Can the PP be fixed?

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Sabres have 13 goals for this season.  11 5 on 5, 1 short handed and 1 empty net.  

With 15 PP opportunities the Sabres are actually -1; 0 PP goals scored and 1 short handed goal allowed.  They are also 0 for 1 on penalties shots.  

The PP is so bad, they are struggling to even enter the offensive zone.  The team has only had 18 SOG in 15 Power Plays.  

Seth Appert was partly promoted to fix the PP.  So far it’s worse.  There is zero flow.  The puck doesn’t move quickly and we rarely ever station someone in front of the net to create screens and pick up loose change. Where is Dave Andreychuk when you need him? 

We also don’t win draws on the PP to gain control of the puck. Cozens, who has taken 16/31 PP draws is 37.5% on those faceoffs.  Tuch has taken the 2nd most (6) is 33%. For reasons unknown TNT has taken only 4 draws on the PP winning 3.

So can this mess be fixed?

 

[mjd1001]

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Sabres have 13 goals for this season.  11 5 on 5, 1 short handed and 1 empty net.  

With 15 PP opportunities the Sabres are actually -1; 0 PP goals scored and 1 short handed goal allowed.  They are also 0 for 1 on penalties shots.  

The PP is so bad, they are struggling to even enter the offensive zone.  The team has only had 18 SOG in 15 Power Plays.  

Seth Appert was partly promoted to fix the PP.  So far it’s worse.  There is zero flow.  The puck doesn’t move quickly and we rarely ever station someone in front of the net to create screens and pick up loose change. Where is Dave Andreychuk when you need him? 

We also don’t win draws on the PP to gain control of the puck. Cozens, who has taken 16/31 PP draws is 37.5% on those faceoffs.  Tuch has taken the 2nd most (6) is 33%. For reasons unknown TNT has taken only 4 draws on the PP winning 3.

So can this mess be fixed?

 

Can it be fixed? Yep.  It sure can.

How to do it? I have no idea what will work.

-I'd start with trying to figure out why Dahlin looks ordinary with the puck (he isn't controlling things back there).

-Get Cozens off the ice

-Throw a big body in front of the net and just have them take punishment there (Sabres guys on the perimeter are getting pressure and not handling it well, throw a big body in front of the net for the other team to worry about so they have to collapse down on that guy a bit.) Greenway. Or maybe that is where you put Cozens (tell him you better not touch the puck on the PP unless its in the crease and you are banging away at it).

-As far as zone entries...No clue how to fix it.  Again, what is up with Dahlin?

[Broken Ankles]

14 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Sabres have 13 goals for this season.  11 5 on 5, 1 short handed and 1 empty net.  

With 15 PP opportunities the Sabres are actually -1; 0 PP goals scored and 1 short handed goal allowed.  They are also 0 for 1 on penalties shots.  

The PP is so bad, they are struggling to even enter the offensive zone.  The team has only had 18 SOG in 15 Power Plays.  

Seth Appert was partly promoted to fix the PP.  So far it’s worse.  There is zero flow.  The puck doesn’t move quickly and we rarely ever station someone in front of the net to create screens and pick up loose change. Where is Dave Andreychuk when you need him? 

We also don’t win draws on the PP to gain control of the puck. Cozens, who has taken 16/31 PP draws is 37.5% on those faceoffs.  Tuch has taken the 2nd most (6) is 33%. For reasons unknown TNT has taken only 4 draws on the PP winning 3.

So can this mess be fixed?

 

Zoinks

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

26 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

Zoinks

 

Scary isn’t it!

[JP51]

51 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Sabres have 13 goals for this season.  11 5 on 5, 1 short handed and 1 empty net.  

With 15 PP opportunities the Sabres are actually -1; 0 PP goals scored and 1 short handed goal allowed.  They are also 0 for 1 on penalties shots.  

The PP is so bad, they are struggling to even enter the offensive zone.  The team has only had 18 SOG in 15 Power Plays.  

