Hockey Power Play Strategy

A well executed power play strategy in ice hockey means that every person on the ice knows their job, and executes their responsibilities as instructed. When a power play strategy works, it can result in many different scoring chances and maybe even a goal. When responsibilities are not attended to and there is a breakdown in coverage, then the power play could backfire and result in a short-handed goal against your team.

  1. The Point

    • There are three important locations in the offensive zone that need to be attended to during a power play--the point, the corners and the front of the net. The point is a singular word referring to the blue line in the offensive zone. Any player stationed along the blue line is playing the point. It is not always necessary to have defensemen on the point, but it is necessary to have the people with the best shots on your team at the point. If you are going to use forwards at the point, then make sure they understand how to fall back in defense if necessary. If someone playing the point needs to press into the play to keep the puck in the zone, then there needs to be someone moving to that player's position on the point to back up the player that moved into the zone. It is important that the players on the point shoot the puck toward the net as often as possible.

    The Corners

    • The corners on the power play are usually played by skill players with reliable hands. The players in the corner not only need to maintain possession of the puck, but they also need to be the ones that distribute the puck to the players on the point or the players in the front of the net. A safety valve for players that have nowhere else to play the puck is to play it around the boards and into the corner. The design is for the player taking that corner to get possession of the puck and put in into a scoring position.

    The Front of the Net

    • Being in front of the net on the power play is one of the most punishing positions in all of hockey. The players in front of the net position themselves so that they can screen the goaltender on shots coming in from the point, tip or deflect the shot from the point, be there to pick up any shot rebounds and put themselves in a position to score when the puck is in the corner. This is all done while the opposing defense is trying to move the person from the front of the net. There is a great deal of action in front of the net, but you must be prepared to absorb the punishment in order to maintain your position there.