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Ranking the All-Time Best NHL Power Play Teams and Players

NHL Power Play Rankings (All-Time)

In hockey the power play comes in when a player commits a foul. That player goes to the box to see out the time of their penalty, which puts the opposition at a man-advantage or “on the power play” for the duration.

Power plays give a team a man-advantage for at least two minutes at a time, which naturally gives them even greater opportunities to score goals. So, making the most of the opportunities is key to NHL strategy.

Table of Contents:

This ranking of the all-time best power play teams and players in the NHL aims to offer a look at the top performers with the man-advantage adjusted for some situational variables and considering historical context.

Methodology and Metric Used

Power Play Percentage

The power play percentage is, naturally, the first metric used to measure a team’s effectiveness on the man-advantage. This denotes how many times on the power play the team managed to score.

Duration and Consistency

The rankings look at individual seasons for teams and career statistics for players, both of which emphasize long spells of consistent power play success.

Adjustments for Era and Rule Changes

The power play has changed a lot through the eras of the NHL, with rule changes being a big factor. For example, before the 1956-57 season, teams were permitted a full two minutes to score as many goals as they wanted on the power play.

Playoffs vs. Regular Season Performance

The playoffs are a pressure cooker for players where the amped-up physicality and demands for success can make even the most well-oiled power play units crumble. However, the playoffs can be very short for teams, skewing the face value of key stats.

Historical Context

Evolution of Power Plays in the NHL

Many rule changes have impacted power plays. For example, the Gretzky Rule, which was later repealed, brought in offsetting penalties due to how the Oilers rampaged prior to the 1985-86 season on the man-advantage.

Each era of the NHL has seen different levels of scoring and, indeed, power play opportunities. For example, of the top ten seasons with the most power play opportunities, five are from the 1990s.

How Teams Have Adapted Over Time

Even just over the last decade or so, we’ve seen power play tactics shift from what was seen as the classic setup of three forwards around the net with two defensemen on the blueline to a 1-3-1 that has one blueliner quarterbacking for four forwards.

Coaches will emphasize shooting volumes, types of shots, how often to carry the puck around, how quickly to break into the offensive zone, whether players should keep to direct passes or dump the puck, and so on. Much of this will rely on the skill sets of the players on the power play and, importantly, those on the opposing penalty kill.

Top NHL Power Play Units of All Time (Team-Based Rankings)

The Golden Standard: Top 10 All-Time Team Power Plays

1. 1977-78 Montréal Canadiens

On just 229 opportunities, the lethal Habs of 77-78 spearheaded by Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, and Larry Robinson secured an almighty 31.9 power play percentage for 73 goals.

2. 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers

The high-flying Edmonton Oilers that forced a rule change in the following season worked the system very well to get to a 25.7 power play percentage, scoring 74 goals on 288 opportunities at a rate of 0.93 PP goals per game.

3. 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers

Standing with the all-time best NHL regular season power play percentage, the 22-23 Edmonton Oilers were relentless. Putting up a figure not seen since the 1970s, the Oilers, led by McDavid and Draisaitl, achieved a 32.4 power play percentage across 82 games, putting away 89 goals on 275 opportunities.

4. 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins

A legendary unit that would feature a few eventual all-time NHL scoring leaders, Mario Lemieux, Jaromír Jágr, Tomas Sandström and Ron Francis combined for 80 power play goals to spur the team to 109 in total and an excellent 26.0 power play percentage.

5. 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings

When the Detroit Red Wings stormed to the Presidents’ Trophy with 115 points in 07-08, they did so riding 0.99 powerplay goals per game. With 81 hitting the net, they essentially guaranteed a man-advantage goal every game thanks to the likes of Johan Franzén, Henrik Zetterberg, and the two-way maestro Pavel Datsyuk.

6. 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks

The 10-11 Canucks were a juggernaut in all areas, being the first team since the 77-78 Habs to both concede the fewest goals while scoring the most. That season, Vancouver also led with their 24.32 power play percentage and 72 man-advantage goals, spurred on by the craftiness of Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

7. 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning

Achieving the highest points tally of the Salary Cap era at the time, the 18-19 Bolts flew to 128 points by averaging 3.89 goals per game. Bolstering that was their hit rate of 0.90 power play goals per game and a 28.2 power play percentage. Leading the way were Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point.

8. 2005-06 Ottawa Senators

Powered by the towering Zdeno Chára on the blueline, with his incredible reach always ready to keep the puck in the zone and the pressure on, the 05-06 Ottawa Senators fired in 1.25 power play goals per game and surprisingly at a fairly low percentage of 20.8. Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson combined for 39 goals and 52 assists that season.

9. 1992-93 Buffalo Sabres

While only clocking in with a 20.3 power play percentage, the 92-92 Sabres still fired in 1.13 power play goals per game, and that was only made possible by all of Dave Andreychuk, Pat LaFontaine, and Alexander Mogilny scoring 20 or more goals on the man-advantage. Mogilny actually scored 27 of his 76 goals that season on the power play.

10. 1980-81 New York Islanders

Only playing in the franchise’s ninth season, the 80-81 Islanders topped the division, conference, and won the Stanley Cup riding its incredible 29.3 power play percentage and 1.16 goals per game on the man advantage. Of their 93 goals, 28 came via the stick of Mike Bossy.

Honourable Mentions

1988-89 Pittsburgh Penguins

The 88-89 Penguins, led by Mario Lemieux and his 31 goals and 48 assists on the power play, put up an all-time high of scoring an average of 1.49 power play goals per game and an all-time leading tally of 119 power plays in this season alone.

