Watching the Vancouver Canucks’ power play was, at times, extremely painful last season. Compared to the smooth zone entries and barrage of shots let loose by other, better teams, the Canucks’ power plays consisted of predictable entry maneuvers, too much passing, and, of course, not enough scoring.
Any successful power play not only needs a proper quarterback to get the play started and a lot of fluid puck movement, but it also needs to remain fresh and creative. Teams watch a crazy amount of video these days. Power-play units can no longer succeed simply by continuously rolling out old strategies that once worked really well.