The Vancouver Canucks have gone three for twelve with the man advantage through the first four games against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Vancouver Canucks have gone three for twelve with the man advantage through the first four games against the Edmonton Oilers.
Through the first four games of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks power play has been a mess. They have gone three for twelve and have only generated 12 shots in 18:10 with the man advantage. From failed entries to poor passes, the problematic power play is once again costing the Canucks games and needs to be fixed if Vancouver wants to win the series.
When looking at the analytics, the glaring issue is that the Canucks can not generate high-danger chances. According to Natural Stat Trick, Vancouver has generated five high-danger chances, with two resulting in goals. In comparison, the Oilers, in 15:49 of power play time, have 14 high-danger chances but, thanks to some incredible play by Artūrs Šilovs, only have two goals.
One way the Canucks can generate more chances is through movement. Since Vancouver's players are often stationary when they don't have the puck, it allows Edmonton's penalty killers to position themselves and either intercept passes or pressure players into creating turnovers. Whether it is the puck carrier or puck receiver, constant movement can cause players to get out of position, which in turn opens up shooting lanes.
As for the shot issue, the Canucks need to be less picky with their shot selection. Even a simple shot can find its way to the back of the net or at least create a rebound for another player to pounce on. While blasting one-timers is effective, finding ways to test whoever is in the net for Edmonton four to five times per power play will yield better results in the long term.
Ultimately, Vancouver's issues on the power play come down to their stars not producing. J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser have combined for three shots, while Elias Pettersson, who does have a goal, has only hit the net once. In short, something needs to change quickly; otherwise, the power play's inability to score could be one of the significant factors in why the Canucks don't advance past the second round.
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