What is the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey is a formation designed to pressure opposing powerplays by anticipating routes and forcing mistakes. The Wedge uses a triangle shape in the slot, or the middle area of the ice in front of the goalie, plus a fourth player who sweeps the area of the defensive zone above the top of the circles.
What are the benefits of using the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The benefits of an efficient Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey is the ability to force opposing players on the powerplay to travel in a predetermined direction when they’re carrying the puck. The Wedge portion, the triangle in the low slot, prevents dangerous scoring chances directly in front of the net, while the sweeping player above the circles directs the powerplay like an air traffic controller bringing an airplane in from the runway. This has the effect of reducing dangerous slot scoring chances while also creating predictability. If the Wedge does its job properly, the powerplay will be contained on one side of the defensive zone, thus making it easier to defend.
What are the disadvantages of using the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The disadvantage of the Wedge Penalty Kill occurs when the penalty killers encounter a highly skilled powerplay. The top player on the penalty kill, or the push-down player, directs the puck carrier to a high traffic area, but this maneuver also leaves the top player on the powerplay open. It’s a difficult pass for the puck carrier to make, but highly skilled players who are capable can make the penalty kill pay. The Wedge is also a difficult formation to maintain as it requires aggression and movement of all four penalty killers, thus it’s more susceptible to missed assignments or leaving players open for dangerous scoring chances.
What are the forward responsibilities for the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The primary job of the top forward, or the sweeper or push-down forward, is dictating the routes of the powerplay by sweeping across the top of the defensive zone to keep the powerplay formation on one side of the ice. This player must prevent the puck carrier from passing back across the ice to an open player. The second forward is stationed at the top of the triangle and is responsible for intercepting passes across the middle of the ice. This player generally stays in their position in the middle of the ice and plays more of a passive role than the sweeping forward, although the two forwards can switch positions occasionally during the penalty kill.
What are the defenseman responsibilities for the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The two defensemen on a Wedge Penalty Kill are responsible for covering powerplay forwards in front of and beside the net. This means they prevent passes from reaching those forwards and keeping the front of the net, or the low slot, clear of rebounds or dangerous scoring chances. The defensemen are also responsible for finding the puck in the corner or near the net after a shot and shooting it down the ice to relieve the pressure.
Which coaches use the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey well?
The Wedge Penalty Kill is popular for most teams in the National Hockey League as well as leagues in which players are comfortable following a slightly more complicated formation than a normal box or diamond. Coaches who use the Wedge have plenty of time to practice it and are adept at presenting challenges for their penalty killers to solve. The Wedge Penalty Kill has been widely adopted, but because the penalty killing team is still down one player, someone is always going to be open, so it’s important for coaches to understand that this formation is a perpetual work in progress, though it presents the best odds of killing a penalty without being scored against.
What skills or strengths does a team or player need to run the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
The most important skill a team requires to effectively deploy the Wedge Penalty Kill is teamwork and communication. A lot of this communication obviously occurs in games, but it’s important for penalty killers to consistently work on the Wedge Penalty Kill in practice as well. Each player needs to understand the roles of the other players on the penalty kill. If a player tries to do another player’s job, that will leave one, and likely two, players open, which is a recipe for disaster on the penalty kill. The Wedge takes time to master, and will never be perfected, but teams who embrace that challenge and understand why this formation is effective will experience the most success.
Which teams are the best examples that use the Wedge Penalty Kill in hockey?
Because this is a widely used formation at the NHL level, the metric chosen was all encompassing - simply the lowest goals against per 60 minutes of penalty kill time during the 2022/23 season.
Note: the per 60 metric is a ratio used to compare penalty kill effectiveness between teams who may not have spent the exact same amount of time on the penalty kill in a given season
Rankings from Natural Stat Trick
Boston Bruins
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
