Canadiens Power Play Worryingly Inefficient

The Montreal Canadiens are struggling so far this season, and their anemic power play is a big part of the problem. So far, the man-advantage has a 7.7% success rate; it has found the back of the net only once in 13 opportunities.

Ivan Demidov’s absence is of course part of the problem. The Russian winger is a magician with the puck and has fantastic chemistry with Lane Hutson, so losing him was a big blow. However, the Canadiens still have five strong players in their top unit. Cole Caufield is an elite sniper and had 11 power-play goals last season, and Juraj Slafkovsky scored 15 of his 30 goals on the power play last year. As for captain Nick Suzuki, 43 of his 101 points came on the man advantage, while power-play quarterback Lane Hutson had 20 points on the power play.

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Yes, those numbers were put up playing alongside Demidov, but this offseason, the Habs signed free agent Chris Kreider, who had 17 points and eight goals on the power play last season with the Anaheim Ducks. He’s a good man-advantage unit; he’s not Demidov, though. He can’t create space and thread the needle when it's time to make a cross-zone pass. He does have other skills, though, and more specifically, he’s excellent at tipping pucks.

The Habs seek shot quality over quantity, looking for the perfect play, and when you have highly skilled players, that can work, but with Kreider replacing Demidov on the first unit, they need to change that philosophy. Whenever Kreider is in his office, in front of the net, the players should be in a “fire at will” mood. It doesn’t matter if the goalie is in good position; if the power forward tips the puck just right, it will beat the goaltender just like Alex Kerfoot beat Jacob Fowler on Tuesday night. And if it doesn’t go in, there might be a close rebound that Kreider, Caufield, or Slafkovsky will be in great position to put in.

Demidov’s absence is a big blow to the Canadiens, but they can make up for it by playing in a way that suits their new weapon. The Detroit Red Wings have the fourth-worst power play in the league; the Habs must exploit that on Saturday night.

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