Since there is not a single piece of drama going on in Devils-land, not a single thing, nope not one, I thought I’d talk about the power play. As you will come to discover I am an enthusiast of sexy goals on the man advantage. I was also called a power play specialist (derogatory) when I played.
The Most Dangerous Unit In All The Land
It’s no secret (if it is, surprise?) that the power play carried us offensively most of last season, and we would have been in a world of trouble had it not been as good as it was. Unlike the year prior it was elite from wire to wire, staying above 30% through December until settling in at 28% and 3rd overall after. The bulk of that was from the PP1 unit since they got roughly 80% of the power play time (compared Nico/Bratt PP TOI to Tatar/Palat).
Jeremy Colliton kept the units mostly the same from 23/24, and maintained the groups throughout the year, only making injury replacements when needed. I think it really speaks volumes about the structure and philosophy that they didn’t really miss a beat when Dougie and Jack went down. The result was one of the most dangerous PPs of the past 20 years: since 08-09 there have only been 3 teams to maintain double digit xG/60: the Devils in 24-25, Florida in 23-24, and Edmonton in 22-23.
So, as we approach 25/26 let’s revisit the good times for funsies.
The Sling Shot
First, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite breakout/zone entry – the slingshot. This is when Dougie/Luke carry it to the neutral zone and drop to Jack with speed. Based on a not-very-thorough analysis of complaints this was at the top amongst the fanbase. So I wanted to explain why it is effective.
The D carrying up will meet the pressure from the first PKer, as the rest of the opposition starts to back off. The drop pass forces them to re-gap, causing a speed differential. Jack then has a read-option with Bratt driving up the middle and Nico/Noesen out wide for further distribution. The point is to take advantage of having an extra guy out there and creating a mini- 2 on 1 on to enter the zone.
If you’re a real sicko like me, or a coach, or a nerd, I would recommend checking out Steve Peters discussing the slingshot (about 1:05 it really gets into it).
The reason every team uses some variation of the slingshot – it is the most efficient at allowing for in-zone set up and better use of time. Here is an example of this working to perfection:
Dougie executes this drop pass very well and has good instincts where that first PKer is pressuring. As you can see in the clip, he had already backed the off the PK forward and dropped it off when it starts. He tends to make this pass at or around the blueline in response to the first PKer pressuring. Luke, on the other hand … has to work on it. He gets way too far through the neutral zone, well past the first PKer – so much so that he has to turn to avoid a turnover to that player. I’m not sure if he forgets until he gets too far or is just too fast and chaotic, but he needs to develop better instincts about the first PK pressure and drop it earlier. I vividly recall Luke being about a foot into the O-zone before he turned to drop it back on a zone entry late last season (source: trust me, bro).
In-Zone Structure
The base formation that basically every team uses is a 1-3-1, give or take, and the Devils are no different:
The difference between the Devils unit and most other, less potent units, was the motion that Colliton implemented. Most teams will stay more static, and look to feed one or two different types of plays, like Ovechkin’s one timer. If I were to venture a guess, they took a page out of Edmonton’s book where McDavid kinda does whatever he wants. If there is anyone who thinks the game like McDavid, it’s Jack. This motion obviously adds layers of confusion and draws PK units out of their structure and stretches.
In the clip below, You will see Noesen pop out to the bumper (more on that below) and Jack and Dougie switch spots. Coyle on Boston gets completely lost covering Noesen, leaving a seam for Bratt to hit Dougie for a one time. Gorgeous.
Personnel: Timo Time
Another favorite subject amongst Devils fans is the power play deployment of Timo Meier – after his March run, we seem to have forgotten he was swapped for Noesen early in the season. That change turned out to be the right move, but unfortunately sacrificed Timo to the the 20%ers on PP2.
One of the main reasons for this switch was simply because of handedness. Aside from adding a little more motion and freelancing, Colliton’s PP emphasized more down low, 3-on-2s and 2-on-1s with play running through Jack and Bratt on the flanks – designed to capitalize on their respective skillsets as facilitators. Nico/Noesen rotated in and out of the bumper/net front providing a low outlet for the flanks and one-timer options in the bumper.
With 4 lefty forwards, a one-time threat from the bumper is eliminated when attacking from the right flank. Further, the top of the PK can cheat to Dougie since the bumper isn’t a threat. Here is an Noesen one-timer from the bumper showing just this.
Attacking from the left flank (usually Jack), Noesen gives a low outlet with his forehand on the outside. This allows them to avoid a game of catch up top between Jack, Dougie and Bratt and the guy 3 rows back screaming “SHOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!” Nico gives them a one-time threat in the bumper on this side as well. The simple switch of a righty for a lefty gave the Devils several more options and the ability to attack from both sides. Not sure if you noticed but Noesen and Nico had 25 PP goals combined, about 40% of our team total. Dat’s a lot, and was largely because of the philosophical change to down low play and the Noesen for Timo swap.
The other option would be to move Timo into the right flank spot on the 1st unit as a shooter, like below.
This would shift Bratt to the 2nd unit where he can cosplay Jack. I really don’t see why they would do this as it would require philosophical changes to the 1st unit (which was wildly successful, see above) and Bratt’s production would likely suffer – 38% of his points and 45% of his assists came on the PP.
The only other forward personnel change I can see happening starting the year would be Mercer and Noesen swapping units, this happened at the end of last year when Noesen’s scoring dried up.
Personnel: Dougie vs Luke
Who should be the PP1 QB starting in 25-26 (assuming Luke is employed)?
In my opinion, Dougie should be manning the point to start the season: he still has the shot threat, still is clearly better at the slingshot, and we had the #1 PP while he was running point. Dougie led the entire league in nearly every chance generation metric, some in with pretty wide margins. With him on the ice the power play was generating nearly 2 full xG per 60 more than the next closest defenseman in the league while ranking 5th in actual goal generation rate per 60. Luke certainly showed he can step in if need be as evidenced by his end of season run in March and April – amassing 10 of his 18 points on the PP in and generating just over 10 xG per 60 during that time. The PP certainly filled their diaper every opportunity they got in the playoffs, but Dougie was clearly playing on one leg with an already bad matchup against a high pressure PK, which was our bugaboo.
Tweaks I’d Like to See for 25/26
I would love to see them mix in a few more variations on the slingshot, let Luke run wild a few times – similar to his goal against Colombus (This wasn’t a power play, but it rocks and I watch it sometimes late at night to feel something). Another variation that Peters mentioned is catching the defenseman napping and hitting the F1 cutting across the blue line on a quick strike stretch pass. If there was anything to nitpick on the Devils power play, adding in some more optionality on this zone entry would keep opposing PKs more honest and could help get through some more aggressive pressure-based units (Carolina, for example).
I’d also like to see that 2nd unit get more than 20% of the time now that we have better complimentary players and give a little bit of a different look. The PP1 unit can remain focused on driving mismatches down low, while PP2 can focus more on Luke walking the line and feeding Timo, Grits and Dadonov. Luke still has to clean up his entry reads and can be a bit of a chaos goblin up top, so giving that unit more time incrementally can help him develop those elements.
All that being said – in Colliton we trust. Getting closer kiddos, what do you think? Any major personnel changes you think should happen? Anything structurally you didn’t like?
LGD