Taking a peek at the powerplay: what makes PP1 so good & what's fuelling PP2's blues

[delayedreflex]

Yeah really hoping we see Neal in a shooter's position, as opposed to net-front (unless he's done well in that position before). I think the main reason to keep Neal on PP2 is that it's the best opportunity to get him going scoring wise - since for the most part his lack of foot speed is least detrimental on the PP than during normal play.

On paper, the new PP2 lineup looks like the right players to be using - now it's just about whether they are used properly, in formations that utilize each players' strengths.

[Imported_Aussie]

Wth the personnel they have on that unit, it seems the best roles would be for Brodie to be last man back, passing QB, Andersson shooting, pinching on the left, his off side. Neal down near faceoff dot on right, puck retrieval if needed, Jankowski in front of net, behind net puck retrieval, Czarnik on half wall on left, sag back if Andersson comes underneath

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Are they? Ryan has a higher career-high in points than Bennett, with 38 -- set last year. Ryan was also the highest scorer on PP2 and the only one to have multiple goals. I'll give you Backlund, but Ryan is better offensively right now than Bennett.

I agree that Ryan is better offensively than Bennett, however it's important to note that Ryan had Skinner on his wing for a decent chunk of last year.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Yeah, I don’t even know where to start with Ryan. Shots into shin pads and skates, passes intercepted, placing the puck under pressure in to areas where the defending team can retrieve. PP2 has been bad in part because he is comparably unskilled, and I don’t see much creativity or offensive hockey IQ.

Hopefully the new PP2 gets time to gel. I would probably switch out Czarnik for Bennett. I know they brought him in expecting he could contribute on the PP.
But if Bennett-Jankowski-Neal is going to be a regular line, why not keep them together and try to develop chemistry in multiple situations.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Ryan had to come off of that unit. Both Backlund and Bennett are better in the offensive zone than Ryan.

A very meaningless comparison though as Ryan was basically playing right defense on the 2nd unit. Neither Backlund nor Bennett would ever be asked to play that position partially because they are both left handed. Ryan's competition for RD was Andersson or Stone. Stone has a decent shot but his passing isn't up to snuff to be a major consideration IMO.

In terms of ppl fighting for roles on the 2nd unit PP

It's Backlund vs Jankowski for C (I like seeing Jankowski being given a shot)

It's Bennett vs Neal vs Czarnik for W (I like Neal the least but we've got to get him going somehow)

It's Brodie vs Hanifin for LD (I think its a toss up here. But as you say taking Hanifin off that unit allows the coaches to ice Hanifin-Hamonic immediately after the PP so it's probably mostly for matchup reasons.)

It's Ryan vs Andersson for RD (Ryan had issues with skating too far up IMO. He needed to get shots quickly off that were tip-able or would generate rebounds. He'd skate in too far and then the shot would be blocked or his angle would be off or he'd try a pass that wouldn't get through. I like giving Andersson a shot as he's got far better instincts about when to shoot from the point and gives that unit a real point shot.)

Don't know why you'd compare players across positions they aren't directly competing for. I mean you'd be right if Ryan was playing centre on that 2nd unit but he never was.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Are they? Ryan has a higher career-high in points than Bennett, with 38 -- set last year. Ryan was also the highest scorer on PP2 and the only one to have multiple goals. I'll give you Backlund, but Ryan is better offensively right now than Bennett.

Ryan wasn't an ideal fit, but to say he "had to come off" is weird. Statistically speaking, he was the second-best player on the unit. However, statistically speaking, the worst player on the unit was the only one to survive the PP2 purge, so what do I know.

Well, if you want to advocate for players because of their career numbers, you really can't advocate for Ryan and then slag on Neal.

From my point of view, Ryan's career-high point total is only 2 better than Bennett's career-high of 36. And if you dig a little deeper into those seasons, Bennett's career-high goals (18) is better than Ryan's (15). Then if you factor in linemates (ie. Skinner vs Brouwer), I think it is still safe to say that Bennett generates more offense than Ryan.

Beyond the stats, I feel that Bennett passes the eye test of generating more offense than Ryan. Bennett has had a lot more scoring chances and called back goals than Ryan. If he could get some puck luck going his way instead of against him, Bennett would probably double his point production.

That's why I felt Ryan had to come off the unit before Bennett or Backlund.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

A very meaningless comparison though as Ryan was basically playing right defense on the 2nd unit. Neither Backlund nor Bennett would ever be asked to play that position partially because they are both left handed. Ryan's competition for RD was Andersson or Stone. Stone has a decent shot but his passing isn't up to snuff to be a major consideration IMO.

In terms of ppl fighting for roles on the 2nd unit PP

It's Backlund vs Jankowski for C (I like seeing Jankowski being given a shot)

It's Bennett vs Neal vs Czarnik for W (I like Neal the least but we've got to get him going somehow)

It's Brodie vs Hanifin for LD (I think its a toss up here. But as you say taking Hanifin off that unit allows the coaches to ice Hanifin-Hamonic immediately after the PP so it's probably mostly for matchup reasons.)

It's Ryan vs Andersson for RD (Ryan had issues with skating too far up IMO. He needed to get shots quickly off that were tip-able or would generate rebounds. He'd skate in too far and then the shot would be blocked or his angle would be off or he'd try a pass that wouldn't get through. I like giving Andersson a shot as he's got far better instincts about when to shoot from the point and gives that unit a real point shot.)

Don't know why you'd compare players across positions they aren't directly competing for. I mean you'd be right if Ryan was playing centre on that 2nd unit but he never was.

Hi FDW!

I did not mean to suggest that I would have kept Bennett on the unit in Ryan's position, just that I would have kept Bennett (and Backlund) in the unit and removed Ryan as a part of retooling it to make it work.

Like I said in my earliest post in this thread, I would have been good with swapping Ryan for Brodie and keeping the rest of the unit intact. Even though Brodie shoots left, I count him as our #1 RD and I think he would have been better at the job Ryan does on PP2. Brodie is great at carrying the puck, getting it deep and making plays from the right side and he has really been showing it recently!

In light of the major overhaul that was made, I guess I would have stated that Bennett should be in the unit over Czarnik based on position. And then I would have kept Hanifin as the D and Brodie as the deep RW/RD (or whatever you call that position in a 1-3-1 configuration).

Be very interesting to see how tonight goes. I hope the new unit gets some time!