For Blackhawks' struggling power play, more practice isn't necessarily a solution

Blackhawks' Struggling Power Play Fails to Find Solution Through Practice Alone

The Chicago Blackhawks' power play is facing its toughest test yet, as a 10-game scoring drought has left the team reeling. With their last goal coming on January 9th, they've fallen from seventh in the league to 19th with a dismal 19.4% conversion rate.

However, simply increasing practice sessions won't be enough to boost the unit's performance. The Blackhawks' superb penalty kill, which boasts an impressive 85.3% kill rate, poses a significant challenge. But that's not the only hurdle facing the power play - their system is unorthodox and doesn't offer much in terms of practice options.

Coach Jeff Blashill has considered creating a scout-team penalty kill to simulate what his team will face on the ice. However, he hasn't yet implemented this idea due to concerns about overemphasizing defensive techniques that might be detrimental to the power play's overall strategy.

Instead, the coaching staff opted for a modified practice routine, where units broke out with minimal resistance before introducing penalty killers in subsequent drills. This approach aims to focus on the power play's inability to generate scoring opportunities off faceoffs and into the zone.

The Blackhawks' struggles with faceoff wins are well-documented, with their 47.6% power-play faceoff percentage ranking 30th in the league. However, they've shown signs of improvement since Connor Bedard joined the top unit on January 9th. The addition has led to a slight increase in shot attempts and scoring chances during power play opportunities.

Despite the encouraging trends, the team remains stuck at goal-scoring drought stage. "Stick with it," says Bedard, emphasizing that patience will be key to breaking out of this slump. However, as the Blackhawks continue to struggle, their lack of breakthroughs raises questions about whether practice alone can revitalize their power play and propel them back into contention.

man its like theyre stuck in neutral the blackhawks have been strugglin for weeks now and i dont think more practicess gonna help much their powrplay unit is all over the place lol 19.4% convesion rate is like woah thats so bad even teams with worse powerplls are doin better

I feel for those Blackhawks players . A 10-game scoring drought is a long time and it's frustrating when you're not seeing the results on the ice. I think Coach Blashill is trying to be too clever with his practice routine, trying to simulate every possible scenario, but it's just not working out right now. What if they just focus on making one thing better? Like getting more faceoff wins or something?

I mean, have you seen the Hawks' power play lately? They're stuck in neutral like a 2000 Honda Civic . I get it, coach Jeff Blashill's trying to mix things up, but it's just not working. The team needs more than just practice sessions to break out of this slump. We all know the Hawks have some great talent on offense, especially with Connor Bedard back in the lineup , but something's gotta give. Maybe they need to tweak their system or add some new drills that actually help them capitalize on scoring chances? As it stands, I'm not holding my breath waiting for a goal anytime soon .

Wow the Chicago Blackhawks' power play is really struggling right now! Interesting how they're trying different practices like scout-team penalty kill but it's not seeming to work .

Ugh I'm literally so frustrated watching these Blackhawks! They're like, totally stuck in neutral with that power play . I mean, I get it, Coach Blashill's trying to work around those penalty kills, but it's just not working out. 10-game scoring drought? That's just crazy talk! And don't even get me started on their faceoff struggles... 47.6% is like, what?!

But seriously, can they PLEASE just find a solution already?! I'm tired of seeing those units break out and then nothing happens. It's like they're not even trying anymore . And what's with Connor Bedard saying to "stick with it"? Like, we get it, kid, you're trying to be positive, but COME ON! We need some actual progress here .

I swear, I'd rather watch paint dry than sit through another one of these lackluster power play performances . Can't they just pick it up and run with it for once?! It's like they're running out of ideas over there .

they need to think outside the box, maybe get creative with drills or scenarios that mimic real game situations... too much repetition is not gonna cut it, gotta shake things up a bit

Ugh, another team stuck in a power play rut . I mean, I get it, 10-game scoring drought is no joke. But Coach Blashill's trying some fancy stuff with the scout-team penalty kill, which is cool, but we all know practice isn't gonna magically fix this. These guys need actual game time and decent faceoff wins (47.6%? really?) to get things going . Adding Connor Bedard to the mix was a good start, but if they can't even break out of this slump now... it's getting old . Can we just fast forward to a power play revival already?

Ugh, can't they just change up the system already?! They've been trying these fancy drills for ages and nothing's working... This is getting old, dude! I mean, I get it, practice alone ain't gonna cut it, but what else can you do? They're stuck in this rut, and it's like watching paint dry. Even with Connor Bedard on board, they still can't seem to break out of it... 19th in the league, for crying out loud!