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

[Pimlach]

21 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

The whole coaching staff needs to go it's the same problems every game 

Terry just extended him for finishing  “only” 1 win out of the playoffs. 

[tom webster]

19 minutes ago, Norcal said:

There is way too much skill for the PP to be so stagnant.

Where's the creativity?

 

You might want to let Mike Sullivan know.

[Norcal]

4 minutes ago, tom webster said:

You might want to let Mike Sullivan know.

Right. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

FIRE MATTSIE !!

I like him and he is a good guy so maybe promote him to Head of Stick Taping or some such.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Believer said:

DG is going nowhere…

KA could collaborate with DG and our NHL scouts to identify a few top NHL Assts who run solid PPs and recruit one… 

Do something.

You would think they would try something different, hire some help, just about anything to show someone is actively working this. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Believer said:

DG is going nowhere…

KA could collaborate with DG and our NHL scouts to identify a few top NHL Assts who run solid PPs and recruit one… 

Do something.

As of a week ago, Bob Woods was unemployed.  If he still is, hire him today.

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

FIRE MATTSIE !!

I like him and he is a good guy so maybe promote him to Head of Stick Taping or some such.

No, I already have Rob Ray slotted into that job when we replace him on the broadcast. Maybe skate sharpening? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 minute ago, bob_sauve28 said:

No, I already have Rob Ray slotted into that job when we replace him on the broadcast. Maybe skate sharpening? 

Skate sharpening is a very skilled trade.  This could present a problem.  I don't think the Sabres can commit 10+ years for Mattsie to reach his skate sharpening prime.

VP Puck Freezing is the latest rage for all the teams.  I think Mattsie would be great in that pivotal role.

[LGR4GM]

The Sabres pp has been bad for years and no one has done anything about it. They have never changed tactics. Fire everyone. Cut the fat regardless of vibes. Add real nhl players. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The Sabres pp has been bad for years and no one has done anything about it.

Buffalo has been 12th (21%), 16TH (21.2%), and 9th (23.4%) in the last 3 years.  You can certainly say it was mediocre but it wasn't close to bad and last year for much of the season it was very good.

If you compare it to the 5 on 5 scoring it was also remarkably more effective before last season.  Over the last 3 years, the Sabres were 31st, 21st, and 3rd in 5 on 5 scoring.

I do agree that the PP is a huge problem right now.  It's stagnant, slow, lacks any creativity, is certainly terrible this season (26th @ 14.3%), and desperately needs an overhaul. However, it has been a better area for the Sabres in the prior 3 seasons.  

Edited December 10, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Buffalo has been 12th (21%), 16TH (21.2%), and 9th (23.4%) in the last 3 years.  You can certainly say it was mediocre but it wasn't close to bad and last year for much of the season it was very good.

If you compare it to the 5 on 5 scoring it was also remarkably more effective before last season.  Over the last 3 years, the Sabres were 31st, 21st, and 3rd in 5 on 5 scoring.

I do agree that the PP is a huge problem right now.  It's stagnant, slow, lacks any creativity, is certainly terrible this season (26th @ 14.3%), and desperately needs an overhaul. However, it has been a better area for the Sabres in the prior 3 seasons.  

Except for the 6 or so weeks from late October to mid-December last year, the Sabres PP was well within bottom 1/3 of the league.

Through 10/27, they were hitting at 15.4% which was 24th.

And from 12/19 through the end of the season they were hitting at 18.1% which was 22nd.

They were 1st by nearly 3 full % inbetween at 34%.  There were only 4 teams in the entire league that hit at 30% or better over that stretch.

 

The PP was trash MOST of last year, and 1 completely unsustainable stretch where teams couldn't cover the Thompson 1 timer made it look a LOT better than it was.

The lack of success on the PP most of the season should've been addressed in the off-season.  It wasn't.

[Marvin]

Under Ruff, when the PP failed to click with Briere, Drury, Connolly, et al., he did some subtle and not-so subtle things to help it out.  I recall that he had an all-LH PP and an all-RH PP for a while and goaltenders took a while to figure out that they needed to subtly adjust their positioning.  For another set of games, he had two players in the high and low slot to give a passer on the boards more than one option.  He also had the PP attack from different directions in the zone.  They need some creative thinking other than the 1-3-1 alignment because they seem to be incapable of breaking down the discipline of the defenders' box.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Buffalo has been 12th (21%), 16TH (21.2%), and 9th (23.4%) in the last 3 years.  You can certainly say it was mediocre but it wasn't close to bad and last year for much of the season it was very good.

