• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Ottawa Senators

Fixing the Ottawa Senators Power Play

By Jacob Harris November 29th, 2017

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Ottawa Senators could blame a lot of things for their current six-game losing streak. Goalies Craig Anderson and Mike Condon have let in questionable goals at bad times, captain Erik Karlsson has struggled to put up the point totals he usually does, and Matt Duchene has just one goal since joining the team. However, one aspect of the team’s recent struggles has been particularly frustrating for fans—the power play.

The Senators finished last season with a 23rd-ranked power play but still managed to comfortably make the playoffs. The team continued to struggle with the man advantage in the postseason, though, with poor special teams being one of the reasons they lost in the third round.

This year, not much has changed for Ottawa’s power play. The team’s current success rate on the man advantage is 16.3%, which ranks 25th in the league. During this six-game skid, the Sens went 0-for-22 on the power play before Matt Duchene ended the drought on Saturday against the New York Islanders. The goal wasn’t just significant because it was Duchene’s first point with the team, but because the last time the Senators had scored on the power play, the same five-man unit was on the ice.

The Senators scored the game-winning goal in the second game of the NHL Global Series in Stockholm by icing their five best offensive players. The unit featured Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson on the points, with Derick Brassard, Mark Stone, and Matt Duchene forming a triangle in front of the net.

Spreading the Wealth

No matter who Sens coach Guy Boucher puts at forward, the team’s first power play almost always features Karlsson and Hoffman on the blueline. On the surface, this is a pretty logical combination. Karlsson is the team’s best passer, Hoffman is the team’s best shooter, and both players have enough speed to backcheck when an odd-man rush goes the other way. By putting Brassard and Stone with Duchene, the Sens have two forwards with tremendous chemistry in the middle of the offensive zone, and a proven goalscorer parked in front of the net. The Senators tried this unit twice in Sweden, with Mike Hoffman scoring nine seconds into their second shift together.

The team’s coaching staff has been reluctant to load up the top power play unit since then. Instead, Alex Burrows and Chris DiDomenico have been given some power play time to balance out the two units. While the DiDomenico experiment didn’t last very long, Burrows has been given pretty consistent power play time since he was traded to the Senators in February.  Burrows has shown ability in the past to be an effective net-front player who will screen the goalie and try to score on rebounds, making him a good fit in theory.

Alex Burrows

Alexandre Burrows (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

The Senators have tried a few different players in this role over the last few seasons. When Alex Chiasson was acquired from Dallas in 2014, both Paul MacLean and Dave Cameron gave him ice time on the man advantage. Cameron also got Chris Neil to screen the goalie on the power play from time to time. After Guy Boucher took over the team, he tried putting defenceman Dion Phaneuf in front of the net, and Phaneuf even managed to score some goals this way.

So far this season, Burrows has been Boucher’s go-to-guy when he wants a net-front presence. At 36 years old, though, Burrows’ offensive numbers have been on the decline as he only managed to score once on the power play last season. Two of Burrows’ three goals this year have been scored on the man advantage, but his power-play skill-set is still pretty limited.

The Duchene Factor

On Saturday, Matt Duchene was given the net-front assignment during a power play late in the third period. Eight seconds into the penalty, Duchene scored on the rebound after Stone was stopped by Jaroslav Halak. While we’re dealing with a pretty small sample size when breaking down this unit’s success, there’s still a lot to like here. The Senators have struggled to create traffic in front of the other team’s net, but on this goal, Brassard, Stone, and Duchene were all within a few feet of the crease in case the puck came loose.

Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard and Marc-Andre Fleury (Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Having five players with this much offensive ability on the ice at the same time looks like a slam dunk, but it appears that the Sens’ coaching staff only put this group together because they were in a must-score situation. While Boucher seems to favour a balanced approach, there is still potential for a competent second power-play unit that could feature Bobby Ryan, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Dzingel and Alex Burrows.

By putting Duchene in this net-front role, the Sens have more options on the power play than they do with Burrows. Duchene’s speed and strength on the puck make him a better fit for the first power play unit, he just might need some more practice with his new linemates.

There are many arguments for and against loading up the team’s first power-play unit but based on the Senators’ recent struggles, it’s worth giving their best offensive players some time together. In the NHL, teams live and die with their best players, so it’s time to give Ottawa’s top forwards a chance to turn things around.

  • Tags
  • Alex Burrows
  • Erik Karlsson
  • Guy Boucher
  • Matt Duchene
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 16th 6:10 PM
Hockey History

25 Best Senators’ Memories From 25 Years at Canadian Tire Centre

Jan 16th 6:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Prospects: Colangelo, Andersson, Drew & More

Jan 16th 5:50 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Need Taxi Squad to Drive Better Results in Net

Jan 16th 5:40 PM
Women's Hockey

Toronto Six 2021 Season Preview

Jan 16th 5:30 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets Have a lot of Options to Deal With Laine

Jan 16th 5:20 PM
Dallas Stars

Stars’ COVID-19 Cases Could Cost Them

Jan 16th 4:25 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Campbell, Andersen, Tavares & Robertson

Jan 16th 4:15 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning Look to Benefit From Week Off

Jan 16th 3:05 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Josh Anderson’s Canadiens Debut Should Make Marc Bergevin Proud

Jan 16th 2:55 PM
Other Leagues

OHL Would Benefit From 24-Game Season

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information