Power Play Renaissance Led By Unexpected Anchor

RALEIGH, N.C. - On Dec. 2, the Carolina Hurricanes were 16-7-2 and right near the top of the Metropolitan Division - a familiar place for them to be.

Working through injury after injury, the wins continued to stack, but Rod Brind'Amour said there was "another level" for his team to get to. An area that glaringly needed to find its footing was the power play, which had converted on just 13.7% of its tries.

Sitting 30th in the NHL - with only the New York Islanders (13.2%) and Los Angeles Kings (12.9%) coming in lower - there had been personnel changes to the groupings, but nothing that found consistent success.

When dissecting what had to be different, the should-be Hall of Famer and former star center didn't have to look very far outside of his wheelhouse.

Although in all situations, the team was right near the middle of the pack in terms of faceoff percentage (49.8% - 17th, NHL), the man advantage had won just 47.6% of their power-play faceoffs (28th, NHL). Problematic because not starting with possession often leads to a dump to the other end of the ice and at least 20 seconds of the two-minute opportunity wasted, Brind'Amour knew his team needed to start with the puck more.

To rectify their problem, he turned to one of the game's most consistent centers in the last 20 years - his captain, Jordan Staal.

More commonly known as a defensive wizard who receives votes for the Selke Trophy each season and excels on the other half of special teams, the 37-year-old was eager for an opportunity he hadn't had in years.

"I had enough guys chirping me, but obviously, you're excited," he started. "It's an opportunity, and in this league and in this life, it's all about opportunities. You want to make the best of them. I remember the first practice [back on the power play] and being really nervous, for the first time in as long as I've played."

Staal had been on the man advantage more frequently earlier in his career, but the opportunity was very limited over the last few seasons. Operating in the role very infrequently over the last three seasons, the moment was not lost on him.

"I just wanted to do the right thing and hopefully get the opportunity to show myself in a game. It was some nervousness and some excitement, and you don't get that too often," Staal continued.

With Sebastian Aho, the center prior to Staal's integration, remaining on the top unit, it allowed the elder statesman to be overly aggressive in the dot as well. Tossed out by the linesman? No problem, Aho can still step in as the next option.

Jitters be damned, the veteran wasted little time making an impact.

Staal's natural talent on draws prevailed early, going 50% or greater on power-play faceoffs in seven of his first eight games in the role. That, in turn, spurred one of the storylines of the season so far - an extreme turnaround that's taken the man advantage from the basement to knocking on the door of the league's top 10.

Since the captain's first game in the role, Carolina has scored 28 power-play goals (28-for-103 - 27.2%), second-most among all NHL teams during that time.

"He's been incredible. That's a big reason, I think, why our power play's doing as well as it has been," Seth Jarvis said. "Starting with the puck and letting us run our plays gives us a chance to kind of score right away."

"When you can snap 'em back, you can run your plays," Rod Brind'Amour reasoned. "That's kind of what we were alluding to earlier in the year when we put him out there. We were kind of missing that. You've seen it, really, since he's been in there; there've been a lot of occasions where that's happened... He's been very effective."

In addition to Staal's excellence in the dot, his frame, listed at a perhaps short-changing 6-foot-4, 220 lbs., has also added an element to the man advantage.

Taking away the goaltender's line of sight is something every team tries to do, yet an area that the group hadn't always had. Credit to players like Jarvis for always displaying a willingness to go to the front of the net; however, at a smaller 5-foot-10, 180 lbs., attempting to fight through a screen set by a player at least six inches taller and 40 pounds heavier is a bit more of a challenge.

And when the goaltender can't see an oncoming shot, the likelihood of a good thing happening skyrockets.

"You need some traffic. You need the ability to create second chances and bounces. Then, you start seeing the opening, and things start changing," Staal explained. "I think the original threat has to be shooting, then the rest kind of starts to open up. When you start trying to pass the puck around, and guys are trying to create something out of nothing, (goals) can happen, but I think there's much more of a threat when you know you're shooting first and creating plays after."

Dating back to their first game in December, Staal's first contest on the man advantage, Carolina has had nine goals come via tip-in, including a flawlessly executed one by Staal against Los Angeles on Feb. 1.

While Staal's impact is at the forefront of the power play's about-face, there have, of course, been other factors that have helped.

"Good puck movement and getting the puck to the net. It's very direct," Shayne Gostisbehere highlighted. "It's not looking for the pretty play, but sometimes the pretty play is there. Being direct, getting the puck (to the net), and getting to the dirty areas (are key). A lot of goals are scored in the blue paint, with a good net-front presence. Those big guys in front, Staalsy, Svechy, have set good screens led directly to goals."

Some of it simply boils down to good health as well.

Gostisbehere has been bothered by a nagging lower-body injury for most of the season, yet has made a major impact when he's in the lineup. His five power play goals are tied for fifth among all NHL defensemen this season, even with 17 missed games.

"We're putting it all together, and we're getting good results. Before, people think we struggled, but we were getting chances every night," the point-producing blueliner said. "We're getting some bounces too, and that really helps. Those go over into the total picture. I think, for us, it's just bearing down, paying attention to the details, taking what they give us, and keep going."

With all of that considered, though, the easy point-to-turnaround moment for the club was the unconventional inclusion of Staal.

"I've sensed that the power play has turned around, whether it's myself or not. Eventually, with the talent that we have in this room, it was going to click at some point," the captain gracefully deferred the credit. "Magically, I got my foot in the door when it did. Getting in the offensive zone is the biggest thing, and that's what I'm trying to help with. I want to win the faceoff right off the bat and create some offense right off the bat. I think we've capitalized on a few and we've gotten a lot of opportunities. The more pressure you have on teams, the harder it feels. Everything little thing counts [on the power play], and I'm just trying to be a little piece of it."