This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
This week, we're going to do things a little differently. Let's take a look at the top six teams in the power-play rankings and find some players beyond the big names that have been contributing with the extra man…
Noah Hanifin, D, CAR – Hanifin's production has slowed, but when he scores, it's on the power play. He only has three points in his last 15 games, but all three came with the extra man. Overall, six of his 10 points have been power-play tallies. Hanifin is only 19, so his best years are still ahead of him, but if you are really looking for some power-play help from the blue line, he's an option.
Sam Reinhart, C, BUF – Considering the Sabres are last in goals scored but tied for fourth in power-play percentage, there's reason to be dubious of Buffalo's prowess with the extra man. That being said, that doesn't mean you should be skeptical about Reinhart. He's averaging 3:23 per game on the power play and has six points with the extra man. Last year, he had 10 power-play points, including eight goals. He finished with 23 goals total, and has 15 points thus far this season. Reinhart was picked second overall in 2014, so it looks like he's fulfilling the expectations associated with his pedigree.
Derek Stepan, C, NYR – Unlike the Sabres, you can trust New York's offensive firepower. Stepan is probably a little under the radar in shallower leagues despite having
This week, we're going to do things a little differently. Let's take a look at the top six teams in the power-play rankings and find some players beyond the big names that have been contributing with the extra man…
Noah Hanifin, D, CAR – Hanifin's production has slowed, but when he scores, it's on the power play. He only has three points in his last 15 games, but all three came with the extra man. Overall, six of his 10 points have been power-play tallies. Hanifin is only 19, so his best years are still ahead of him, but if you are really looking for some power-play help from the blue line, he's an option.
Sam Reinhart, C, BUF – Considering the Sabres are last in goals scored but tied for fourth in power-play percentage, there's reason to be dubious of Buffalo's prowess with the extra man. That being said, that doesn't mean you should be skeptical about Reinhart. He's averaging 3:23 per game on the power play and has six points with the extra man. Last year, he had 10 power-play points, including eight goals. He finished with 23 goals total, and has 15 points thus far this season. Reinhart was picked second overall in 2014, so it looks like he's fulfilling the expectations associated with his pedigree.
Derek Stepan, C, NYR – Unlike the Sabres, you can trust New York's offensive firepower. Stepan is probably a little under the radar in shallower leagues despite having 21 points. He's got six points, all assists, with the extra man. On that front, Stepan only has a 7.7 shooting percentage, which is well below his career percentage of 11.0, so a little puck-luck could get him a couple power-play goals. Furthermore, he's never failed to record double-digit power-play points in his career.
Rickard Rakell, C, ANA – There aren't a lot of surprising names among Anaheim's power-play contributors, except perhaps Rakell. He's missed time this year but has been quite impressive when on the ice. Rakell has notched five power-play points in 19 games and has 17 points total, so he's a real contributor in several categories. However, he also has a 20.4 shooting percentage, so his luck may start to dissipate. Still, even if he gets a bit less lucky, he's part of a power play that's been outstanding so far.
Ivan Provorov, D, PHI – This may be a bit of a short-term play, but it's a good one. The rookie only has two power-play points, but that could change since Mark Streit — who has averaged 2:23 on the power play this year — is out for a couple weeks with an injury. Somebody has to step up, and it might be Provorov. He was already playing 1:50 per game with the extra man, and the Flyers aren't going to turn to, say, someone like Radko Gudas. If you want to take a little gamble on a promising young player with a new opportunity, consider Provorov.
Sam Gagner, C, CLM – The Jackets have the best power play in the NHL, and a lot of the guys contributing were surprising for a while, most of which have since been scooped up. There's still the chance to snag Gagner, though. He's basically a power-play specialist, and though he only plays 13:38 a night, 2:41 of that comes with the extra man, and he's got nine power-play points in 26 games. He hasn't been slowing down either, as he has five in his last 14 games, and he's taken 41 shots on goal in that time. If power-play contribution is what you're looking for, that's what Gagner provides.
