Penalty Kill Aggression

Those who played hockey growing up know that a well-executed power-play only happens at the highest levels of the game. In youth leagues, in fact, the team that is killing the penalty often has an advantage. This is because while the one team scrambles to “settle things down” and “get everything set up,” the other team plays hard, loose, and free. For myself, I remember looking forward to killing penalties because it meant more ice and less passing.

Among the world’s best players, though, being a man down is supposed to be such a disadvantage that penalty-killers often think of one thing and one thing only: keeping the puck out of their net. Thus the strategy has long been to bunch in, block shots, and ice the puck immediately if given the chance. Coaches were also reluctant to employ their best offensive players to kill penalties; nobody wanted star players tiring themselves out or taking pucks to the ankles. 

Recently, though, we are witnessing an incredible change. Penalty-killers are becoming WAY more aggressive offensively. And the way they are doing it—consistently and instinctively—suggests that coaching staffs around the league are on board. What has allowed this shift in mindset? How do penalty-killers have the gall all of a sudden?

To me, the opportunity for a more aggressive approach has always been there—as the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense—but a few specific factors have helped make it happen: 

1. A more civil game. In part due to the changes following the 2004 lockout—changes which cracked down on the hooking, grabbing, and inteference that was stifling talent—we’ve seen the skill level of NHL players sky-rocket. As this article so eloquently describes, a guy like McDavid is only possible (at least in his full and present glorious form) because he played after the era of the big hit. Many of the subtleties of the game, which we at Along the Ice love to chronicle, aren't possible when your primary concern is having your head taken off. In the absence of such barbarity, a different set of skills matter, like puck possession. It's not much of a hyperbole to say that hockey used to be a somewhat classier and definitely colder version of "kill the carrier," but now that that's no longer the case, players feel much more comfortable with the puck on their stick. The league as a whole has taken more of a European turn in prioritizing possession rather than territory. This play by Nylander, for example, would have popped a blood vessel in the face of any coach in the 2000s. But now, holding onto the puck is in many instances considered a better play than dumping it in.
2. No room to spare. The above, combined with many other factors, has put skill at a premium. Teams can no longer afford to waste roster slots on guys who don't have talent. The goons are gone and even fourth liners have finishing skill. The league is just that competitive. As any backpackers out there will know, limited space means multi-use items are all the more valuable. GMs and coaches need players who can do a variety of things well. Thus defensemen with an offensive upside—or, in the case of Makar and Hughes, offensemen who can skate backward. Likewise, why not superstars that can kill penalties? They've probably been killing them all throughout youth hockey, so why not let them continue? Relatedly, if your best players can't kill penalties, then it's too easy to take them out of the game. Especially in the playoffs, when things can get chippy, a lesser-skilled team can try to turn the game into a parade to the penalty box, which sometimes means your best players sit for long stretches at a time.
3. Less defense on offense. Finally, we're seeing more 4-forward looks lately, and we've also seen the evolution of offensive defensemen, from the “old guard” of Letang and Karlsson, to the new guard of Makar and Hughes. While Makar and Hughes are also sound defensively, Letang and Karlsson were not—and still aren't—so I would wager that when they started manning the PP, often as the only defenseman out there, the opposition began smelling blood.

So let's have a look at what I mean by "PK aggression." A great example is this next video. Ten years ago, you would have NEVER seen the following: 

Not only do the Oilers take a puck deep in their own zone for an offensive stroll, but Nurse—a defenseman—is leading the charge. This can only happen if the penalty-killers have been given a major green light by the coaching staff.

Same thing with this next video. Watch how Cirelli gets on his horse from deep in his own zone. The only reason this eventually becomes a 2-1 is that he has an aggressive offensive mindset from the start: 

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Cirelli and Hagel are up to similar tricks in this next example. Again, notice that the situation is initially a 2-2, a set-up that penalty-killers of the past would not have even considered worthy of pressing. Yet Hagel and Cirelli, without blinking an eye, get to work on it. I mean, there is ZERO worry of turning the puck over. They are solely focused on making the Canucks pay:

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Alright, you say. I get that some tandems are doing this. But Cirelli and Hagel aren't really all-stars, are they? I mean, they’re kinda grimy forwards as it is, no? Next, I cue up this clip of Draisaitl. Note how Drais takes off like a cannon despite being—oh, I don't know, maybe 8-10 feet on the wrong side of Nelson. Honestly, it’s absurd he thought this would even work, but it did: 

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How about two guys currently in the top 10 in points connecting for a beauty late last year?  

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Ok, final one. In the beginning, watch how Ekblad jumps like a sprinter at the block. This quick reaction proves that he already has offense on the mind: 

I have many more clips, but I think you get the point. If we turn to the cold, hard numbers, we'll see that they confirm the eye test: 
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2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 seasons: .8 shorthanded goals scored per 60 minutes shorthanded

2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 seasons: .84

2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 seasons: 1

2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 seasons: .98

2022-23, 2023-24 (as of 12/15) seasons: 1.2

Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
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In short, hockey—like any game or sport—is constantly evolving. Action requires reaction. Much of the time, this back-and-forth is mental. It does not revolve around what players can do but what they think they should. For a long time it was taken for granted that two defensemen should be on the power-play. That defensemen, in general, should play defense. We saw those and other norms get busted, eventually paving the way for penalty-killers to become legitimate scoring threats.

Or, I should say “to become legitimate scoring threats again.” Many times, a new state of the game is a return to the old. Guess who has the most shorthanded goals of all time? That’s right, Wayne G. What about the most shorthanded goals in a season? Super Mario. This trend of shorthanded goals isn’t just taking us back to our youth hockey days. It’s taking us back in time.

Sincerely,
Josh