Why is Petry Bad on the Power Play?

The defenseman's role on the PP breakout

Journalist Marc-Antoine Godin recently wrote about Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry and his eroding role on MTL’s power play.

Via The Athletic

Indeed, Petry has been bad for a very long time on the power play.

Among 35 NHL Ds who have played at least 400 minutes at 5v4 in the past four seasons, Petry’s unit ranks last in expected goals per hour and 26/35 in actual goals per hour.

It’s an odd result for a player who’s been elite at 5v5.

Via HockeyViz.com

There are two reasons why Petry has been a net negative for MTL on the man advantage:

• He frequently shoots from low-percentage areas

• He add no value on the PP breakout

The first problem (Petry blasting long-range shots) is actually not too big a deal, as MTL26 is a high-end finisher and has allowed his teams to out-perform its paltry expected goals total.

The second problem is much more serious. When Petry is on the ice, MTL often winds up playing 4v4 because of his uninspired transitional passing. This prevents MTL from setting up in the OZ and frequently results in cleared pucks that wind up back in Petry’s hands.

Let’s look at a few examples from a recent game vs. the St. Louis Blues.