5 Principles of a Successful Hockey Power Play

• By Jackson Chlebowy

In the game of hockey, the Power Play can be a high-danger opportunity for your team to create scoring chances, shift momentum, and capitalize on your opponent's costly mistake. When one team has a player (or multiple players) in the penalty box, you are afforded a numerical advantage on the ice, typically for 2 minutes. An average power play typically scores at a 20% rate, meaning they will score on 1 of every 5 power plays.

You should prioritize teaching the basic principles of power play to give your team the best possible chance to capitalize on the man advantage. Practicing and perfecting your team's power play skills and habits will increase your power play effectiveness, and punish your opponents for their lack of discipline. 

What is a Power Play?

As you know, a power play occurs when a player(s) of the opposing team commits a penalty, leaving their unit shorthanded. A standard power play is 5-on-4, but can also be 5-on-3, or 4-on-3, depending on the infractions. This odd-man advantage affords players more time and space on the ice and gives your team a greater chance to control possession of the puck and sustain offensive zone pressure. 

Core Principles of the Power Play – Coach Nathan Leslie

Coach Nathan Leslie, a former professional European hockey player and professional coach takes a deep dive into the principles of a good hockey power play, as well as in-depth explanations and demonstrations of special teams tactics in his course ‘How to Play Hockey Module 5: Special Teams (PP, PK)’. Coach Leslie is the owner and director of Leslie Global Sports and has a focus on player and coach development. He hosts a variety of camps for both coaches and players around the globe, teaching players important skills and sharing tactics and game strategies with coaches.

Outwork and Outnumber the PK

In Hockey Power Play systems often vary in structure, but they all follow the same core principles to create scoring chances and to keep pressure on your opponent. The first is that you must outwork your opponents, despite having a numeric advantage. While it may feel like the power play is a good opportunity to slow down, move the puck around, and get easy chances on goal, this is not the reality. While there is more time and space because of the man advantage, this can easily be taken away by your opponent with an aggressive penalty kill. Players may swarm the puck, looking to create turnovers and alleviate pressure from their defensive zone. It takes hard work to protect the puck, get set up in your O-zone structure, and create credible scoring threats.

The next core principle is to outnumber your opponents. This can be done by properly supporting the puck when your team is in possession. Because of the man advantage, there will be more space available on the ice for your offensive players to receive passes or to be in a strong position to win a footrace to the puck if you are dispossessed. If your players are entering the zone, and being pressured by multiple defenders, there has to be open ice available to dump or pass the puck to where a teammate can collect it. If the killing unit is going to be that aggressive, they are bound to leave holes and weaknesses. 

If your team has been dispossessed, or there is a loose puck somewhere on the ice it is crucial that your team outnumbers the defense and attempts to maintain possession. The golden rule for loose pucks on the power play is to always have 1 more player on the puck than your opponent. This gives you the best chance to maintain possession and eliminate a clearing attempt. If more than 1 Penalty killer is battling for the puck, your team should always have 1 more attacker than your opponent. If 2 defenders are battling for the puck in the corner, the power play should have 3 players battling and trying to collect the puck once it comes loose. Tying back into the first principle, your power players must outwork the killers to keep the pressure on and create scoring chances.

Create 2-on-1 and Oddman situations

Similarly to properly supporting the puck, you always want your team to look for 2-on-1 situations and opportunities. This can easily be done with player positioning. You want your players to position themselves in a way where all players and passing lanes can't be covered. You want to stretch your opponents as thin and far as possible to create pockets of space and clear passing lanes to dangerous areas of the ice. These pockets can also create quick passing opportunities where players can quickly work the puck into the slot, or to a one-time shot for an easy scoring chance.

Looking to create triangles on the ice is a good way to ensure your team is creating 2-on-1 situations once they’ve set up in the offensive zone. In an odd-man situation, it is very unlikely that the defenders are capable of covering all available passing lanes in the triangle. The triangle will force opponents to respect the puck carrier and make them choose what they are going to cover. If they attack the puck, there are 2 players available for a pass. If they take away one player/passing lane, the puck carrier has time and space to find a shot or a more dangerous pass. Breaking down the power play into small, mini-man-advantages can be an effective way to break through the defense and score more goals.

On the power play, it is likely your team will have fast break opportunities up the ice. Losing the puck on a fast break is an easy way for defenders to kill time off of the power play forcing your unit to reset and regroup. While it might be tempting to try to take on a defender 1-on-1 for a highlight reel goal, it is far more effective off the rush to get into the zone and try to set up the power play for a more dangerous chance if you don't have the numbers. Instruct your players to get the puck below the hash marks, and to a safe spot on the ice if your team doesn’t have the advantage. This is often the perimeter or along the wall. Cutting back along the wall will give your power play a chance to get down the ice, and put the puck carrier in a good playmaking position. 

Take Smart Shots 

One of the most common problems power players face is knowing when to shoot the puck. Some are too patient with the puck, looking for the perfect scoring opportunity, while others shoot it at will just to get it on the net. A successful power play requires a balance between patience and aggression with the puck. 

