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Top Guns: Winnipeg Jets Best Power Players and Penalty Killers

Over the past three seasons, underlying numbers have increased greatly in understanding for the general public. At the same time, Winnipeg has enjoyed three seasons of the Jets second edition as a NHL franchise.

In this mini-series, Arctic Ice Hockey takes a look at how the Jets’ roster has performed in these metrics relative to each other in finding the best of the best. We also look at how new Jets Mathieu Perreault and T.J. Galiardi have performed in these numbers over the same time period.

In this edition, we look at the best power play producers and the best penalty killers who have played at least 100 minutes of 5v4 or 4v5 time in the past 3 seasons.

Power Play (5v4)

Player P/60 FF/20
Blake Wheeler 4.54 23.95
Bryan Little 3.39 23.94
Andrew Ladd 2.91 23.29
Evander Kane 2.41 22.71
Mark Scheifele 2.27 25.12
Mathieu Perreault 3.12 23.46

FF/20 is the team’s non-blocked shot volume per an 20 minutes of 5v4 time on ice, and best measurement of how the power play unit was performing in creating opportunities.

Thoughts:

* Wheeler is not only the Jets top point scorer in 5v5, but he is also the Jets best power play performer, and this is by a long shot. In fact, Wheeler is the only active Jet who falls in the NHL’s top 120 forwards. This makes him essentially the Jets only “true top unit” power play producing forward… but we all knew the Jets power play struggled.

* Little, Ladd, Kane, and Scheifele all fall in the 240 range (well just 4 spots outside for Scheifele), so they all seem like good secondary options.

* Perreault is not the elite producer in 5v4 situations like he is on 5v5. He is still however a great second unit option and placed 172nd in the NHL. (FYI: the sample was just over 290 players)

Penalty Killers (4v5)

Player Corsi% FA/20
Evander Kane 19.7% 22.66
Blake Wheeler 18.0% 19.93
Andrew Ladd 15.7% 22.46
Bryan Little 15.1% 23.93
Michael Frolik* 14.7% 20.40
Jim Slater 9.7% 25.62
T.J. Galiardi 13.8% 23.11

FA/20 is the team’s non-blocked shot volume per an 20 minutes of 5v4 time on ice, and best measurement of how the penalty kill performed in reducing chances against at the time.
*Frolik’s numbers are only for his 2013-14 season, due to being a newer addition to the Jets

Thoughts:

* Odd stats tangent: While non-blocked shots volume for has been the major driver of power play success and best predictor of future power play goals for, non-blocked shots against isn’t the best for penalty kill. Corsi% has been shown to be slightly better predictor of future success in predicting penalty kill goals against (with also the team’s goaltending skill level). While there is no proven reason why, my guess is it picks out the players willing and able to push the play into their opponents zone than merely dump and change it at first opportunity, which could potentially hurt the next unit’s chances against.

* Kane has been the Jets best penalty killer in terms of shot differentials and faired pretty well in terms of shot repression.

* The Jets have performed really well in terms of Corsi for the penalty kill. Kane (10th) and Wheeler (21st) both place in top 40 over the past 3 seasons, essentially placing them in top unit territory. Ladd (42nd), Little (50th), Galiardi (75th), and Frolik (78th) have all traditionally excelled in top 80, or second unit level, fashion.

* Slater’s numbers however leave much to be desired.

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