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Power Play: Spread

Stretch all five skaters to the corners and the middle so every killer has to cover ice alone.

F1F2F3D1D2PP OZ SPREAD
F = forwards, D = defence (our five power play skaters) / Net we are attacking is at the top, blue line at the bottom / Dashed line = pass or shot option / Solid arrows = movement / Black dot = puck

The idea

The Spread is the widest power play look we have. Instead of loading one side, we plant a skater in each of the four corners of the offensive zone plus one in the middle. A four-man box cannot cover five spread-out skaters, so somebody is always alone with time and space.

Reading the diagram

The net is at the top of the board, the blue line at the bottom. F1 and F2 sit high near the goal line, F3 is in the middle of the ice between the circles, and D1 and D2 hold the two low corners near the blue line. The puck starts with D1 (black dot).

The four arrows around every red circle show the point: each skater in the Spread has to be a threat in all four directions — up, down, and across. The formation does not score by itself, the movement inside it does.

Why it works

Every pass forces a killer to leave his lane. When they chase, the middle opens; when they stay home, we get uncontested shots from the corners. It is the best look against a very aggressive, chasing penalty kill.

What to look for

  • Five skaters spread to the four corners plus the middle
  • Every player is a threat up, down, and across
  • Movement — not the formation — creates the shot
  • Great answer to an aggressive, chasing penalty kill

Coaching cues

  • Give a target with your stick on the ice before the pass arrives
  • Attack the space a chasing killer leaves behind
  • One-touch the puck when a killer commits
  • Middle man is always available — check him first

Common mistakes

  • Standing frozen in a corner waiting for the puck
  • Passing into the middle without checking the killer's stick
  • Too many passes and no shot
  • Both low skaters drifting to the same side and shrinking the ice
Keep going

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