The Elephant In the Sabres' Room: Fixing the Power Play

[bob_sauve28]

What is up with the PP? 

 

Fix that and we are a way better team. Have to think with all the talent we have it will start clicking. 

 

[bunomatic]

STP

[K-9]

7 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

STP

[Indabuff]

[LabattBlue]

First two PP’s yesterday, faceoff lost, puck cleared, 20-25 seconds of time burned.  Yeah…faceoffs aren’t important.

/sarcasm off

[sabresparaavida]

1 hour ago, bunomatic said:

STP

In my opinion, that’s not the main issue with the powerplay. The zone entries need a lot of work, they have been having a lot of trouble establishing possession in the Ozone. When we have gotten established, we often get good chances. Get better at entries at the shots will come.

[HOUSE]

1st,

Ditch the Elephant 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Shoot da Puck

[Norcal]

The powerplay needs some serious help. 

They don't look like they have a plan and aren't urgent enough in puck battles.  

They need some creativity and some different looks. 

Help.

[K-9]

[DarthEbriate]

2 hours ago, K-9 said:

I think so Brain, but what does the Stop Tomato Project have to do with the 2023-24 power play?

[Flashsabre]

There’s a free agent winger that wouldn’t do wonders for the PP😛

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

First two PP’s yesterday, faceoff lost, puck cleared, 20-25 seconds of time burned.  Yeah…faceoffs aren’t important.

/sarcasm off

Faceoffs are important, and if there was such thing as a guy that could win you 80% faceoffs, you would put him out there in some situations, even if he sucked.

However, statistically the VERY best one or two guys in the league will win you 1 more faceoff out of 10 than an average guy. A REALLY GOOD faceoff guy will win you 1 more out of 20.

If you and I were both NHL GM's, I feel that I would like you as a trading partner.

[GASabresIUFAN]

This is an issue dating back to last season.  The Sabres are way to predictable.  They pass the puck between the two wingers and Dahlin/Power.  The passes aren’t fast and just serve to waste time.  There needs to be different sets, such as getting the puck down low and behind the net, they need to move the puck faster and  shoot more to create chaos in front of the net.  We need to allow our creative players to be creative, like NJ does with Hughes.

[Mango]

2 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

First two PP’s yesterday, faceoff lost, puck cleared, 20-25 seconds of time burned.  Yeah…faceoffs aren’t important.

/sarcasm off

It’s crazy that icing is such a favorable call for teams we play.

[GoPuckYourself]

6 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

What is up with the PP? 

 

Fix that and we are a way better team. Have to think with all the talent we have it will start clicking. 

 

They had 1 move that worked well last season, that was the side pass to tage Thompson for the blast but teams have figured it out. There is absolutely no creativity other than that move to Thompson that I've seen. Also did you or anyone notice that on the PP Jeff Skinner gives up a bunch of plays (either a bad pass or whiffs on a shot) and it immediately is going the other way, is he becoming the new/old Casey Middlestadt who used to give up play after play? Who coaches the PP? Is it only Don Granato? If so he needs some serious help.

[PerreaultForever]

I'm going to disagree with the STP idea. STP only works if the goalie doesn't know where it's coming from, is late to react to quick movement or can't see it. We're just not strong enough in front of the net and we rely on Dahlin too much. Yes, he's the PP QB but you need to vary things or it gets too predictable. We have to use both points and the bumper. Keep the puck moving but drive the net and get those tips and deflections. 

[Night Train]

No QB to set things up.  No plan at all.

It's killing them. They have such a small margin for error. Faceoffs..PP...lack of success means .500. 

[Archie Lee]

8 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Faceoffs are important, and if there was such thing as a guy that could win you 80% faceoffs, you would put him out there in some situations, even if he sucked.

However, statistically the VERY best one or two guys in the league will win you 1 more faceoff out of 10 than an average guy. A REALLY GOOD faceoff guy will win you 1 more out of 20.

If you and I were both NHL GM's, I feel that I would like you as a trading partner.

I’m not certain the statistics tell an accurate story (though, I’m also not certain they don’t).
 

Do elite face off men put 100% effort into every neutral zone draw or into o-zone draws when they are up 3 in the 3rd? Do they ever set-up a future face-off win by intentionally losing a less critical face-off? How do elite face-off men fare in critical draws against non-elite face-off men?  
 

I’m certainly not trading valuable assets to get a guy who isn’t good enough to play PK/PP/OT, just because he wins face-offs 53% of the time. But no question we will be a better team if 1 or 2 of our centres become really good on the dot. 

[bob_sauve28]

10 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

There’s a free agent winger that wouldn’t do wonders for the PP😛

Starting to make sense now. One year deal...

[Carmel Corn]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I'm going to disagree with the STP idea. STP only works if the goalie doesn't know where it's coming from, is late to react to quick movement or can't see it. We're just not strong enough in front of the net and we rely on Dahlin too much. Yes, he's the PP QB but you need to vary things or it gets too predictable. We have to use both points and the bumper. Keep the puck moving but drive the net and get those tips and deflections. 

I want more STP, but coupled with planting a screen in front of goalie.  Either it helps prevent the goalie from seeing it and/or maybe ties up a defender which can further help the screen while creating more open space in the zone.

[LGR4GM]

11 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

There’s a free agent winger that wouldn’t do wonders for the PP😛

The one that had hip surgery and isn't even cleared to play in games yet? That one? Sure, as long as Olofsson is waived because if not you are adding another specialist with limited 2-way game abilities. 

[dudacek]

There’s a lot to like here, especially if your stated team strategy is to employ 3 scoring lines:

Skinner Thompson Tuch

Quinn Cozens Kane

Greenway Mittelstadt Peterka

Girgensons Krebs Okposo

[dudacek]

Moving this post to the proper thread:

Did we know Mittelstadt is #2 in the entire NHL for even-strength points this year?

He’s (temporarily?) replaced Cozens on PP1, but in what role? What’s to stop them from deploying him behind the net as the “down low QB” opposite Dahlin, get him to handle the puck more like Gretzky in the old days?

Why not Peterka opposite Tage on PP1? I’ve seen him score plenty from there in juniors and Rochester. Much better at entries and retrievals than VO. He’s a lefty, unlike Cozens.

How about Dahlin opposite Tage and Power on top?

Greenway net front? Cozens?

Or maybe get Tuch and Skinner to, you know, do something? They rarely set people up and they don’t screen, snipe or crash the net nearly enough. Get them cycling with Tage like they do at even strength, with Dahlin and Power at the points

So many untapped alternatives. Time to try one.

[inkman]

13 hours ago, Indabuff said:

 

11 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

I think so Brain, but what does the Stop Tomato Project have to do with the 2023-24 power play?

Bruh.  If Scott Weiland and the DeLeo brothers aren’t the first thing you think of when you see STP, perhaps you aren’t the droid we are looking for.  😎

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This is an issue dating back to last season.  The Sabres are way to predictable.  They pass the puck between the two wingers and Dahlin/Power.  The passes aren’t fast and just serve to waste time.  There needs to be different sets, such as getting the puck down low and behind the net, they need to move the puck faster and  shoot more to create chaos in front of the net.  We need to allow our creative players to be creative, like NJ does with Hughes.

You make a great point about the necessity to move the puck more quickly. I listened to Marty Biron commenting on the ineffectiveness of our PP: His comment mirrored exactly what you said:  that they need to move the puck more quickly.