Fixing the Montreal Canadiens power play is a matter of mentality
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens are winning games but their power play is in shambles, and it may take a few short alterations to get it going.
A power play is a short portion of any hockey game, but one that can be a deal breaker. Sometimes a team finds themselves down a couple of goals and capitalizing on a man advantage opportunity can drive the momentum in their favour triggering a comeback in the game which brings us to the Montreal Canadiens.
The team managed to end their five-game losing streak by defeating the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday and again Thursday night. Considering the Senators have the second-worst penalty kill in the league at 72.2%, you’d think the Habs would use this set of games to get their power play going. But that wasn’t the case.
Including their loss to the San Jose Sharks, Montreal hasn’t scored on their last seven power play opportunities despite having Shea Weber, a known PP beast, back in the lineup. This slump has brought their success rate to 13.6% holding the team to the 29th spot in the NHL behind the offensively challenged Los Angeles Kings (14.0%) and ahead of the new age Chicago Blackhawks team (11.6%) they beat on Sunday.
Luckily the Montreal Canadiens have their scoring in order at 5v5. They’ve managed to score 15 even strength goals in the last four games while being held to no two or less during the majority of the slump. However, the lack of production on the power play can come up to bite them down the line.
The Habs are still in a wild card spot but have other teams close behind in the hunt. A power play goal could be the difference between two points or none, and the coaching staff needs to find a way to sort out the struggles and turn things around.