The best power plays shoot with a purpose. Putting the puck on the net for the sake of getting a shot on goal is not an effective way to score goals and capitalize on the man advantage. The power play should look to take high-percentage shots on goal for the best chance of cashing in on the power play. For the power play, a high-percentage shot is one where the goalie is screened (or there is traffic in front of the net), out of position, or reacting to an unexpected pass or deflection on goal.

In this video from his course ‘Shooting & Scoring Series #3 with NHL Shooting Coach Tim Turk’,  Coach Tim Turk teaches players how to properly screen and shoot at a screened goaltender to score more goals. Coach Tim Turk is an NHL goal-scoring coach with 25 years of professional coaching experience. He has been a shooting, passing, and puck protection coach for the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lighting, Arizona Coyotes (Now Utah Hockey Club), and the Carolina Hurricanes.  

One of the best hockey shots is a screened one. Traffic in front of the net is a good way for the power play to disrupt the goalie's vision and increase the likelihood of a deflection or redirection. If the goalie cannot see the puck, it is much harder for them to follow and track it as it is cycled around the zone. Not only is this a good way to wear down the goaltender, but it also creates panic and confusion, making it more difficult for the goalie to make a save and control their rebounds. 

Shooting for rebounds is a very effective way to create scoring chances on the power play, especially if there is traffic in front of the net. A low and powerful shot intentionally aimed at the goalie's pads can create a scrum in front of the net where the puck can easily be shoveled in. The traffic in front will make it more difficult for the goaltender to effectively redirect rebounds to low-danger areas of the ice, making it an easy way for the power play to jump on a loose puck for a high-danger chance.

One of the hardest to save shots for a power play to take is the one-timer. One-time shots are an easy way to capitalize on defensive lapses by the killers, as it leaves them little time to react to the pass and shot. If a defender has left a passing lane open, the one-timer leaves little to no chance for that defender to recover or make an effort to block the shot. 

It is key for the one-time pass to get the goaltender moving. It is much easier for a goaltender to make a save on a one-time shot when the pass does not cover much ground. If the goaltender doesn’t have to adjust their positioning to make the save, it will be a relatively easy shot to save. To create movement from the goaltender, try making cross-ice passes, or passing in quick succession to force the goaltender to make quick decisions and cover as much ground as possible. 

Possess the Puck

One of the most fundamental aspects of the power play is gaining possession and control of the puck. It seems obvious that you’d want your team to control possession as long as possible when on the man advantage, but in practice it often does not happen. The goal of the power play should be to control and possess the puck for the duration of the penalty. Cycling the puck and moving around the defenders in search of scoring opportunities is one way to maintain possession and create pressure, but what about when you aren't set up in the offensive zone?

Coach Leslie explains his power play zone entry tactics, among other offensive zone tactics and strategies in his course ‘How to Play Hockey Module 4: Offensive Zone Tactics’. In this video, he explains how to enter the zone and maintain possession to best get the power play set up and under control.

Zone entries and the transition game are crucial in setting up the power play and creating scoring chances. When looking to enter the offensive zone, many teams will dump and chase – forechecking the outnumbered defenders and regaining possession to get the power play set up. While this can work and could lead to scoring chances, it is far from the ideal power play zone entry. When possible, your team should look to get a clean zone entry with the defenders backpedaling off of the blue line. This can easily be done by slowing down your neutral zone approach, swinging, and passing the puck to create movement in the defender. You want to force the killers to react to your offensive play, rather than initiate play. Keeping the killers on the back foot will give your power play a better chance to set up in the zone, or force the defenders to play aggressively leaving them vulnerable.

Turnovers can be extremely costly for your power play as they not only allow the killers to dump the puck and kill precious time, but it allows the killers to get a much-needed line change. Players need to make smart decisions and be patient, controlling the puck and waiting for high-danger chances to present themselves.

Dynamic Skating and Positioning

Once your team has gotten set up in the offensive zone it is tempting for players to get to their positions and maintain that position for the duration of the power play. While players need to understand power play positioning (positioning varies by tactic) they must not get too attached to one position or role on the power play. A stagnant power play is increasingly easy for penalty killers to defend. When a power play is too rigid it allows the penalty kill to take shape and position themselves in the passing lanes.

Constant movement – both with and without the puck – makes it much more difficult for the penalty kill to stay with their coverage assignments. Players frequently rotate and cycle with their teammates, and make cuts to open ice to keep the killers on their toes. Similarly, passes should be made quickly and accurately to move the defensive players. Allow the killers to attack and pressure the puck carrier, only to pass it off to a safer area of the ice.

Players have to be ready and capable of receiving and handling passes at awkward angles as the pressure of the penalty kill can make it difficult for perfect passes to be made. This frequent and frantic movement of the puck and players from position to position will inevitably create confusion and chaos for the penalty killers, opening up scoring chances and tiring out the killers for future chances.