If you compare it to the 5 on 5 scoring it was also remarkably more effective before last season.  Over the last 3 years, the Sabres were 31st, 21st, and 3rd in 5 on 5 scoring.

I do agree that the PP is a huge problem right now.  It's stagnant, slow, lacks any creativity, is certainly terrible this season (26th @ 14.3%), and desperately needs an overhaul. However, it has been a better area for the Sabres in the prior 3 seasons.  

 

22 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Except for the 6 or so weeks from late October to mid-December last year, the Sabres PP was well within bottom 1/3 of the league.

Through 10/27, they were hitting at 15.4% which was 24th.

And from 12/19 through the end of the season they were hitting at 18.1% which was 22nd.

They were 1st by nearly 3 full % inbetween at 34%.  There were only 4 teams in the entire league that hit at 30% or better over that stretch.

 

The PP was trash MOST of last year, and 1 completely unsustainable stretch where teams couldn't cover the Thompson 1 timer made it look a LOT better than it was.

The lack of success on the PP most of the season should've been addressed in the off-season.  It wasn't.

Thxs @Taro T

[SABRES 0311]

What bothers me about the PP is how slow puck movement is. I may be wrong but the idea is to pull the PKers out of their positions to stretch them apart. This opens passing and shooting lanes.

Puck carriers tend to hold the puck a little longer allowing the PKers to shift and adjust as a unit. 

[Carmel Corn]

I wish somebody in the Buffalo media would ask DG "Don, what exactly is the powerplay strategy you are trying to execute".  Then follow-up his word salad answer with "Why does your powerplay over pass and under shoot"?  "Why don't you put a player in front to set a screen"?  Won't happen though

Edited December 10, 2023 by Carmel Corn

[SABRES 0311]

2 hours ago, Carmel Corn said:

I wish somebody in the Buffalo media would ask DG "Don, what exactly is the powerplay strategy you are trying to execute".  Then follow-up his word salad answer with "Why does your powerplay over pass and under shoot"?  "Why don't you put a player in front to set a screen"?  Won't happen though

IMO, they over pass because they don’t move their feet. The point man (usually Dahlin/Power) moves with the puck but everyone else is static.

Its like they are waiting for the PKers to just move out of position without giving them a reason. It doesn’t facilitate the half wall one-timer they keep trying.

Move the bumper into a screening position. Shoot low from the point for a deflection. PK collapses to the net. Rebounds deflect to the corner/half walls. With a collapsed PK you have two points and maybe one winger open with space. 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, SABRES 0311 said:

IMO, they over pass because they don’t move their feet. The point man (usually Dahlin/Power) moves with the puck but everyone else is static.

Its like they are waiting for the PKers to just move out of position without giving them a reason. It doesn’t facilitate the half wall one-timer they keep trying.

Move the bumper into a screening position. Shoot low from the point for a deflection. PK collapses to the net. Rebounds deflect to the corner/half walls. With a collapsed PK you have two points and maybe one winger open with space. 

That's a huge pet peeve and the biggest reason why they shouldn't have Olofsson on one side with Thompson on the other.  They go from a nearly stationary PP to a completely stationary PP when both guys are waiting to get fed one timers.

Peterka should be opposite Thompson with Mittelstadt (or even Benson) in the bumper and Tuch down low.  Let Mitts and Tuch move around and even have one drop below the goal line looking to get the D to have to completely turn to react to a pass in front.  (One of the things the Liger consistently calls for.  He wants it to always run from below the goal line which is too much, but considering it never runs through there unless a pass is missed or a rebound deflects back there it is ridiculous how they DON'T work it there.)

Wonder if part of the problems with the STs is the 2 poorly set up units practice against each other every time they do run throughs.  Stuff that works against these units isn't going to work against a well organized opponent.

[LGR4GM]

50 minutes ago, Taro T said:

That's a huge pet peeve and the biggest reason why they shouldn't have Olofsson on one side with Thompson on the other.  They go from a nearly stationary PP to a completely stationary PP when both guys are waiting to get fed one timers.

Peterka should be opposite Thompson with Mittelstadt (or even Benson) in the bumper and Tuch down low.  Let Mitts and Tuch move around and even have one drop below the goal line looking to get the D to have to completely turn to react to a pass in front.  (One of the things the Liger consistently calls for.  He wants it to always run from below the goal line which is too much, but considering it never runs through there unless a pass is missed or a rebound deflects back there it is ridiculous how they DON'T work it there.)

