Breaking Down the Crosby Powerplay

Added by Mike Colligan on March 24, 2012.

Sidney Crosby reminds me of Mario Lemieux at age 35.

That’s not an insult.  Probably not a compliment to the 24-year-old Crosby either.  It’s reality.
When Lemieux came out of retirement in 2000, he was a different player.  He could no longer physically dominate opponents with his reach, deceptive speed, and 6-foot-4 frame.  He had to combine what was left of those talents with his exceptional hockey IQ.

Lemieux stayed out of the high-traffic areas in an effort to save his body and became an elite playmaker.  (Goals made up over 40% of his points pre-retirement; after 2000 that dropped to 33%).

The Penguins powerplay allows Crosby and Malkin to co-exist (Icon SMI)

Crosby has made a similar transition.  THW’s James Conley suggested last week that Crosby should consider the perimeter style of play if he wants to stay healthy long-term.  Through five games, that’s exactly the Crosby we’ve seen.

He’s had a number of great scoring chances that haven’t resulted in goals, but his playmaking has stood out the most, as evidenced by his nine assists.  Conley also pointed out that coach Dan Bylsma has surrounded Crosby with the right personnel to make this transition easier.
Crosby has spent most of his even strength shifts with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy, two wingers capable of winning battles along the boards and doing the dirty work.  Bylsma has also moved Crosby to the point on the powerplay which allows him to stay out of the corners and utilize his playmaking abilities.

That switch answered one of the biggest questions surrounding Crosby’s most recent return: Can Crosby and Evgeni Malkin co-exist on the powerplay?

Since the 2008-09 season, the Penguins’ powerplay has routinely been in the bottom 10 of the NHL.  Minnesota Wild coach and former Penguins assistant coach Mike Yeo, who was responsible for the Penguins’ powerplay, was chased out of town by fans who believed Crosby + Malkin should equal domination. That simple equation hasn’t always happened for a number of physical and psychological reasons.

First, Crosby and Malkin are both left-handed.  More often than not, they tend to drift to the same areas of the ice and get in each others way (Jaromir Jagr‘s concern over the same dynamic was accurate, in my opinion)

They’re also proud players.  When Crosby and Malkin have been in the same lineup together – a rare occurrence in recent seasons – both players have insisted on having the powerplay run through them.  Many times the puck would go to Malkin, he would drift to the right halfwall where Crosby was already standing, and he’d hijack the system.  The notoriously unselfish Crosby would do the same thing.  This is one of the biggest challenges of coaching multiple superstars.

Bylsma was recently asked whether he ever considered splitting the two up, creating a 1A and 1B powerplay unit.  “Of course,” Bylsma said.  “We certainly explore all possibilities and opportunities out there. I think we’ve always felt, and strongly feel that having the best two players on the ice is the best thing to have success on our power play.”

What Bylsma didn’t say: Even the hint of Crosby or Malkin manning the ‘B’ unit would be an insult to both players.

So Bylsma made changes (with the help of assistant coach Tony Granato and his players, I suspect).  He took an inventory of the talents of his five best players:

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