The New York Rangers haven’t been scoring much on the powerplay. This is pretty impressive, considering last year they had one of the best powerplays. It seems impossible that it turned to crap overnight, but here we are. Clearly a lot of this has to do with Mika Zibanejad’s struggles. It’s tough to blame the injuries, since PP1 was generally unaffected until Panarin’s leave of absence. Clearly something is amiss, and when Panarin returns, it needs addressing. Alexis Lafreniere may be that answer for the powerplay.
Handedness Matters
This isn’t a new issue. In December 2019, I wrote about how four righties on the powerplay isn’t good for long-term success.