Historically, the Florida Panthers have struggled to produce on the power play. From 2013 to 2016, they’ve converted on 14.4 percent of their 793 chances. That’s the worst total in the league, even worse than the “intentionally tanking for two straight seasons” Buffalo Sabres.

Early in 2016-2017, the Panthers power play did not look good. Through the first three games, they earned eight power-play opportunities and converted on none of them. They only took 13 unblocked shot attempts, and have only gotten seven of those on goal; averaging less than one shot on goal per power play is not a recipe for success.

A lot of the team’s problems on the man advantage were quite noticeable, and it was obvious that changes need to be made to the system.

The power play finally hit pay dirt last night against the Washington Capitals, converting on 1 of 4 chances and generating 11 unblocked shot attempts (six shots on goal).

So what changed? Here’s a breakdown of the before and after of the Panthers power play, and why the new look is much more dangerous than what the team was utilizing at the start of the season.

Breakout and Zone Entries

In the first three games, the Panthers liked to keep their breakouts simple, with the wings coming down low to support the puck carrier. One or two quick passes gave the forwards speed to attack the blue line with, and they often used their creativity to create chances on the rush.

Here’s Reilly Smith breaking in, making a move, and getting a shot off from the high slot. He puts the puck over the net but showcases his speed and skill getting into the zone.

Here, Denis Malgin makes a move around the defender, and then feeds the puck into the slot; Smith just misses on the chance.

Though breaking the puck out of the defensive zone and gaining the offensive zone wasn’t an issue for the Panthers, they added another wrinkle to their breakout that helps make the zone entries more effective. Instead of relying on one-on-one skill, there’s an actual structure in place that the Panthers use to gain the blue line, which may reduce the number of rush chances, but increase the number of chances overall.

Here’s a clear example. The Capitals passively give the Panthers access to the neutral zone, and the team sets up for a drop pass. The forward takes the drop pass, makes use of the open ice, and finds an open wing, who enters the zone.

Note how the wingers wait for Ekblad to push the forecheckers back to the blue line. Jonathan Marchessault (81) actually stops and waits for the drop pass before picking up speed, which results in the timing on the play being just right and the puck ending up in the offensive zone.

Betting on offensive players to get into the zone using creativity isn’t a bad idea when it comes to zone entries, but only relying on offensive skill alone prevents the power play from working as a unit. Adding the structured breakout leads to more structured entries, and lets the unit flourish as a whole.

Getting into formation

Entering the zone with speed and attempting to generate a scoring chance on the rush can result in some scoring chances, but can also result in the power play never really finding time to get set up in the offensive zone.

The more structured entry has resulted in the Panthers getting into formation quicker, helping them create more chances as a result of power play pressure, instead of just quick rushes.

Here’s an example from the first three games. Yandle enters the zone, but the team around him never gets set up. He tries to force the play into the middle, and the puck is turned over.

Now, the team gets into formation much quicker, and the power play unit can start their plays much quicker. Here’s an example from the game against the Capitals, where we can see a zone entry lead directly to a power play formation, and chances being created.

After entering the zone, the Panthers establish puck control. Aaron Ekblad gets the puck to Keith Yandle, then immediately sprints to his position in the formation. After a couple of quick, lateral passes, Ekblad is open for a one-timed chance. The whole sequence takes about eight seconds.

In formation

During the first three games of the season, the Panthers seemed to have no clear direction on the power play. Instead of setting up, passing the puck, and looking for quick, lateral passes that could open up shooting lanes, they simply were content with throwing the puck on net.

Here’s an example of quick and unnecessary shooting. The Panthers win the faceoff, and have a chance to set up in the offensive zone. Instead, Ekblad takes a slap shot that goes directly into a defender’s pad, and the puck ends up being cleared out of the zone.

They also repeatedly handcuffed their teammates, as the forwards simply focused on getting to the front of the net, instead of getting open. In this example, note how both Panthers forwards drift towards Ekblad, apparently trying to get open for a tip. They don’t create any passing lanes, and simply force Ekblad to make a bad play with the puck.

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It seemed the coaching staff was insistent on having skaters play on the wrong hand, as well. Instead of playing on the off-wing, in order to improve shooting angles and introduce the possibility of a one-timer, the Panthers’ skaters would intentionally put themselves in awkward positions, and hurt their chances of creating offense.

In the example below, the defensemen start off on the wrong hand, but the forwards at least start off on the right hand. Incredibly, though, they switch sides, intentionally, and handicap themselves.

Even if the team managed to get set up, then, they failed to generate quality shots because players weren’t playing on the right hand, and because there was very little movement into passing lanes. Instead of popping out, and becoming an option for the puck carrier, players were simply content with standing in front of the net. It’s how you end up only generating low-quality shots like the one in the example below.

The Panthers gain the zone effectively enough and set up rather quickly. After two quick passes, however, Marchessault is left with no options to pass to, and little space to work with. His only option is a low-quality shot, which Jaromir Jagr does recover.

There’s nowhere for him to go with the puck, though, and a nice read by the defenseman on the penalty kill results in a turnover and an icing.

This screenshot really shows just how lacking the Panthers power play in the first three games of the season. There’s really nowhere for Marchessault to go with the puck.

Yandle is out of the frame, and Jagr is covered by the second penalty killing winger. Both Panthers in front of the net aren’t passing options.

Ideally, Jagr would be lower on the half-boards, and available for a one-timer. There would also be a forward in the high slot as a one-timer option and a forward off to the side of the net to provide a passing option down low.

Last night, the Panthers rectified all of the glaring issues with their power play. Here’s a look at Jagr’s power play goal from the night, which shows the improvements made all across the board.

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The Panthers break the puck out of the zone and utilize a unique drop pass in order to gain the zone. They set up into formation rather quickly, and forwards start popping out to provide the defensemen with options.

The majority of the skaters are on their off-wing, giving them better shooting angles and making them dangerous due to the possibility of a one-timer. After a number of passes, the puck gets worked down low, where the Panthers have a numbers advantage. The penalty kill is scrambling, and Jagr gets lost in coverage. He sneaks into the slot, one-times a pass, and scores.

The puck movement on the power play drastically improved because players started making themselves options for the puck carrier. The in-formation play of the team drastically improved, and the overall improvements made on zone entries and getting into formation result in a much-improved power play.

Though this was only one game, the results were encouraging. If the Panthers can keep up the power play success, and convert on close to 20 percent of their chances this season, their special teams will be a force to be reckoned with and will provide a needed boost to an already strong even strength team.