EVERETT — They’re commonly referred to as special teams. But for the Everett Silvertips they’ve been anything but special.
Everett’s power play and penalty kill have been dreadful for much of the season, and they’re the primary reason why the Tips find themselves mired in a month-long slump.
Going into the weekend Everett ranked 20th out of 22 teams in the WHL on the penalty kill, and the Tips were dead last on the power play. Those problems are the primary reason why Everett has won just twice in its past 13 games. If the Tips want to turn things around, they need a dramatic reversal of fortunes on special teams.
“It’s something we have to focus on and we have to get better at to help our team be successful,” Everett associate head coach Jay Varady said.
This season the Tips have killed off just 74.3 percent of opposing team’s power plays. Meanwhile, they’ve converted just 11.8 percent of their chances with the advantage. Those rates combine for a 86.1-percent number, well short of the 100-percent mark that is a typical target for most hockey teams. The only other team in the league in the same ballpark as Everett is Moose Jaw, which is ranked 19th on the power play and 21st on the penalty kill for a combined percentage of 89.9. By comparison, Red Deer has the best combined number in the league at 111.9 percent.
Everett’s numbers, particularly on the power play, have been even more abysmal during the current 13-game lull. The penalty kill has been similarly ineffective at 74.1 percent. However, the power play converted just five times in 57 opportunities during that stretch, which equates to a paltry 8.8 percent.
Everett still rates as a solid team skating at even strength, outscoring opponents 29-27 while playing five-on-five or four-on-four. But the special teams discrepancy has the Tips sporting the worst winning percentage in the Western Conference.
Varady turned the finger toward himself for Everett’s special teams woes.
“I think special teams are a coach’s responsibility,” Varady said. “They’re my responsibility, even when Craig (Hartsburg, Everett’s head coach who’s recovering from heart surgery) is around. It’s a coach’s responsibility to develop a plan or change the plan when things aren’t going right, so a lot of it is my responsibility.
“One of the things we’ve talked about lately is not looking at where we are in the rankings, but taking it from a game-by-game basis,” Varady added. “Instead of dwelling on where we’re at in the league, we’re trying to be our very best game by game.”
The more immediate issue for the Tips is the power play. Everett’s 41 goals scored through 17 games are the fewest in the league. The Tips were shut out in each of their past two games and three times in the past eight, finding the net just 12 times in the process. The lack of production on the power play is the main culprit.
Everett’s power play just hasn’t generated quality scoring chances. Too often the Tips pass slowly and ineffectually around the perimeter, ending with a shot from outside that’s blocked by the first defender.
“We have to concentrate on getting some shots through,” Varady said. “We’re getting some shots from the point, but they’re getting blocked. When they do get through, like (in Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Red Deer), (Ryan) Murray hit the post. I think that would have helped change the momentum in the game.”
The Tips have begun trying different player combinations on the power play in an effort to solve the problem. Rookies Manraj Hayer and Taylor Cote received their first meaningful power-play time during Tuesday’s game. The Tips also practiced with three different forward combinations on the power play Thursday rather than the usual two.
The penalty kill hasn’t been as big an issue of late, in part because the Tips allowed just one power play in two of their past three games. However, the problems on the power play go back further than the past 13 games. Last season Everett somehow managed to finish tied for first in the conference despite ranking 19th in the league in penalty killing at 75.9 percent. Then in the playoffs an awful penalty-killing rate of 63.2 percent contributed to a first-round upset at the hands of Kelowna.
This season, much like last season, Everett has had difficulty putting opposing power plays under any pressure. Frequently teams are able to set up in the offensive zone and move the puck effectively with little opposition, resulting in either goals or long shifts for the penalty killers.
“Penalty killing is really about work,” Varady said. “It’s about work and being able to do things like clear pucks, win faceoffs and win battles along the boards. Those are the things that have to get done and it really goes back to work ethic.”
And if the Tips want to get the ship righted, their power play and penalty kill will have to return to being special.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
