The Wild Have Joined the Five-Forward Power Play Experiment

The Minnesota Wild made an unprecedented move last Friday when they deployed a five-forward powerplay unit for the first time. The Wild are the most recent team to try out the tactic, the newest innovation in the ever-evolving strategy of power play hockey.

For most of the NHL’s history, power plays functioned with two defenders like they do at even strength. When the Vancouver Canucks led the league in power play percentage in 2010-2011, their top unit consisted of Alex Edler and Christian Ehrhoff leading the extra-attacker unit. Fifteen years later, almost every team in the league employs a four-forwards and one-defenseman setup. 

The change could come at the perfect time for the Wild, who badly need a boost for their offense and special teams.

The Five-Forward Powerplay Revolution

While the four-forward setup has been standard for some time, teams have recently continued to push towards an even more all-out attack approach, with forwards filling all five power play positions. 

The Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens tried it with varying degrees of success in 2022. At one point in the 2021-22 season, Florida had amassed 28:53 of five-forward power play time, scoring six goals and conceding one short-handed goal. The Canadiens ran their unit for 13:11 and had one goal for and against.

Since then, more teams have tinkered with the idea; this year's Toronto Maple Leafs is the most recent team to do so with consistency. The Leafs have gone more in on this idea than any team, deploying their unit of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares for 74:24 of total ice time this season. That unit faced some struggles early in the season, but in recent weeks, it has exploded. Since the trade deadline, Toronto’s top power play unit has been the most efficient in the NHL, scoring 8.5 goals per 20 minutes.

In total, that Leafs unit has scored 18 goals this season while conceding two goals against. Toronto's consistent success with its five-forward power play has proven that the strategy can be viable for teams with the right personnel and need for innovation on their power play. 

Special Teams In Need Of Change

If any team needs to change their fortunes on special teams, it's the Minnesota Wild. Whenever Minnesota is in a rut, their horrible injury luck is the most common factor discussed. While the Wild's injuries hamper the team, their special teams are also a massive culprit in their struggles.

Even with the Wild's special teams playing better recently, Minnesota still ranks second-to-last in the league with a 71.4% penalty kill. The power play is slightly better but still below the league average at 20.4%, good for 21st in the league. 

With the need for change, the Wild are turning to the five-forward power play system. Starting in their game against the Washington Capitals on March 27, Minnesota added a new wrinkle to their power play with a top unit that deploys Frederick Gaudreau, Marco Rossi, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Matt Boldy, who moved from his previous spot on the wing to operating the point. 

The change to the unit paid immediate dividends, with a goal at a crucial moment in the game. Down 2-1, Gaudreau scored a goal, deflecting Boldy’s point shot. 

Minnesota won the game against one of the NHL's top teams 4-2, and that goal was a turning point. With the five-forward power play unit scoring in their first game, John Hynes spoke about the need to shake things up for the Wild, who have struggled on special teams.

"The power play's been struggling a little bit. I think just having a left shot up there, it is a big difference [in] the way that we run it. It basically runs a lot off Zuccy's side," Hynes said. "I think Boldy's a very good shooter, so put him in some positions. Try and put your best shooter in positions to be able to shoot on the power play."

Five-Forward Powerplay Is An Opportunity For Matthew Boldy

Hynes singling out Boldy is appropriate because this new strategy is a massive opportunity for the forward. Boldy’s season has been marred by inconsistency after Bill Guerin proclaimed he would someday score 50 goals and 50 assists in the same season. 

Make no mistake: With 62 points in 74 games, Boldy is a productive player. Still, he hasn't quite made the jump people expected. 

Moving Boldy from the wing to the point on the powerplay allows him to add a new aspect to his game that seems perfect for him. A few key attributes are needed to succeed as a forward operating the point on a five-forward power play. To see this in action, one must look no further than the previously mentioned Maple Leafs.

The Leafs have had great success with their new power play system, and one of the main cogs is Mitch Marner's play. Marner is a playmaking winger who excels in a perimeter-based offensive game that allows him to use his creativity and vision to generate scoring chances. He also has an underrated shot when he wants to use it and is a solid defensive forward. He's the perfect player to run the point because it mitigates the risk of having a defensive shortage with no defenders on the ice.

Boldy possesses a similar skill set. He's a great skater, solid defensively, has excellent vision, and a great shot. Having him run the point opens up a new set of options for the Wild power play because there are limited defensive options. Boldly can punish opposing teams with his playmaking and his shot ability. Opponents can't commit too many resources to defend him on the penalty kill, or it leaves teammates open. 

After the game against the Capitals, John Hynes spoke about the options Boldy opens up when handling the point.

"You got Boldy up top, lefty, who's a shooter. He can one-time it, he can shoot like he shot it today (against the Capitals). And then you got Johansson over on the one-timer, and you have a lefty-righty combo at the net front and right in the slot," Hynes said. "So just a little bit of a different look but more of something that we felt would probably be more ideal."

The Wild's new power play unit, with Boldy leading it, has seen positive results, albeit in a limited sample size. The five forwards have played together on the power play for just 3:52. They've already scored a goal while logging a 108.15 Corsi-for per 60. 

The unit is still in its infancy, but it has the makings of a promising experiment. It will be interesting to see the rest of this season if the Wild continue trying out the five-forward power play. The special teams need a boost, and it uses Matt Boldy's unique attributes as a player.