1-1-2 Penalty Kill is the Worst Set up in Hockey

It baffles me how some teams are still running a 1-1-2 penalty kill. Take a look at why it does not work.

The Detroit Red Wings are going to be the main culprit of this article because watching their penalty kill last night was concerning. Not to mention through four games the Red Wings penalty kill is clicking at 64.3% not something that helps you win games nor something you should be proud of.

What do the Red Wings run? Quite frankly at times it looks like a 1-1-2, at times it looks like a box and at times it looks like a diamond.

When the puck is up top with the power plays quarterback / top guy, the Red wings typically revert to the dreadful 1-1-2, and why I believe this is one of the more asinine things to run is because it completely leaves you vulnerable on the flanks, any good NHL power play can move the puck quick enough to get the two top guys on the 1-1-2 out of position and expose them on either flank.

When the puck is low below the goal line or in the corners, the Red Wings revert to a box and then sometimes find themselves in a diamond once the puck is moved high quickly. Personally, the biggest issue with the penalty kill in Detroit right now is there are too many shapes, responsibilities and routes for the four guys to run, know and take accountability for. Looking at these three power play goals they let up vs the Penguins and Rangers (10/10, 10/14, 10/17), it is clear to me that the four penalty killers on the ice are just scrambling, and no one really knows whose job is whose.

At the 0:12 second mark, Adam Fox of the Rangers walks the puck up high and comes over top to the middle, the Red Wings go into their 1-1-2 and if Fox continues to skate this puck and not shoot, Artemi Panarin is wide open on the flank coming down hill.

Then as the power play goes on the and the Rangers work it low, the Red Wings basically collapse on the heart / bumper guy and completely leave the entire top of the power play open.

And the Rangers essentially do the same thing the entire 45 seconds of the power play, work low, go back high, force the Red Wings to have to recover high, leave the top shot wide open for a high tip and ends up in the back of their net.

And as you can see here the Rangers worked the puck up high, forced the Red Wings to over commit to one side of the ice, leaving the flank wide open for a one timer on Artemi Panarin’s side, making it impossible for anyone to recover over to the flank in time and get in the shot lane.

If I am the Red Wings, I am probably moving away from the 1-1-2 penalty kill giving our guys more easier routes and responsibilities on the penalty kill cause clearly, they are being exposed on the flanks and if you continue to watch the original 2:00 minute video you will the Penguins expose them on the flank as well when Erik Karlsson scores on the flank. The 1-1-2 is not working, I do not believe it would work and there are numerous other penalty kill options you could go with that are easier to run, more successful and won’t leave your four penalty killers on the ice looking lost. The most important thing the Red Wings lack is routes, lack of pressure on the puck and giving opposing power play teams too much time and space to find lanes and open guys.