Wonder if part of the problems with the STs is the 2 poorly set up units practice against each other every time they do run throughs.  Stuff that works against these units isn't going to work against a well organized opponent.

I wouldn't say always. I think they should try to work the puck low when they can, it should be a goal say 50% of the time. 

Fully agree though, they stand totally still and just dick around with the puck before passing to someone else totally still who does the same. It's awful and blatantly obvious. 

[SABRES 0311]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

That's a huge pet peeve and the biggest reason why they shouldn't have Olofsson on one side with Thompson on the other.  They go from a nearly stationary PP to a completely stationary PP when both guys are waiting to get fed one timers.

Peterka should be opposite Thompson with Mittelstadt (or even Benson) in the bumper and Tuch down low.  Let Mitts and Tuch move around and even have one drop below the goal line looking to get the D to have to completely turn to react to a pass in front.  (One of the things the Liger consistently calls for.  He wants it to always run from below the goal line which is too much, but considering it never runs through there unless a pass is missed or a rebound deflects back there it is ridiculous how they DON'T work it there.)

Wonder if part of the problems with the STs is the 2 poorly set up units practice against each other every time they do run throughs.  Stuff that works against these units isn't going to work against a well organized opponent.

I think playing below the goal line would be great to draw PKers below the top of the faceoff circles. Dahlin or TT sneaking into that open area with Tuch screening would be nice chance. 

Mitts takes it behind the goal line. PK collapses towards the net. Half wall guy takes the pass and immediately dishes it to the open man (Dahlin/TT) at the top of the circle for a one-timer. Gotta have that man in front of the net stay his ground though. 

[PerreaultForever]

I will tell you one tweak that would help. Have Thompson drift right into the front of the net when the puck is back with Dahlin instead of always standing off to the side looking for that quick wrister. Thompson and whoever is on the other side (Tuch or Cozens or whoever) need to both cross into the middle and sometimes switch sides and in the process create a heck of a screen.

Practice that, perfect that, and work on tipping the puck along with it. You do that right and it'll give the opposing goalies fits. 

[PerreaultForever]

Just now, SABRES 0311 said:

I think playing below the goal line would be great to draw PKers below the top of the faceoff circles. Dahlin or TT sneaking into that open area with Tuch screening would be nice chance. 

Mitts takes it behind the goal line. PK collapses towards the net. Half wall guy takes the pass and immediately dishes it to the open man (Dahlin/TT) at the top of the circle for a one-timer. Gotta have that man in front of the net stay his ground though. 

Trouble with this is they do not collapse towards the net as they do not fear the player below the goal line and if they follow their coaching/scouting they stay in their box and focus on Dahlin while looking for the Thompson shot. If the guy below the goal line can only bring it out himself or pass it towards the wall he's not a danger. 

[inkman]

On 11/8/2023 at 6:36 PM, 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. 

 

Matt Ellis…the elephant in the room 

 

[steveoat87]

The players look stuck in cement during the power play.  No movement, creativity.  This is on the coaching.  If Granato doesn't want to fire Ellis, at least bring in someone you can be a special power play advisor.

[mjd1001]

I posted this in another thread yesterday, but here goes the PP part of it here:

Want to know what is different about the PP this year vs last?  Mostly Cozens and Tage.

 Those 2 guys had 11 pp goals by this time last year. This year? 2 PP goals between them. This year the team is at 14.29% on the PP.  If you add those extra 9 goal shortcoming between those 2 guys, you get the PP back to 25%, which is 6th or 7th in the entire league.

Have Tage pick up the pace and get CLOSE to his form of last year, and have Cozens do ANYTHING of value offensively to justify $7+ millon dollars, and there is your power play fix.  

And it is not the style/coaching the PP that is bringing those guys down, its really those guys that are bringing the PP down. Its not just the PP, both of them are producing a lot less than they have last year in all aspects of their game. (the last 2 years with Tage). Tage probably due much to injury..and Cozens just needing to be better all around.

The Style of the PP, the coaching, the number of passes, etc...all looks a LOT better if Cozens and Tage get back on track.

Edited December 11, 2023 by mjd1001

[steveoat87]

Perhaps when Quinn and Tuch return it will also improve.