The Ottawa Senators power play is a position of strength, and for now, it might be Head Coach D.J. Smith’s saving grace. The team can be very effective on the power play, even back to last year. It helps them produce offensively overall as a team. Also, with all the rumours swirling around the future of the coach, it is something he and the team can hold onto. As long as they perform on the man advantage, and keep working hard for the coach, Smith will hang around. Recently we explored the team’s weaknesses, specifically their defensive standing, and how it worked against Smith. Here we focus on the power play, and how the high-powered offence powers the entire team.
So, What Makes the Ottawa Senators Power Play So Effective Exactly?
Any team that can possess the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Dominik Kubalik, and Jakob Chychrun will have a decent power play. Oh, and in case you are wondering, that is the second power play unit. In fact, with Kubalik’s power play marker in Wednesday’s 6-3 victory over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, it extended a streak. It marked the seventh consecutive game in which the Sens power play recorded a goal. Oddly enough, it has only been one goal each time, but that is decent consistency. So, the rate may not be great, namely pointing to the 1 out of 8 in the game against the New York Islanders, but still effective. The streak was however snapped Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Last year, in 2022-23, they had the eighth-best power play, at 23.5%. In addition, given the team’s propensity of drawing penalties, like Tim Stutzle’s speed or Brady Tkachuk’s edginess, their 72 power play goals were second in the entire league. Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers power play led in both categories (32.4% and 89). Again this year, the Senators find themselves near the leaderboards.
The Who’s Who of Power Play Supremacy
The top power plays have been off to a roaring start, with four teams humming above 32%. These teams include the Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and the leaders. The leader for now, with an over seven-percentage point lead, is the New Jersey Devils. Conversely, the Devils may end up falling back if superstar Jack Hughes ends up on the shelf for a bit. Regardless, their top unit has been dominant. Ottawa currently sits at 11th at a consistent value from last year (22.0%).
This leads us to the question, of the dichotomy of the theory of power plays. Do you load up your top unit or do you spread the advantage throughout your lineup? The obvious answer is that the top units tend to load up their guns and live and die by the sword. For the Rangers, in their 42 power play opportunities, Chris Kreider has seen 45.4 minutes of ice time. Another example is Jesper Bratt has played 44.1 minutes throughout 48 team man advantage opportunities. The problem stands in long-term success. For the Oilers or Leafs who rode their top unit so successfully through the regular season, did it really translate to playoff success? Teams like the Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights or the Seattle Kraken are much more likely to share the ice time.
The More, the Merrier?
Looking at the Kraken for this year specifically, they currently rank eighth in the league at 26.2%. Last year, like this year, they tended to share the load of power play ice time throughout their lineup. Therefore, Jordan Eberle, who does see a lot of top unit time, has only played 32.0 total minutes of power play time. When compared against some of the aforementioned players, that is a significant dip. This simply exemplifies the fact that the Kraken utilize multiple players on their power play. Regardless of what is the formula for long-term success, the Senators again find themselves in a position of strength.
They Don’t Always Ask How, Just How Much
We have mentioned already the names that make up the Ottawa Senators second power play unit. Moreover, the names on the top unit are just as many standouts as compared to their peers. The point that makes this point a position of strength, is that giving multiple players sizable opportunity on the power play can contribute to a team’s success. The confidence of getting on the power play filters goal-scoring throughout a lineup. From our previous examples, teams like Seattle or Vegas benefit from depth scoring. As we know, when it comes to the playoffs, depth scoring can be a huge difference-maker. Case in point, Ottawa currently sits tied for third in the league in GPG with 3.83.
The Ottawa Senators Power Play Amongst the Big Boys
It is evident Senators are a strong offensive club, but how does their power play contribute to this fact? As we have shown, the Senators power play, besides being ultra-talented, is impressively consistent. This is a by-product of having so many contributions from throughout the lineup and competition for those spots. Furthermore, they can easily cycle players onto the top unit. There is a statistic to show the power play’s effectiveness. According to moneypuck.com, they ranked second in the entire league, in 5-on-4 xGOALs% at 95.34, trailing only the Lightning at 97.28%.
So, what makes the Ottawa Senators power play so effective exactly? There is the talent, depth, and consistency, but they do have a good plan. This can be credited to D.J. Smith’s staff. For instance, their top unit has a smart entry plan, utilizing either Drake Batherson or Stutzle. The second unit struggles slightly at this time on zone entries, but that is a point to work on throughout the season. Most importantly, the Senators have a secret weapon. Claude Giroux. He has an astonishing 84.85% faceoff winning percentage on the power play. It’s not soccer, and possession isn’t nine, tenths the law, but on the power play it is crucial.
What Does It Mean for the Senators Big Picture
At the end of the day, the Ottawa Senators are an offensive club, bolstered by a dangerous power play. They have high-end skills, enough that they should be able to score with three forward lines. One approach to increase confidence, and ultimately production, throughout the lineup, is through spreading out the power play opportunities. Additionally, if they can establish the cycle and control the game with attacking zone time, it would invariably make their defence better. For now, it seems these offensive game positives are a big reason D.J. Smith remains head coach.
Main photo: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
