Jason Lewis: Looking into San Jose's Effective Powerplay Set-Up

Maybe it's time for the Kings to pull a Thorton and strip Brown of his C. Brown was lucky to have a team full of leaders and warriors (Williams, Mitchell, Scuderi, Greene) to help them win 2 cups. Last season they didn't even bother showing up and this season it didn't matter how much he bulked up he still doesn't have the skill to compete and the team is a mess. No one hits, no one goes to the dirty area and Brown shoots quicker than a man who has premature issues.

Next season might also be time to figure what to do with the guys on the "checking lines". King, Clifford and Nolan have been pretty worthless and maybe it's time to work with on the new guys and see who wants it bad enough.

Maybe it's time for the Kings to pull a Thorton and strip Brown of his C. Brown was lucky to have a team full of leaders and warriors (Williams, Mitchell, Scuderi, Greene) to help them win 2 cups. Last season they didn't even bother showing up and this season it didn't matter how much he bulked up he still doesn't have the skill to compete and the team is a mess. No one hits, no one goes to the dirty area and Brown shoots quicker than a man who has premature issues.

Next season might also be time to figure what to do with the guys on the "checking lines". King, Clifford and Nolan have been pretty worthless and maybe it's time to work with on the new guys and see who wants it bad enough.
- kingsfan626

How about just trade him and problem solved.

I think that the natural solution is to rotate the box 45 degrees into a diamond. Then, you'd have a man on each of the four outer points of the 1-3-1. The 5th man in the middle would be open, which isn't ideal, but isn't much different than it is now, would be harder for all of the others to get him the puck and the penalty killers on the half walls could alternate collapsing to cover him when the puck isn't on their side of the ice. Directly challenging the single point man could also reduce the quantity and quality of point shots, rather than letting him blast all powerplay long through those screens that your captures show.

It might be easier to practice only one penalty kill formation, but it might be more effective to switch between a couple, depending on what the other team likes to do. If you continue running the same thing, even when it's shown to not be very effective, you're failing to adapt, IMO.

I think that the natural solution is to rotate the box 45 degrees into a diamond. Then, you'd have a man on each of the four outer points of the 1-3-1. The 5th man in the middle would be open, which isn't ideal, but isn't much different than it is now, would be harder for all of the others to get him the puck and the penalty killers on the half walls could alternate collapsing to cover him when the puck isn't on their side of the ice. Directly challenging the single point man could also reduce the quantity and quality of point shots, rather than letting him blast all powerplay long through those screens that your captures show.

It might be easier to practice only one penalty kill formation, but it might be more effective to switch between a couple, depending on what the other team likes to do. If you continue running the same thing, even when it's shown to not be very effective, you're failing to adapt, IMO.
- Osprey

I'd agree that in theory a diamond works better than a box formation in defending a 1-3-1. I think it comes with a set of its own problems though, mainly hitting the open passing lanes from down low into the center. But I agree on it being a better natural set up.

I'd agree that in theory a diamond works better than a box formation in defending a 1-3-1. I think it comes with a set of its own problems though, mainly hitting the open passing lanes from down low into the center. But I agree on it being a better natural set up.
- Jason_Lewis

are you saying the "shapeless cluster fk" that LA is employing when 7 and 52 are on the ice isn't ideal?!

Jason Lewis: Looking into San Jose's Effective Powerplay Set-Up
- Jason_Lewis

I like how you break down analytics of the power play. Whenever I try to phrase it properly to explain our PP to my friends, I can never find the proper terms. All they understand is "umbrella" and "overload".

When i traded Karlsson for Burns in my fantasy pool early this season, they called me crazy when I predicted a close point total between the two, with Burns having vastly more SOG and goals. The way Deboer activates and uses Dmen on the PP was a big factor in my choice. All worked out and I won the pool :p
better yet, the guy I traded Karlsson to was my finals opponent.

Nice write up. Nice to see people who understand the nuances of the game as opposed to the typical "player X is underperforming, do better" blogs around here.

...Nice write up. Nice to see people who understand the nuances of the game as opposed to the typical "player X is underperforming, do better" blogs around here.
- j0e Th0rnton

I was going to say the same thing - it's a really excellent breakdown of the Sharks powerplay.

And I think he's right about how to counter it. The teams that the Sharks have struggled most to score against don't allow them to enter the zone - they force a dump in and then out race the Sharks to the puck.

Maybe the Kings can work on not giving the Sharks 9 PPs in 2 games??? Granted penalties happen, but Toffoli shouldn't be getting them, or Kopitar for that matter.
If the Kings don't put their big-boy pants on tonight there won't be any 0-3 come backs this year. All I can ask the hockey gods is that if the Kings get canned, so do the quacks and the hawks.

Kings are looking terrible already.

Kings are looking terrible already.
- KINGS67

And the refs are helping them...

(frank) YEAH KINGS!!! Let's do it again on Wednesday.

To all you Kings Pavelski closet Sharks lovers, yeah...that's what a Capatain do for your team.

-Brown Family

To all you Kings Pavelski closet Sharks lovers, yeah...that's what a Capatain do for your team.

-Brown Family


- puckhog

Didn't you just post this on the insider? that hit was worth about 3.6 and not a penny more.

Great write up Jason, however I think the Kings can do better than effectively hoping the Sharks don't get set up. I agree with an earlier poster that the diamond pk would be the best method. In the diamond only one guy is "designated" to cover a single man on the outside (rather than some of the game shots of two kings forwards in the box formation heading out to cover the point). It would seem the biggest weakness to this would be the man in the high slot being open, but there are definitely ways to cover it. If the puck was on the halfwall, the far side winger would slide in to cover the man in the slot, thus leaving the man furthest from the puck (and the toughest pass to make) as the only open man. With sticks in the passing lanes and general awareness of where the puck would have to go, this would require a near perfect pass. Obviously the pk team is still short handed, so it will fail sometimes, but I feel this is a much better solution to stopping what is effectively a diamond based powerplay