This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
Hot Power Plays
Anaheim Ducks
The best part about playing the 33-year-old Ryan Getzlaf on the power play is that he can stay in one spot and be effective. His playmaking ability remains elite, and after going 0-for-12 in mid-October, the Ducks went 1-for-3 in consecutive games. The biggest criticism of Getzlaf is that he doesn't use his shot often enough, but that's changed a bit this season; he's averaging 2.7 shots and 4.7 shot attempts per game, putting him on pace for 207 shots and 361 shot attempts, both which would be near career highs.
Minnesota Wild
After going 0-for-7 to start the season, the Wild power play has come alive with five goals in their last 17 opportunities (29.4 percent), putting them back in the middle of the pack. Mikael Granlund, in particular, has been excellent with four of his last six points coming on the power play, including two against the Oilers when they went a perfect 3-for-3. Ryan Suter and Eric Staal also pitched in with two power-play points each that night. This is about as good as it gets for the Wild, who don't have an elite offensive star, but there's no denying their power play is red-hot at the moment and catching up on squandered opportunities.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Predators snapped the Lightning's streak of scoring at least one power-play goal in six consecutive games on Thursday and the Habs shut them out again on Saturday, but that streak shouldn't last long
Hot Power Plays
Anaheim Ducks
The best part about playing the 33-year-old Ryan Getzlaf on the power play is that he can stay in one spot and be effective. His playmaking ability remains elite, and after going 0-for-12 in mid-October, the Ducks went 1-for-3 in consecutive games. The biggest criticism of Getzlaf is that he doesn't use his shot often enough, but that's changed a bit this season; he's averaging 2.7 shots and 4.7 shot attempts per game, putting him on pace for 207 shots and 361 shot attempts, both which would be near career highs.
Minnesota Wild
After going 0-for-7 to start the season, the Wild power play has come alive with five goals in their last 17 opportunities (29.4 percent), putting them back in the middle of the pack. Mikael Granlund, in particular, has been excellent with four of his last six points coming on the power play, including two against the Oilers when they went a perfect 3-for-3. Ryan Suter and Eric Staal also pitched in with two power-play points each that night. This is about as good as it gets for the Wild, who don't have an elite offensive star, but there's no denying their power play is red-hot at the moment and catching up on squandered opportunities.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Predators snapped the Lightning's streak of scoring at least one power-play goal in six consecutive games on Thursday and the Habs shut them out again on Saturday, but that streak shouldn't last long with a group that converts 26.1 percent of its chances. The Lightning power play has propelled them to a lot of wins this season with 11 goals, fourth most in the league. Ryan McDonagh is a huge downgrade from Victor Hedman, but since Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov are the primary playmakers and shooters, their power play shouldn't lose a ton of effectiveness. In fact, it's McDonagh's fantasy value that should get a big boost, having notched his first power-play point of the season last Tuesday against the Devils.
Winnipeg Jets
Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien had four points each on the power play entering Saturday, and three of Patrik Laine's four goals scored in the two-game Global Series also occurred during the man advantage. The Jets now rank second in the league with 14 power-play goals in 42 chances for a 33.3 percent conversion rate, and they're just one of six teams that have yet to allow a shorthanded goal. It's no coincidence that Laine's outburst has made the Jets power play much more efficient, and it should be one of the best units in the league after a slow start.
Cold Power Plays
Carolina Hurricanes
This should come to no surprise, but after taking the league by storm the Hurricanes have settled down, losing four straight games and going 0-for-9 on the power play against the Coyotes and Knights. One look at that power-play personnel and you'll understand why it's struggling; not only has Rod Brind'Amour spread out the talent, there's a good argument that the second unit with Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton is actually better. As talented as Valentin Zykov may be, he hasn't earned nor shown the ability to play on the top unit, and having Michael Ferland and Justin Williams, both players with limited offensive upside and mobility, doesn't make it easier for Sebastian Aho. With games against the Blues and Blackhawks' mediocre penalty killing units, it's a good time for the first unit to start cranking out some goals, otherwise Brind'Amour might want to rethink his deployment.
Edmonton Oilers
How could a power play anchored by three lottery picks score just twice on their last 18 power plays? The Oilers have seven wins in their last 10 games, but their power play is 14th at 21.7 percent and trending down. The good news is that in past years Connor McDavid has scored the majority of his points at even strength, but the bad news is that in Todd McLellan's three seasons behind the bench, the Oilers power play has ranked 18th, fifth and 31st. Until Milan Lucic becomes the dominant net-front force he once was and Peter Chiarelli finds a quality power-play quarterback, expect the Oilers power play to be more miss than hit, especially given their level of talent.
Montreal Canadiens
It's bad – the Habs have gone five consecutive games without scoring on the power play, a 0-for-15 streak that has dropped them to 25th in the league. Even with Shea Weber, the Habs power play just doesn't have enough elite talent to be a nightly threat, and the six goals they scored against the Caps on Thursday was misleading because Braden Holtby couldn't catch a puck to save his life. One of the problems with this power play unit is that Petry is the best shooter, and in the current NHL, shots from the point just aren't as effective as they once were.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks power play ranks 16th, which isn't terrible, but certainly not good with the type of talent they can put on the ice. They're 0-for-7 in their last three games, and Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns now quarterback different units. It's not a huge concern at the moment, but if Peter DeBoer can't figure out a way to maximize both Burns and Karlsson, then their big home-run swing might only yield a double or a triple. It's a tough schedule coming up with four games, and two opponents have top-10 penalty killing units: the Wild (5th) and the Stars (6th).
