A part of the Arizona Coyotes game that has really stood out to start the season is the team’s power play. Led by the first unit of Sean Durzi, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton, the Coyotes have thrived on the man advantage ranking sixth in power play goals with eight and seventh in power play percentage at 28.6%. Why is it that Arizona’s power play has been so successful through the beginning of this year? The Coyotes needed a defenceman that can run the point on the power play and Durzi is the perfect fit. He has a dangerous shot from the blueline, already scoring two goals on the man advantage. Sean Durzi spoke prior to the Coyotes game against the Kings Friday night. Durzi is also a strong skater which helps him be an effective quarterback on the power play leading to quality puck possession. Coach André Tourigny runs a perfect strategy with Keller at one of the red circles and Cooley at the other. This allows both these skilled forwards to have the puck on their stick for large parts of the power play where they have many available reads to go through. Keller and Cooley have shown to be incredible playmakers, being able to use their speed and puck handling abilities to find open teammates. Another strong aspect of Keller’s game that he has continued to put on display is his razer fast shot. The 25-year-old All-Star currently has two power play goals. At the bumper position, the Coyotes use Schmaltz who possesses a great scoring touch and also uses his size well when he needs to. In front of the net and behind the net, Hayton serves a lot of valuable traits that are not shown on the stat sheet. His ability to get into the dirty areas and fight for positioning in front of the net is something that should certainly not be overlooked. These five players have turned the Coyotes power play into one of the most lethal in the NHL and they should only continue to build upon it as the season progresses.
