from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,
Two changes would make the power play more of a must-watch event than a two-minute window to scurry to the fridge. First, the shorthanded team would be penalized for icing the puck. It’s too easy for penalty killers to gain control of the puck and fling it 200 feet. It’s much harder to advance the puck properly out of the defensive zone.
This year, the USHL tried a two-game stint in which icing was called during power plays. Leaguewide, power play success was 22 percent during the two games, double the USHL’s 11 percent average in 2013-14. The NHL should advance this one step by calling an additional minor penalty if a shorthanded team ices the puck.
Second, the opening faceoff should be in the power-play team’s defensive zone. It would give the power play an opportunity to gain speed through the neutral zone, push back the penalty killers, and start the offensive-zone sequence with momentum.
The way it is now, it’s too easy for the shorthanded team to identify an upcoming play based simply on how the power-play team lines up for an offensive-zone drop. For example, if a right-shot center takes a faceoff at the left dot, it’s likely he’ll backhand the puck to a left-shot wing for a quick snapper on goal. Set plays are predictable. It’s not as easy to plan against five skaters barreling through the neutral zone.
These would be big changes. The NHL has the perfect test lab in the AHL to see how they’d work.
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