McKenna: Analyzing the ingredients needed to effectively kill penalties
Is there an art to scoring shorthanded goals? Maybe. Reilly Smith and Roope Hintz would certainly know. They’re currently leading the NHL in shorthanded goals with two apiece.
Let’s take a deeper dive into why each player is having offensive success while their team is a man down.
Skating routes are so important when killing penalties and Smith’s first shorthanded goal of the year is a perfect example.
As the play moves around the boards, Smith is quickly recovering to the slot area. It’s important to regain that ice regardless of the situation, but when killing penalties, packing the middle has to happen. It’s non-negotiable. Keeping shots to the outside and preventing seam passes are critical.
What happens next is a really heads-up play from Smith. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon moves the puck from the half-wall to teammate J.T. Compher, whose feet are facing opposite of the Golden Knights’ goal. He’s not in a position to attack the net, which tells Smith he can be aggressive.
Smith already has an advantage on Compher; his route back through the middle is preventing the cross-ice pass option to Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen. When Compher begins to drift toward the blue line, it’s a chance for Smith to turn up ice. He knows Compher’s only real option is to move the puck to Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.
Smith is directing traffic. He’s forcing Compher to pass to Makar, who’s in a vulnerable position as the last line of Avalanche defense. There’s no one behind him. And Makar doesn’t have many options when the puck comes to him.
Part of being an effective penalty killer is knowing when to take calculated risks and it’s one of Smith’s strengths. He has great hockey sense and decides to attack, causing Makar to turn the puck over.
Even though Smith is at the end of his shift, he still has the presence of mind to protect the puck as he drives the net. He knows Compher is coming in hot behind him. Smith keeps grinding and finds a way to score. It’s smart, determined hockey.
No matter how structured a team’s penalty kill is, things inevitably go sideways. All it takes is one broken play or missed assignment. But penalty killing today is as much about speed and pressuring pucks as it is blocking shots and playing hard in front of the net.
At the start of the clip, Smith aggressively goes after Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jakub Voracek along the half-wall. He misses the puck and Voracek quickly spins up ice and passes to teammate Zach Werenski at the blue line.
Golden Knights forward Nic Roy takes a smart route up high, preventing Columbus from going d-to-d and forcing Werenski to pass back to Voracek, who sees a wide-open passing lane through the high slot.
NHL teams want to prevent this type of look if at all possible. It’s a good example of how one player getting slightly out of position can open up passing lanes that didn’t exist just moments before.
But watch Smith. Once he misses the check on Voracek, his feet get moving. He’s recovering back to the slot as quickly as possible and filling the lane that Roy previously occupied.
Once again, Smith’s hockey sense and work ethic put him in the right position to cause a turnover. He picks off the pass and goes in alone on Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, scoring just above the pad blocker side to tie the game at 2-2.
Sometimes scoring on the penalty kill is as simple as taking advantage of the situation. On this goal, the St. Louis Blues are at the end of a power play shift. They’re tired. And the Dallas Stars pounce.
St. Louis turns the puck over and Stars defenseman Esa Lindell plays it up the wall. He’s got teammate Michael Raffl in motion – with a step on Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich.
As soon as Buchnevich stumbles, it’s a green light for Raffl and eventual goal scorer Roope Hintz to take off. It’s a clean 2-on-1 break for the Stars. As he’s driving towards the net, Raffl quickly opens his stick blade to fake a shot, which freezes Blues rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich.
This quick bit of deception opens up a clean passing lane. Hintz one-times the puck from his off-wing – a difficult play and key to the goal. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington isn’t able to get over time – or seal the ice – because of the Finnish forward’s quick release.
Allowing a shorthanded goal is a gut punch. A power play should result in a goal – or at minimum – a change in momentum. Teams build off the scoring chances created on a power play.
One shorthanded goal against in a game is bad enough. But two? That’s not winning hockey. And it happened to the Blues twice in this game. And this time, it’s caused by a bad pinch by Blues defenseman Torey Krug.
Once again, it’s Roope Hintz scoring for the Stars on a feed from Michael Raffl.
What I find noteworthy is how the Stars move through the neutral zone. There’s a moment where it looks like Hintz is poised to pick up the puck, but instead chooses to cut back to middle ice and let Raffl take it.
It’s a smart play that spreads out the Stars attack. Had Hintz and Raffl both gone to the puck, it would have given Blues forward David Perron a chance to attack and snuff out any opportunity. But by driving to middle ice, Hintz is giving Raffl room to operate.
Although not a defenseman by trade, Perron actually does a nice job forcing Raffl to make a play. He slides and takes away the passing lane along the ice. But Raffl sees it early and sends a perfect saucer pass six inches above the ice to Hintz, who’s driving towards the far post.
This time, Hintz doesn’t release the puck immediately. He catches the pass, then a split-second later roofs it short-side on Binnington. That short delay – and closed stick blade – gave the Blues goaltender reason to believe Hintz might take the puck across the front of the crease and try to score on his backhand.
I think there’s a good chance Hintz had the same idea. But when he catches the pass from Raffl, his head is up. He can see space open on the short side and the Ace of Spades decides to take advantage of it.
Details, structure, game sense – it all matters on the penalty kill. But ultimately it comes down to compete level. Both of these players are willing to play hard, fast hockey in the defensive zone. They’ll block shots when necessary and jump into the play when warranted.
Reilly Smith has nine career shorthanded goals. Roope Hintz has four. It’s no surprise when you look at their intangibles. Smith is such a smart hockey player that he makes his own luck. Hintz can fly. And both can finish. I’d expect them to keep doing so.