What Is a power play in hockey?
A power play in hockey represents a team’s best chance to score a goal. Powerplays are awarded to a team that is the victim of a penalty committed by the opposing team. A referee can call a penalty for a variety of reasons, including high-sticking, tripping, cross-checking, and more.
The player who commits the penalty is removed from the ice surface and placed in the penalty box for either two minutes or five minutes depending on the severity of the penalty called. This means that the other team receives a power play for the same amount of time. The most common power play in hockey is two minutes long, which is plenty of time for a team to build a specific power play system designed to maximize their chances of scoring a goal.
Hockey is normally played with five skaters and one goalie per side, which is referred to in shorthand as 5on5 (the goalie’s position is assumed). So, when one team is penalized, it means the other team receives a 5 on 4 power play.
Any player can be penalized, including a team’s goalie. When a goalie receives a penalty, one player who was on the ice at the time of the infraction must serve the penalty. A second player can also receive a penalty during the ensuing power play, which results in a 5 on 3 power play.
If the team on the power play fails to score during the two minute or five minute penalty, then the penalized player returns to the ice from the penalty box while play is in action. If the team successfully scores a power play goal, the whistle blows and the penalized player is allowed to return to the bench.
What are the benefits of having an effective power play?
Most hockey leagues have parity among their teams, which means they’re competitive. At 5on5, most teams in any given league will be closely matched in skill. Of course there are stronger teams and weaker teams, but hockey is a sport that involves ten skaters and two goalies, so it’s a difficult game to play. Scoring goals and generating offence is challenging, and as such the average final score of many hockey games is 3 to 2, or 2 to 1. Compared to other sports, it’s relatively low scoring.
That changes drastically, however, when one player is removed from the ice during a power play. From a young age hockey players are taught to pass the puck to an open teammate. During a power play, someone will always be open. It’s nearly impossible for a penalty killer to defend against more than one player at a time. An effective power play means hockey teams can count on their ability to score a goal during the two or five minute window. Of course they won’t score every single time, but having an effective, confident power play that’s above average or elite in any given hockey league will drastically increase a team’s chances of scoring more goals than the other team and ultimately winning more games.
How can you choose the right power play for your team?
The right power play for your team depends on a lot of factors. As a coach, it’s important to choose a power play formation that you’re comfortable with. Many coaches, hockey and otherwise, played their sport at one point or another, but previous playing experience is not a prerequisite to running an effective power play in hockey. Developing a strong understanding of the system and its strengths is important so the coach and their team can think quickly and maximize their chances of scoring a goal.
The second factor is also crucial and combined with a suitable formation can make all the difference: the specific skill-set of the players who play on the power play. Specific formations require specific skill-sets. For example, a formation that aims to set up a player with a blistering slapshot requires a player with a blistering slapshot. Every coach wants the most skilled players, that’s why those players are spread out amongst different teams in each league.
The best power plays in hockey involve players with different skill sets. If every player had an excellent wrist shot, but none were particularly advanced passers, then the puck wouldn’t move throughout the players on the power play efficiently, and it would be easier for the penalty killers to defend. Any power play formation within a given system can always fluctuate between creative (complicated) and structured (simple).
Choosing your team’s power play formation comes down to analyzing the players available, which takes time, often an entire season, and developing a system that suits their abilities as well as the coach’s knowledge of that system.
What types of power play formations are there in hockey?
Power plays in the National Hockey League often utilize elements of various power play formations, though some are known to stick to what they know and do best. For teams who use various methods, the result is starting in one formation and advancing to another. This makes teams unpredictable and difficult for the penalty killers to defend. An example of this would be combining the umbrella power play with the 1-3-1 formation. Teams can use the umbrella lineup on one side of the ice while a player on their off-wing lines up in the 1-3-1 on the other side. Teams who tend to stick to a static system often do so because they have a special player or two who are so elite at their given skill that it’s nearly impossible to defend, so movement isn’t required. The five most common power play formations in hockey are:
