How to Attack the Net on a Power Play in Ice Hockey

Special teams play in ice hockey often provides the difference between winning and losing, particularly in the playoffs. Scoring on the power play often provides a team with a huge boost of confidence, while failing to put the puck in the net while skating with a man advantage often leads to finger-pointing and a loss of team harmony for failing when the team had a significant edge. Having a numerical edge in the number of players would seem to be a significant edge, but if a team does not have a cogent gameplan during that situation it will not be able to score with that advantage very often.

Instructions

1. Get the puck back to your defenseman at the point. In a typical power play set up, the center will be in front of the net and the two wings will be to either side, while the defensemen will be standing just inside the blue line where they will be waiting to receive the puck from one of the forwards. The defensemen will have a clear view of the attack zone and see who is open and whether or not they have a clear lane to shoot. If a defenseman sees an open wing or that the center is in a position to create a solid scoring opportunity he will pass the puck. Otherwise he can shoot.

2. When the left wing has the puck along the boards and has clear possession, he should skate toward the lower corner. As he moves with the puck on his forehand, the right wing moves to the slot area--between the two faceoff circles. The center moves to the far corner of the net. The left wing can send the puck back to the defenseman at the left point, to the right wing in the slot or feed a pass to the center at the edge of the goal. The best pass is to the right wing in the slot. If it is an accurate pass, the right wing can catch the puck and release it in the same motion forcing the goaltender to come up with a superb save if he is going to keep the puck out of the net. If he does, the center should be right there for the rebound.

3. Understand how your opponent will defend the power play. They will form a box with the four skaters on the ice. They will attempt to prevent you from getting a good shot in the slot area with that box. However, good skating and excellent puck movement will open holes in the box. If the skaters at the top of the box are too close to the defensemen at the point, one of the two wing players should be able to find an opening in the slot or the goal crease. If the defenders are playing lower down and forming a tighter box, the point men or the wings should be able to blast away from the outside and either score or create great rebound opportunities.

4. Make sure your center is fully involved with the puck every chance he can get. If neither the defensemen nor the wings have clear shooting opportunities, get the puck to the center behind the goalline. He should have the opportunity to create an open shot for a teammate by drawing a defenseman out of the box. The center should be adept at changing direction quickly, accelerating, stopping and passing accurately. If he has the puck in one of the corners he can skate toward the back of the net and fire a quick, short pass to one of the wings right in front of the net or continue to carry it around the back of the net and cut quickly in front. As he does this, he can shoot himself on a "wraparound" attempt. This is often successful when the center puts on a burst of speed and the goalie comes to the conclusion that a pass is at hand. As a result, he "forgets" that the center can go from passer to shooter in the blink of an eye.

5. Watch videotape of successful power play units and realize that the key to drawing your opponent out of the box defense is excellent puck movement. The more you pass the puck around the ice, the more likely your opponent is to lose concentration and give up the box defense. The wings will need to be able to shoot the puck quickly while the center has to be able to make sharp decisions and handle the puck crisply.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice passing the puck with teammates at least 15 minutes every day. Crisp, short passes create more scoring opportunities on the power play than anything else and will usually draw the opponent out of the box defense.