The Maple Leafs have struggled on the power play early this season, operating at just a 12.5 percent success rate.
Just shy of forty-eight hours after Easton Cowan scored his first NHL goal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the forward will find himself in a new position.
Not only did the 20-year-old remain on Toronto's second line on Monday morning ahead of their matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the young forward also took reps on the top power play unit, too.
Toronto's power play has had a challenging start to the year. Through 32 opportunities this season, the Maple Leafs have found the back of the net four times. That's a 12.5 percent success rate, putting them near the NHL's basement (29th to be exact) in that category.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube hopes that Cowan's experience and playmaking ability can help shift the Maple Leafs' power play in the right direction.
"We're not making enough plays," Berube said.
"But, we are shooting pucks. Like, I think we're top five in the league with shots-for and power plays and stuff, but we're not getting results. A lot of times, you've got to be able to make these plays, and (Cowan) really does see those plays. Like, in the bumper, going to the goal line, little rotation stuff, so hopefully that can trigger something and get some better looks in tighter."
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Maple Leafs are ranked 16th for shots/60 with 54.73. Toronto has drawn the third-least amount of penalties this season, alongside the New Jersey Devils, Seattle Kraken, and Carolina Hurricanes, with 32.
Coming off the top power play unit for Cowan is Matthew Knies, who's been a mainstay with that group since last season, when Toronto opted for a five-forward number-one unit. He's moved down to the second unit with Nick Robertson, Max Domi, Matias Maccelli, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Through nine games this season, Cowan has seen 9:26 of ice time on the power play. Despite this being his first season in the NHL, the young forward has plenty of experience on the man-advantage, being one of the top playmakers on the OHL's London Knights over the last few seasons.
This, of course, is a decent jump, but Cowan is going to rely on what's got himself to this league.
"I just got to use my hockey sense. Just relax," Cowan said. "I've been on the power play before, so just go out there and play and support everyone and try to score when we get a man advantage."
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