasis on special squads’ work
Power play, penalty kill units could tip balance in opening best-of-five sprint
It’s a proven fact you don’t need a highly efficient power play to win a Stanley Cup.
The Boston Bruins made that perfectly clear in 2011 when they won the Cup despite having the third-worst power play among the 16 NHL playoff teams.
They scored at a rate of just 11.4 per cent over 25 playoff games and the only two teams below them were knocked out in the first round.
“It can certainly help you win some hockey games. You win that battle in a series, it’s definitely going to give you an edge,” Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler said.
The Jets worked on their special teams Monday for the first time since opening training camp on July 13.
They ran two power-play and two penalty-killing units for much of the practice as they prepared for a best-of-five qualifying round series against the Calgary Flames, which starts Aug. 1 in Edmonton.
The Jets’ power play scored 20.5 per cent of the time (15th in the NHL) during the regular season, while their penalty kill came in at 77.6 per cent (22nd overall).
Both special teams improved considerably as the season went on. The Jets were among the most efficient teams in terms of special teams in the last couple months of the season.
Those groups could play an important role in a short series against the Flames, who are loaded with dangerous offensive players and have excellent power play and penalty killing units. Calgary was 12th on the power play at 21.2 per cent and eighth in penalty killing at 82.1 per cent.
Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he believes strong special teams play can come in handy in a best-of-five series that has been described as more of a sprint than a grind.
Wheeler agrees.
“The more scoring chances we generate on the power play, the more time they’re gonna spend in their zone and it’s gonna tire their goalie out,” Wheeler said. “That’s really our job, to create momentum for our team. We think that with the guys we have out there, there’s enough finish around the net that we’re gonna bury enough of those chances to have a successful power play.”
On Monday, the Jets featured a top power-play unit of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Wheeler up front, with Patrik Laine and Neal Pionk on the points. The second unit included centres Cody Eakin and Andrew Copp switching off between Nikolaj Ehlers and Jack Roslovic, with Mathieu Perreault and Josh Morrissey on the back end.
Maurice said Sunday to expect plenty of special teams work this week.
“Working your power play in practice is one of the most difficult things to do, just on pace,” Maurice said. “On your power play you want people to shoot pucks, and players are more reluctant to shoot pucks against their own players. The last thing you want to do is rip one off a guy’s ankle in practice. So it changes the dynamic.
“Today was our first day, so they executed the basics of their game plan and they looked right.”
One reason Copp is part of the second unit is his ability to play defence once the power play ends.
With dangerous players like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan often on the ice at the end of penalty kills, the Jets have to be mindful of Calgary’s ability to create in transition.
“I think that’s gonna be kind of what goes into some of the decision making on (Maurice’s) part about who goes on the power play,” Copp said. “We haven’t talked about matchups at all, but it will be interesting to see how all that plays out. They’ve got good players up and down their lineup, so it’s tough to key on any one line, but obviously that Monahan-gaudreau line, with (Elias) Lindholm, is special.
“For right now, we’re not going to worry too much about hypothetical matchups. For right now, I’m just trying to prove my worth on the power play and trying to execute and trying to get this unit going.”
Copp also plays a big role on the penalty killing unit, which was the worst in the league for the first few months of the season, but really turned things around once the calendar flipped to 2020.
A big part of the improvement was the addition of defenceman Dylan Demelo at the trade deadline. Another was Vezina-finalist Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
“We started to anticipate really well and we started to dictate power plays,” Copp said of the improvement. “You know, take away their top option and try to make them do something they’re not used to doing …
“We’re strong on draws, too. That’s a big part of it, getting that 200-foot clear. We’re good in the neutral zone, in terms of not letting them break in too much. We’re dictating the pace, anticipating where guys are gonna go and the D did a great job of blocking shots and then Helly does a great job of standing on his head when everything else breaks down.”
“I’m really comfortable with where our PK is right now and hopefully we can pick up where we left off.”