Fantasy Hockey Power Play Point Potential Rankings

Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin
Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin
March 2 2012Washington DC USA Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin 8 during the game against the New Jersey Devils at Verizon Center Evan Habeeb USA TODAY Sports

When you’re on the prowl looking for an edge heading into Fantasy Hockey season, look no further than Power Play Statistics. Get to know and love the below Power Point Potential Rankings like Jermey Roenick loves looking in the mirror and listening to himself sing.

It is important to realize that 22.4 percent of all the goals scored in 2013 were on the Power Play. The Washington Capitals scored over a third of their goals with the man advantage, a truly remarkable total. So, if you exploit favorable Power Play matchups, own players who log big Power Play minutes and take advantage of these Power Play Point Potential Rankings you’ll have a significant advantage on your competition.

Maximizing your team’s Power Play Point Potential has benefits in all Fantasy Hockey Formats. You get bonuses for Power Play Points in your Daily Games and Points Leagues, while Power Play Points are usually a category in all Head-to-Head and Rotisserie Leagues.

Don’t overlook that team’s are scoring – on average – over a fifth of their goals on the Power Play, which is also where you’re picking up a significant percentage of your Goals and Assists too. Henrik Zetterberg record 48 points last year and 23 of them came on the Power Play. Alex Ovechkin scored half his 32 goals with the man advantage. In a lot of Fantasy Hockey formats, Power Play Points carry significantly greater value than Even-Strength Points.

Furthermore, a significant percentage of Shots are registered on the Power Play – another category that you might not initially attribute to be Power Play relevant – but shouldn’t be overlooked. In fact, just shy of 15 percent of all shots on goal last season across the NHL came on the Power Play—which went to the tune of a league average of 4.06 Power Play Shots a game for each team.

So, I know what you’re thinking, targeting players who get Power Play minutes is obvious—but taking the strategy to the next level and finding the best Power Play units and worst Penalty Killing teams and then exploiting those matchups accordingly isn’t. Hockey is largely a fluid game and traditional matchup statistics that we find in Fantasy Baseball and Football don’t jive, but Power Play Point Potential Rankings provide a similar foundation to build upon.

The Power Play Point Potential Rankings are especially useful in Daily Games and Daily Lineup Leagues, where a favorable matchup can mean the difference between a coin flip lineup decision. Early last season, we saw the league’s highest ranked Power Play Point Potential Winnipeg Jets host the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was an obvious example of a great time to load up on Lightning. The Lightning went good for three Power Play Goals in the first period alone.

The opposite is true too, the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators remained at the bottom of the Power Play Point Potential Rankings all season. The two teams just didn’t allow many Power Play Goals and avoiding players who faced them was a wise choice throughout the season.

Does it always work?

No, it doesn’t, but using the Power Play Point Potential Rankings is a starting point and resource. With the considerable amount of scoring that takes place on the Power Play you shouldn’t sit back and just blindly set your lineups. No one is going to suggest  you shouldn’t use as much information as you can.

Explaining the Power Play Point Potential Rankings

I began developing the Rankings last season and they were adequate and served to be an excellent resource, but there were flaws which became apparent over the course of the season.

Firstly, I used Penalty Minutes per Game as a statistic in the equation, but that skewed a number of teams. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs had the most Fighting Major Penalties in the league last year, but also one of the best Penalty Killing units. So because of all the Fighting Majors they were smack dab in the middle of the rankings all season.

This season, instead of Penalty Minutes per Game, I’ll be using Time Shorthanded per Game.

Furthermore, last season I focused primarily on these rankings for matchup purposes, this season I’m going to add Power Play Statistics to provide an Offensive Power Play Point Potential Ranking. In this case, you’ll not only know which teams are the likeliest to give up a Power Play Goal, but also which teams are the most like to cash in on the opportunity.

Breaking down the Power Play Point Potential Rankings

Defensive Power Play Point Potential Rankings: Takes into account the time a team spends short-handed, their Penalty Kill percentage and Power Play Goals Against per 60 minutes.

Offensive Power Play Point Potential Rankings: Similarly, these rankings take into account the time a team spends on with the man advantage, their Power Play percentage and Power Play Goals For per 60 minutes.

It is worth noting two things here:

  • The times aren’t in Minutes and Seconds. They’re in Minutes and then to the hundredth of a minute.
  • The Power Play Goals Against and For per 60 Minutes do not include 5-3 Power Play goals.

Finally, for clarity, the higher the Defensive Power Play Point Potential Ranking, the more likely the team is to give up Power Play Goals. The higher the Offensive Power Play Point Potential Ranking the more likely the team is to score Power Play Goals.

Power Play Point Potential

 

Power Play Point Potential PDF Files

Offensive PPPP Rankings

Defensive PPPP Rankings

2013 Power Play Statistics

Power Play Point Potential Rankings: Where do we go from here?

This is the first edition of an eight part series that will get you accommodated with these rankings, changes in Power Play units across the league, players who benefit the most from their Power Play opportunities and finally a look at how goaltenders’ statistics are influenced with the Man Advantage.

Furthermore, you can expect a weekly update here at XN Sports, where changes in the Rankings will be analyzed, in addition to Power Play trends and personnel changes being highlighted. Keep checking back to give yourself a competitive advantage heading in and during the Fantasy Hockey season.

Don’t overlook the significance of Power Play Statistics and the trickle down effects across Fantasy Hockey categories. Cash in with your Daily Games’ Lineups and set your roster up for success in year long formats, but ultimately, take your Fantasy Hockey approach to another level. Remember, last year well over 20 percent of all goals are scored on the Power Play and over 25 percent of all assists take place with the Man Advantage, so ignore Power Play Statistics at your own peril.

author avatar
Neil Parker
Neil Parker wears the C for The Fake Hockey, in addition to contributing to The Fake Baseball and The Fake Football in more of a Timmy Try Hard role. You can also find my work at davidgonos.com, here on XN Sports and have just been fortunate to launch Fantasy Sport Locker Room. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');