Bit of a slow morning in NHL news, so for no particular reason here’s a ranking of the league’s combined power play and penalty kill rates. Obviously, the higher the number the better.
Notes:
--- Pittsburgh has the league’s best power play and No. 2-ranked penalty kill. That the Pens are dangerous with the man advantage is no surprise, but the PK is a different story. Last season, it finished 25th (79.6%).
--- Vancouver has the league’s best PK, the only one above 90 percent. The power play has been coming on as well. The Canucks have scored at least a goal with the man advantage in nine of their last 11 games and are 6-for-20 during their current seven-game winning streak.
--- Chicago has the 29th-ranked PK, which doesn’t exactly mesh with its 24-7-5 record. In fact, only the Senators, Leafs, and Islanders have given up more power-play goals (30) than the defending Cup champs (28). Of course, when you’re as good as the Blackhawks are 5-on-5 and with the man advantage, it’s less of a concern.