Montreal Canadiens: The Power Play Needs an Adjustment
After watching the power play in the preseason and so far in the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens may want to make some small adjustments to it.
I can sense the eye rolls and the groans already. I know this is an extremely early claim to make considering the Montreal Canadiens just finished played their first game of the season Thursday night.
Because of all penalties called for the Habs, we had a chance to see how the power play looked in-game. The first unit used the 4-1 model with Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, Ales Hemsky, and Shea Weber. The second unit had Brendan Gallagher, Charles Hudon, Artturi Lehkonen, Victor Mete, and Mark Streit.
There was on obvious difference between this year’s and last year’s power play units. It was very fast and mobile as the players were making a lot of passes between each other. Sometimes too many but hey I’m not on the ice.
Related Story: Galchenyuk's Future
To be honest though, the second unit looked more dangerous. They got more shots through to the net and there were usually crowds formed in front with Gallagher trying to poke one in. However we’re not going to talk about the second unit right now. It’s the first unit that needs a change.
A Couple of Swaps
The way the first unit is situated is:
- Point: Weber
- Slot: Galchenyuk
- Walls: Pacioretty (right) and Drouin (left)
- Net: Hemsky
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Hemsky is not a good fit to be the net presence. For one, he was rarely in front of the net. I noticed that the 34-year-old would spend more time on the right side of the net (the same spot he made the pass to Pacioretty in the preseason). There were few times that he screened the goalie, and when a shot got into that area, there wouldn’t be as much urgency.
A solution would be to put Gallagher or Andrew Shaw there. They aren’t afraid to take a beating in front of the net, and if a puck gets close to them, they’ll do whatever it takes to try to make sure it crosses that line.
Another chance that could be made is in terms of the middle line of the diamond. Apparently the rationale for putting Galchenyuk in the slot was because of his quick hands. I think it might be better to make use of that one-timer by having him on the right side and have Pacioretty in the middle. We’ve seen how fast the Habs captain can get a shot off his stick so perhaps that would be a better option.
Next: Micahel McNiven as a Starting Goaltender
What are your thoughts on the power play? Should it be changed? Let us know what you think down below.