Seth Appert was partly promoted to fix the PP.  So far it’s worse.  There is zero flow.  The puck doesn’t move quickly and we rarely ever station someone in front of the net to create screens and pick up loose change. Where is Dave Andreychuk when you need him? 

We also don’t win draws on the PP to gain control of the puck. Cozens, who has taken 16/31 PP draws is 37.5% on those faceoffs.  Tuch has taken the 2nd most (6) is 33%. For reasons unknown TNT has taken only 4 draws on the PP winning 3.

So can this mess be fixed?

 

Yes get new players. Preferably ones with heart that actually GAF

[msw2112]

It's truly perplexing.  Despite what many on this board like to think, the Sabres do have several offensively talented players on the roster.  Certainly more than enough to fill a power play unit (and really enough for 2).  High school, junior, and college teams have power plays.  Even bottom-tier NHL teams pose some kind of threat on the power play.  What's up with the Sabres?  I figured that Ruff would get it figured out (perhaps with Appert's help), and maybe he will, but so far, it's absolutely terrible and worse than even last season.  I've only seen a couple of games, but in my limited sample size, I have not even seen them establish any semblance of a power play where they a) enter the offensive zone and b) pass the puck around the perimeter, forcing the other team into a defensive position.  I'm not even talking about guys moving around, creating chances, getting a guy in front of the next, creating rebounds, etc.  Those things are important and were missing last season, but at the very least, they need to start by establishing themselves in the offensive zone with control of the puck.

How a professional hockey club can't even do that is mind boggling.

[HumanSlinky39]

How it's actually WORSE this year is mind boggling. Yes, it can be fixed. And it better be before too long, because if it isn't, the playoffs are a pipe dream.

[Idemo Buffalo]

The good thing is we know the problem. If they get this power play to start working, the Sabres can be a very dangerous team.  

[mjd1001]

The funny thing about the PP is, it is now 5 games into the season and they are NEGATIVE on the PP.  For 5 full games, they have 0 goals scored, 1 goal allowed.

I wonder what the record is for the longest into a season a team goes being a net negative on the PP?

5 minutes ago, Idemo Buffalo said:

The good thing is we know the problem. If they get this power play to start working, the Sabres can be a very dangerous team.  

And its early, but Colorado is 50%, 6 for 12 on the PP and they still haven't won a game.  

[mjd1001]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 

Seth Appert was partly promoted to fix the PP.  So far it’s worse.  There is zero flow.  The puck doesn’t move quickly and we rarely ever station someone in front of the net to create screens and pick up loose change. Where is Dave Andreychuk when you need him? 

 

 

Big, kinda slow guys who can't skate but had great hands and would take the beating in front of the net. Andreychuk. Tim Kerr. To an extent Rick Vaive, Owen Nolan and Scott Mellanby. 

The NHL doesn't have those type of specialists that much anymore...No one wants to make a career of that role (getting crosschecked over and over in front of the net)

[GASabresIUFAN]

52 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Big, kinda slow guys who can't skate but had great hands and would take the beating in front of the net. Andreychuk. Tim Kerr. To an extent Rick Vaive, Owen Nolan and Scott Mellanby. 

The NHL doesn't have those type of specialists that much anymore...No one wants to make a career of that role (getting crosschecked over and over in front of the net)

We have guys who could take on that role.  Greenway comes to mind.  Benson would do it.  

[mjd1001]

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

We have guys who could take on that role.  Greenway comes to mind.  Benson would do it.  

Greenway for sure. He has pretty good hands, I'm not sure his hands are good enough to get you a bunch of power Play goals but I'm all for it. 

Benson? It might be more of an issue of physics compared to willpower. Maybe he'd be willing to do it, but when you're only 5 ft. 10 in tall and barely 170 lb... No matter how hard you try, you're just not going to be able to hold your position in front of the net or even provide a screen when you have defenseman who are 4 to 5 in taller than you and 50 lb. Heavier than you whose only job is to cross-check you and get you out of there.

Edited 6 hours ago by mjd1001