Oilers aware of Canucks' potent power play

VANCOUVER -- The Canucks still have the League's best power play by a considerable margin.

After leading the League last season, Vancouver's man advantage is clicking at 25.7 percent this season, but their lead over second place Nashville (22.5) is shrinking, in part because the Canucks aren't getting enough chance to use their power play.

The Canucks didn't get a single chance with the extra attacker in last Wednesday's 4-2 win against Detroit, and the first of two against Calgary on Friday didn't come until late in the second period. Overall, Vancouver has just seven power plays in five games, and more than two just once in that span, when the Canucks went 2-for-3 against Minnesota.

Part of the problem is opposing teams know they can't afford a parade to the penalty box, a point driven home when it was quickly identified by Edmonton coach Tom Renney prior to the Oilers' road game against the Canucks on Monday night.

"We need to be real smart here -- do everything we can to stay out of the penalty box and still be firm and decisive in our own game," Renney said after the morning skate.

That would be nothing new to the Canucks.

"Teams know coming in they are going to have to stay away from the box," said Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin. "And when you have that during a long stretch, you don't get into the rhythm of getting out there and making plays, so that's been tough for us."

The last of chance may also be proof a potent power play is a weapon against opponents taking liberties, something the Canucks claimed when questions about a lack of glove-dropping toughness emerged after a few teams did during a recent road trip.

"I think teams realize that's one of our assets so maybe they are being a little bit more cautious," said Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa, adding the onus was on his team to do more to draw more penalties. "We've learned maybe we have to be a little bit grittier taking pucks to the net, making their defense turn and force teams to take penalties on us. Maybe the last few games we haven't really gone to the net as hard as we're capable of."