Power play opportunities are the lowest in league history and through 1,071 games this season. We’ve seen 747 fewer power play opportunities compared to last season through the same number of games played.

That is a massive drop, and there is no rational reason for it.

The players aren’t suddenly more disciplined. The referees simply aren’t calling the infractions. This hit wasn’t deemed a penalty on Saturday night.

Are you kidding me? Chytil doesn’t turn at the last moment. Jason Dickinson took a blatant run at him and hit him square in the numbers. Chytil is out with a concussion. There was no penalty called. The score was 6-2, so please don’t tell me the referee “didn’t want to impact the game.”

I’m so tired of that moronic and unfounded response when discussing penalties. Just call the effing penalty. I don’t care what the score is, or who committed the infraction. What is the point of having a rulebook if you won’t enforce it? That video is just one example of calls that are missed on a NIGHTLY basis in the NHL.

Last season the NHL had 6,586 power play through 1,038 games. This year we’ve seen 5,839. The NHL will pretend it isn’t a problem, but the truth is that it has been going on for the past decade. The NHL started tracking PP% in 1978. Since then, the lowest 11 PP chances/game have come in the last 11 years. The league has determined it would rather call fewer penalties.

In 1978 the Minnesota North Stars led the NHL with 4.10 power play opportunities (PPO) per game at 4.10. Twelve of the 18 teams averaged over 3.03/game.

When the league expanded to 21 teams in 1980, the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 led the NHL at 4.20 PPO/game. Nineteen teams averaged over 3.05/game.

In 1985 the LA Kings led with 4.63 PPO/game. The New York Islanders were last at 3.54/game, meaning every team had at least that many and eight were over 4.00/game.

In 1990, the New York Rangers led the NHL at 5.53 PPO/game and the Islanders were last at 4.13.

In 1995, the Edmonton Oilers led the NHL at 5.40 PPO/game, 20 teams were over 4.17 and the New Jersey Devils were last (26th) at 3.42.

In 2000, San Jose led with 4.60/game, 16 teams were over 4.02/game, and the Devils were last (28th) at 3.34.

In 2004, the final year before the lockout, when the NHL felt they had an obstruction problem, Nashville led with 5.20/game, 21 teams were above 4.00 PPO/game and Boston was last (30th) at 3.66.

In 2006, after the lockout, LA led with 6.60 PPO/game, 11 teams were above 6.04, and Florida was last at 5.01.

In 2010, Carolina led at 4.05 PPO/game, only two teams were over 4.00 and Montreal was last at 3.18.

In 2015, Detroit had the most PPO at 3.59/game, 18 teams were over 3.00/game and New Jersey was last at 2.59.

In 2020, Colorado led at 3.44/game, 10 teams were over 3.00/game, and the Islanders were last (31st) at 2.47/game.

This season, Ottawa leads at 3.26, only two teams are over 3.00/game and St. Louis is last (32nd) at 2.26.

The leader in PPO/game this season is lower than the team in last place in 2004 and as last as 2009 when New Jersey was 30th at 3.74/game.

The NHL expects us to believe that the in that short of time the players have become so disciplined, despite the game getting faster, that the most penalized team today (Montreal is shorthanded 3.18 times/game) is more disciplined than the least penalized team in 2009 (Minnesota at 3.55 TS/game).

I’m sorry. It isn’t remotely true, and I encourage fans to watch a game that doesn’t involve their team (to remove bias) and see how many uncalled infractions you see.  It’s a major issue. And one that should be discussed more.

Here is a breakdown of the drop in PPO this year. Let’s start with the East.

Detroit and Philadelphia have seen the biggest dip (38) in PPO. The Wings’ PP is great this season, though, and they’ve actually scored more. But imagine if they had similar PP chances as last year. They’d have 10 more PP goals.

East teams have combined for 298 fewer PPOs this year compared to last, which actually looks great compared to the West.

West teams and their fans, buckle up.

Minnesota has 60 fewer PPOs in 67 games. That is almost one per game. Wild. St. Louis (56), Vegas (55), Chicago (49) and LA (48) round out the top-five largest reductions in PP chances. Nashville and Colorado are at 41, which means the top-seven teams all reside in the West.

The West has combined for 449 fewer power plays this season. Can someone make it make sense?

Leon Draisaitl needs one goal to reach the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career. When he does, he will join two exclusive groups.

He will become the 15th player with four 50-goal seasons:

Four seasons: Draisaitl, Michel Goulet, Tim. Kerr and Jari Kurri.

Five seasons: Pavel Bure, Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman.

Six times: Marcel Dionne, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux.

Nine times: Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin.

Mario Lemieux’s last 50-goal season came in 1997, while Brett Hull’s was in 1994. The rest were in the 1980s or 1970s. When you consider Ovechkin had three 50-goal seasons in his 30s, and a season of 48 goals that was cut short due to COVID (48 goals in 68 games) it is very likely we see Draisaitl have at least two more 50-goal seasons.

