Why the Chicago Blackhawks Power-Play Unit Must Step Up in 2014-15

The Chicago Blackhawks power play did not show up for the preseason.

Head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant coach Kevin Dineen wanted all areas of the team to get up to speed in the team's exhibition games, and that included the Blackhawks' play with the man advantage. However, this part of the game was basically nonexistent as the Blackhawks went 1-of-22 with the man advantage in six preseason games.

They didn't score until Patrick Kane put the puck in the net in the team's preseason finale against the New York Rangers.

Quenneville has not been overly worried about this issue, mainly because the Blackhawks put out one of the most talented teams in the league on the ice on an every-night basis.

However, a group that includes Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook has often gone through long stretches when the power play has been disappointing or unproductive.

Chicago's power play ranked 10th in the league last year (out of 30 teams), and the Blackhawks had the seventh-ranked power play in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Both of those figures were quite ordinary, especially compared to the team's talent level and their skill at possessing the puck. But those numbers represented a huge improvement over the Blackhawks' power-play showing in their championship season of 2012-13.

The Blackhawks ranked 19th that year during the regular season, and they were even worse during their brilliant run in the playoffs. They ranked 13th out of the 16 teams.

So, while Quenneville may not voice his concerns, it almost certainly causes him quite a bit of discomfort. This should be an area where his players show off their skills, whip the puck around and put the puck in the net with regularity.

The big issue seems to be shooting the puck. The power-play units regularly throw the biscuit around with elan, but they often seem to hold on to the puck and spend too much time looking for the perfect shot.

If you don't shoot it, you can't score.

Quenneville addressed this issue after the Blackhawks played a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens Oct. 1. “We were looking for too many stick-to-stick plays and too many perfect plays we didn’t shoot the puck on the power play,” Quenneville told CSNChicago's Tracey Myers. “We could’ve gotten more momentum off it.”

While the power play has had its share of problems, the penalty killing has often been superb. During the preseason, the Blackhawks kept opponents from scoring on 20-of-21 man-advantage opportunities. 

The Blackhawks regularly kill penalties because they are well-positioned, and they react quickly to what the opposing power play does. 

But when they have the power play, they don't seem to rely on instincts very much. They pass the puck, pass the puck and pass it some more.

The Blackhawks have been good enough to win consistently over the past five years even when their power play has not been superlative. However, in the brutally tough Western Conference, it's hard to see them emerging if all aspects of their game are not functioning well.

There is simply too much talent on teams like Los Angeles, Anaheim, St. Louis and perhaps Minnesota to believe that the Blackhawks can win if their power play is not functioning at a high level.

Quenneville and Dineen have Kane, Toews and Andrew Shaw up front on the first power-play unit with Keith and Sharp manning the points. The second power-play grouping includes Hossa, Brandon Saad and Bryan Bickell up front with Seabrook and newcomer Brad Richards manning the points.

Richards has played the point on the power play regularly throughout his career. It's one of the reasons the Blackhawks signed him as a free agent during the summer. 

Richards told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times that he knows he has to help the team rid itself of its pass-first mentality with the man advantage. 

“It doesn’t matter how fancy you want to get, shooting the puck is always the No. 1 recipe for a good power play,” Richards said. “You can’t be on the perimeter the whole power play, you’ll just kill it off yourself. You have to have a shooting mentality.”

If Richards can help his teammates get that same message, the Blackhawks have a chance to step up on the power play and become one of the dominant teams in the NHL in that area.

An improved power play would go a long way toward helping the Blackhawks fulfill their potential and become a championship team once again in 2014-15.