Tocchet needs perplexing power play in peak form
It's supposed to provide swagger and be the dagger.
The potential of the Vancouver Canucks' power play that looks so good on paper — and often operates like the Harlem Globetrotters in rotation looking for the perfect shot — is critical to playoff success against the Nashville Predators.
The Canucks went 0-for-2 and had just two shots Sunday during their 4-2 triumph in the series opener before a raucous and rollicking Rogers Arena crowd.
On a night when they had 21 shots that found the net, another 14 were blocked and 20 missed the mark. It was a combination of Game 1 jitters, tight checking and failing to convert on odd-man opportunities.
As for the power play, the Canucks are making it complicated.
For starters, they need to drive the lane more, or just get to the net, to draw more penalties. And they need to abide by the principle that less is more. Instead of multiple rotations and threading pretty passes, it's the open one-timers that matter as much as bodies at the net for screens, tips and deflections.
The Canucks are 8-for-34 in their last 12 outings for a 23.5 per cent power-play efficiency. That span is higher than the 22.7 per cent for the regular season. It's encouraging, but the Canucks have also been blanked six times in those dozen games.
“It's an interesting one,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet admitted Monday. “I don't want to be frustrated because it's a group that did have some looks (in Game 1) and just missed the net on a couple. The execution for me the last couple of months has been just OK.
“The mindset has to change. And it's not going to change like this (snap of finger). It's a group that likes to set up plays, and we've got to break that pattern. We need more road-hockey goals. Attack the net. We've got better at it, but we're not there yet.”
The sooner the better. The Predators are ranked 22nd on the penalty kill, and a power-play goal is going to make all the difference in tight games.
Brock Boeser led the Canucks this season with a career-high 40 goals, including 16 on the power play. He also scored eight tipped goals to rank eighth overall, so his willingness to be that net-front presence makes sense.
As does unloading a heavy and accurate shot when he gets a clean look.
“They (Predators) are good at blocking shots,” Boeser said of Nashville dropping in front of 14 on Sunday. “That may be a part of it, but we've got to get more pucks through and more bodies to the net. And we need more possession in the offensive zone.
“I think we were nervous as a team Sunday. Guys were probably playing more on the safe side with the first playoff game and just trying to get a feel.
“We can get more O-zone time with that quick-up game we always talk about, and if we do that, we'll draw more power plays.”
And then what? Getting rid of those jitters should help.
“I was thinking about how the building was going to be, and now we know what to expect,” said Boeser. “We can all just take a deep breath here and focus on our game. It was a little crazier than I expected Sunday and that was awesome. Just a whirlwind of a night.
“I was pretty wired and that was probably the worst sleep I've had in a while.”
The first unit went into several rotations in Game 1. Boeser shifted from the right flank to down low, Elias Pettersson looked for his sweet shooting spot, J.T. Miller was on the left flank to thread passes or unload a shot, and Quinn Hughes was dancing to find the open man and shooting lanes.
“We had a couple of good looks,” added Boeser. “I like the one-timer I took and the one Petey had was a bomb, but we need to build off it. And I like screening because Millsy has such a great shot.”
Maybe it's just an embarrassment of riches, or looking for the perfect pass or highlight-reel goal. But power-play goals in today's NHL are seldom pretty. It's bodies and pucks to the net for screens, tips and rebounds.
It's an ongoing wish and a level of frustration.
Two months ago, Tocchet saw signs of power-play improvement, and then old habits resurfaced.
“The most overused word is simplify,” he said. “When we make a pass and when we beat pressure, we have to attack. Everybody has to attack. Don't look at your pass, don't be on the outside. One or two passes and attack is how you get back in the game.
“We're just overthinking it. We have to get five guys on the same page, not two or three. If you move your feet, the angles will start to open up. We're in the habit of looking at an option and stopping.”
It all sounds so simple, but the hard part is execution.
Tonight would be a good time to kick it up a notch.