He needs four goals to reach 400 goals and with his new eight-year contract starting next season he is destined to pass Wayne Gretzky (583) for most goals as an Oiler. Draisaitl also has a very realistic chance to score 700 NHL goals.

What makes him so unique is that he isn’t just a sniper — he’s also an elite passer and playmaker. His next goal will have him join an even more exclusive club than the 50-goal club: He will be the 10th player in NHL history to have four seasons with 50 goals and 50 assists.

Four times: Draisaitl, Kurri and Ovechkin.

Five times: Esposito and Yzerman.

Six times: Dionne, Lafleur and Lemieux.

Seven times: Bossy.

Nine times: Gretzky.

Once he scores his next goal, that will be the 17th time in the salary cap era a player has had a season with 50 goal and 50 assists. Ovechkin and Draisaitl will have done it four times, Dany Heatley had two while Vincent Lecavalier, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Davie Pastrnak, Auston Matthews, Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon have done it once.

Draisaitl is, without much debate in my eyes, the best combination of shooter and passer in today’s game. He’s already among the top 10 of all time and could finish top three.

He is having a remarkable season. He is 12 goals ahead of William Nylander for the Rocket trophy for most goals. You don’t see a gap like that very often.

In 1945 Maurice ‘The Rocket” Richard won the goal-scoring race by 18. He had 50 goals. The season was only 50 games, so imagine what his lead would have been after 80 games.

Other large leads include:

2024: Matthews scored 69 and led by 12 goals.
2008: Ovechkin scored 65 and led by 13.
1987: Lemieux scored 70 and led by 14.
2000: Bure scored 58 and led by 14.
1988: Lemieux scored 85 and led by 15.
1993: Brett Hull scored 70 and led by 15.
1952: Gordie Howe scored 47 and won by 16.
1972: Esposito scored 66 and won by 16.
1974: Esposito scored 68 and led by 16.
1953: Howe scored 49 and led by 17.
1962: Bobby Hull scored 50 and led by 17.
1967: Hull scored 52 and led by 17.
1966: Hull scored 54 and led by 22.
1971: Esposito scored 76 and led by 25.
1982: Gretzky scored 92 and led by 28.
1984: Gretzky scored 87 and led by 31.
1991: Brett Hull scored 86 and led by 35.

Draisaitl leads the NHL in goals (49) even strength goals (34), power-play goals (15), and game-winning goals (10) and is tied for the lead with five OT goals.

He also is riding an 18-game point streak. He joins Kurri (18), Paul Coffey (28) and Gretzky (18 (2x), 19, 24, 28, 30, 39 and 51) as the only Oilers with point streaks that long.

— There are many interesting playoff races in the West. Dallas and Colorado are separated by two points and look destined to meet in the first round. They won’t catch Winnipeg, and Minnesota is floundering six back of Colorado for third. Both the Avs and Stars loaded up at the trade deadline, and one of them will be out in the first round. The Mikko Rantanen angle makes that series a must-watch for me.

Minnesota would really have to tank to miss the playoffs. The Wild have 79 points with 15 games remaining and hold down the first Wildcard slot. Vancouver and St. Louis have 73 points while Utah and Calgary have 71. The Flames have 17 games to play, while Utah and Vancouver have 15 and the Blues have 14. The Blues are red hot though. They have the most points in the NHL since 4-Nations with 18. They gained nine points on the Wild in that time. In theory, they could gain another nine points over the next 12 games. It seems unlikely, but right now the Wild have no bite in their game.

The Blues have the most favourable schedule of the four teams battling for the final Wildcard spot.

The Blues only have one game the rest of this month vs. a top-12 team and only four in total. Vancouver plays Winnipeg tomorrow before ending the month on a six-game road trip. The Flames have six of eight this month on the road, while Utah has four in their next eight against top 12 teams including the Oilers tomorrow night.

With Minnesota struggling, the battle to win the Pacific becomes even more enticing. Vegas had a tough weekend losing 4-3 in a shootout to Buffalo and got shutout 3-0 in Detroit. Tomas Hertl had an empty net with 40 seconds left in the game on Saturday, but instead of shooting he tried to make a back pass that got intercepted. The Sabres tied the game with 13 seconds remaining and then won. The Oilers are now four back of Vegas, while the Kings are one point behind Edmonton and have two games in hand on both the Oilers and Knights.

The Kings will make up those two games this month, and then all three teams have nine games in April.

Edmonton has six games vs. top-12 teams and face the Kings twice and Vegas once with eight games at home and seven on the road. Vegas has five games vs. top-12 teams with seven at home and eight on the road. LA has eight games vs. top-12 teams, but they have 11 home games and six on the road.

The race for first place is massive because it guarantees the winner avoids the other two in the first round, and right now would face the team struggling the most.

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