[Mercogliano] Power play practice now, with the usual PP1 back intact- Fox, Zibanejad, Trocheck, Panarin and Kreider. Those changes didn’t last long… #NYR
Power play practice now, with the usual PP1 back intact- Fox, Zibanejad, Trocheck, Panarin and Kreider.
Those changes didn't last long… #NYR
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) February 14, 2024
by ShouniAishaKuma
14 Comments
[Bonus tweet](https://twitter.com/vzmercogliano/status/1757828553612407193)
Lavi on going back to usual PP1:
“The guys that took us to (No. 1 in the NHL) are the ones that should be out there… Those players are the guys that should be on the ice to try and make the difference. They’ve had a ton of success… We’ve got to get them back on track.”
#NYR
Our PP is fucking loaded and for some reason this past month they haven’t been able to do shit.
I understand that our powerplay was at the top of the league and has been very successful for awhile but we are 0 for our last 16 and 4 of the last 36. We swapped our pp for two powerplays before changing it back, something needs to change, you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
Either make a switch like we did last game and keep it and try and see what clicks or change our plan when we are on the powerplay. Our two most lethal powerplay parts were Mika shooting and kreider infront of the net and kreider barely gets used and Mika doesn’t shoot and attempts passes and when he does he doesn’t hit the net.
The PP is pretty frustrating, I understand it’s been successful for awhile but it’s pretty clear something needs to change.
Laf should be getting PP time. If he isn’t getting it now, not sure when he will ever get it.
Idk what you do to fix it beyond letting it work itself out of the slump. Kreider has to be there for net front. Mika has to work out his shot. Panarin and Fox can’t be taken off. Which leaves Trocheck, but the guy has chemistry with Panarin, wins faceoffs, and can play anywhere on the pp. If you take him off who’s better? Laf is a bit redundant with Bread/Fox. Wheels sucks. Cuylle or Kakko don’t make sense.
Laf has to be on pp1. I think switching the groups into 2 was a chance to get laf with bread and Troch without “demoting” anyone else because they split the two groups evenly. Mika has been down right BAD on the pp this season and maybe similar to how Igor needed quick to start a few games, Mika needs laf to take his place for a few games and see if he can get it back. But I’ve accepted no coach is ever going to demote kreids or Mika while they’re playing together.
Not that he doesn’t deserve to be there, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Laf on PP1 in place of Trocheck and put Tro on PP2
Hey Mika off PP1
I think they really just need to shoot the puck more and not get too pass happy. Also I think Mika needs to move around a bit more so he’s not just parked in that one spot. I don’t think we need to blow it all up and make a big change yet.
This place is fucking WILD. you don’t need to change PP1. They’re in a funk yes fine. But they’ve prolifically been a top 5 unit for YEARS, and consistently the opposing team doesn’t touch the puck for the full 2 minutes. Get a grip. Maybe give unit 2 more time but I don’t think you should do anything to the top unit.
The issues are some redundant pieces with Bread feeling he has to run the show but being a righty on the right side reduces his effectiveness.
Where they fall apart is when Mika or Tro are pressured with the puck as they don’t have great spatial awareness and usually cough it up or start a prolonged battle for possession that wastes valuable time.
Fox and Bread don’t look for Kreider net front as much and Mika rarely is cleanly getting off his one timer.
Sam Reinhardt has 23 PPgs from the bumper this season, maybe move Bread to left dot and put Mika in bumper with Laf at right dot, 20 in front, Fox up top and Tro on PP2
Let’s just hope it starts working again because I’ve legit been dreading our Power Play chances, as the other teams seem to get their momentum from killing them.
The weird thing with PP1 is that they always kept Mika in his office and if teams decided to focus on Mika they would put it in the middle to Trochek or throw it at Kreiders stick for a deflection.
But lately Mika leaves his spot if he gets defended and he’s basically useless anywhere else on the PP and the whole thing goes out of control. Panarin eventually wrists a shot hoping for the best. I don’t understand why they don’t go back to what was working.
Laffy should be on PP1. He’s playing harder than anyone else, and improving at an impressive clip.