It starts with shots from the top. From the point.
And if you’re lucky, it ends with pucks inside the net.
That’s the way the power play is supposed to work but so far this season, it’s run aground, which is befuddling given the Flyers led preseason with a power play hovering at 34 percent efficiency.
Bottom line is, the Flyers are not getting enough point shots from their big guns at the points — Mark Streit on the first unit and Evgeny Medvedev on the second.
Over the past four games, including Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Buffalo (see game recap), the Flyers are 1 for 10 on the power play.
Streit has had one point shot in four games; Medvedev has had none. Right there, that’s a huge area of concern.
“I personally think the PP starts usually with everybody collapsing on the low plays and I think it’s good if you start from the top with shots,” Streit said. "Get them through and, eventually, things open up down low. I don’t have a lot of shots up top and that could be it.”
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Medvedev, who is still learning English but understands the concept here, agrees.
“The game, the problem is entering the [zone],” he said. “I’m not getting shots. Maybe today, I get more shots. One pass, two pass, then shoot.”
He didn’t.
Flyers coach Dave Hakstol doesn’t feel the power play needs much tinkering because the Flyers are getting shots and chances down low, but his own players say it’s probably time to change some of the “looks” the team is giving opponents because they’re seeing too much on video.
“We’ve had pretty much the same unit for the last four years,” Wayne Simmonds, who plants himself at the post on the power play, said. “Obviously, teams are starting to clamp down on certain things we like to do.
“It’s up to us to change it up and get some new looks in there. Get more movement or whatever it may be and figure this thing out.”
The Flyers went into Tuesday’s game against Buffalo ranked in the bottom third — 20th overall — on the power play at 16.7 percent efficiency.
Since 2007-08, the Flyers have been among the league’s top 10 power plays seven of eight years and finished among the top three on three occasions.
While it’s early to be alarmed, it’s also true their penalty kill is sagging. Given they are averaging 2.0 goals a game, the Flyers obviously need their power play to prop them up offensively.
Hakstol doesn’t quite see things the same way.
“On the power play side, I’d like to continue doing what we are doing,” Hakstol said. “Two or three power plays over last few games, we have been very effective. Take out the five-minutes power play in Boston and one or two others, I like what we are doing. Stay with it, stay confident. Once one goes in, a bunch will.”
The Flyers didn’t have a single shot during their five-minute power play in Boston, yet won the game on Claude Giroux’s power-play goal in overtime. They got lucky the five-minute man advantage didn’t come back to haunt them.
“G was in the box for two minutes and we mixed up the units,” Streit said. “But a lot of times, you tank after that. But we won the game. Everybody knew we did a horrible job of it.”
Hakstol doesn’t feel he needs to change anything on Joey Mullen’s power play.
“I think we have had a pretty small sample size so far,” he said. “If we weren’t generating opportunities, I would be concerned. We’re generating opportunities and I think right now our guys have to stay with it. Maybe get a little hungrier.”
Looks like the Flyers are already starving for a power-play goal.