1977-78 New York Islanders

The Islanders looked to go toe-to-toe with the all-time greatest Habs power play unit in 1977-78, but narrowly missed out on the crown with their 31.4 power play percentage equating to 71 goals.

Top Power Play Eras by Decade

1970s: The Beginning of Dominance

After a decade of power play percentages mostly loitering around the 15 or 16 percent mark, in the 1970s, they shot up to between 18.7 to a peak of 22.70 in the 1978-79 campaign.

1980s: High-Scoring and High-Octane Plays

Through to the end of the 1985-86 season, power play percentages held at 21.98 up to 22.94 across the NHL, simmering somewhat in the final few seasons at just below the 21.00-mark.

1990s: Transition and Tactical Refinement

As the 1990s unfolded, power play percentages continued to tumble, starting in the mid-19.0s until hitting the 15 percent bracket towards the end of the decade.

2000s: Defensive Systems vs. Power Efficiency

Power play percentages picked up a bit in the 2000s, but a strong focus on improving defensive systems helped to keep them to below the 19.0-mark.

2010s: The Rise of Skill and Speed

Turning into the 2010s, the number of powerplay opportunities sunk rather significantly from 5.85 opportunities per game in 2005-06 to 3.71 in 2009-10, consistently tumbling to 2.92 in 2018-19. Even with this, the emphasis on speed and skill upped the efficiency of PP units, bringing the average percentage up to 20.03 by the 2019-20 season.

2020s: Efficiency Meets Analysis

Still, very few power play opportunities are being given away, on average, simmering around the 3.00 mark. Yet, power play percentages powered by analytics have climbed back up to be at or over the 21.00 mark.

Player-Centric Power Play Legends

Top Power Play Goal Scorers (All-Time)

Alexander Ovechkin

Still going strong for the Washington Capitals as a big part of their dark horse Stanley Cup odds, en route to recently breaking Gretzky’s goals record, “The Great Eight” has scored 326 power play goals to date.

Dave Andreychuk

Eclipsing a legend to set a new bar just after the turn of the millennium, Dave Andreychuk put up 274 power play goals which keeps him second on the all-time list.

Brett Hull

Picked in the sixth round of 1984 by the Calgary Flames, the future St. Louis Blues legend Brett Hull refined his power play prowess with St. Louis, hitting at least 20 PP goals in five consecutive seasons, buoying his total to 265.

Teemu Selänne

Breakout European star Teemu Selänne hit 132 points in his debut season for the old 1979 Winnipeg Jets, 24 of which were power play goals. Over a 21-season career, the Finn would put up 255 PP goals.

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux is eight on the all-time power play goals list, but like so many of his near-Gretzky-esque stats, the tallies were achieved in far fewer games than his peers. The 236 PP goals scored in 915 games is a goal every 3.88 games. For comparison, Ovechkin scores a power play goal every 4.57 games.

Power Play Playmakers and Assist Leaders

Wayne Gretzky

Working from his office, just behind the goal, ended his vaunted career with a likely unbeatable tally of 686 power play assists in the NHL regular season. He also put up 88 PP assists in the playoffs – another record.

Joe Thornton

In an elite group of passers who showcased their playmaking skills to such a degree that they collected over 1,000 career assists, for “Jumbo” Joe Thornton, the power play was key to this. With the man-advantage, he collected 402 assists.

Ray Bourque

The ultimate power play blueliner, Ray Bourque was always looking to set up his teammates. On the power play, that translated to a good for second of all-time haul of 588 PP assists.

Sidney Crosby

Still a favourite in the NHL lines, Sidney Crosby has commanded the top power play of the Penguins masterfully for decades. To date, he stands 14th for power play assists with 403, averaging 2.29 primary assists and 2.00 secondary assists for every 60 minutes of play.

Niklas Lidström

While the Red Wings were teeming with talent in his day, it was Lidström’s vision and movement on the blueline and when stepping in that truly elevated the power play. Now, his tally of 458 PP assists stands eighth of all-time.

Power Play Quarterbacks: Best Defensemen on the PP

Paul Coffey

The man who guarded the blueline and kept the puck moving to the edges, Paul Coffey was a big part of the vaunted Oilers power play that also featured the likes of Gretzky, Messier, and Kurri. He stands fifth in the all-time rankings with 664 power play points.

Brain Leetch

A mighty presence on the power play and the elite-tier defenseman needed to push the New York Rangers to Stanley Cup glory in the 1990s, in 1,205 games, Brian Leetch amassed 536 power play points.

Erik Karlsson

Erik Karlsson is one of the most gifted offensive defensemen of his generation. The slick-skating Swede continues to feature for the Penguins as a key part of their veteran-powered power play. Among defensemen, he stands 29th of all-time with 305 assists to date.

Al MacInnis

Trailing only Ray Bourque, Al MacInnis was a power play powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s, eventually collecting 166 goals and 722 points on the man-advantage alone.

Cale Makar (Modern Emerging Talent)

Still only 26-years-old and a regular favourite in the points markets of the hockey betting, Cale Makar is already up to 179 power play points in 395 games played. Were the Avalanche’s current star blueliner to play as many games as Ray Bourque (1,612) and keep up this rate, he’d fall just 36 short of the legendary defenseman with 725.

Strategic Elements Behind Great Power Plays

Player Roles and Formations

Every player on the power play will have a mandate telling them what to do with and without the puck as well as the general zone they should set up in when in possession. In the 1970s and 1980s, for example, the area behind the goal in an umbrella formation was known as “Gretzky’s Office” because of how well the playmaker utilised the zone.

Coaching Tactics and System Design

Coaches will adjust their tactics and come up with a few different systems to allow them to exploit the weaknesses of different penalty kill units. Some will set up with a screen – a player who stands in front of the goaltender – for example, and encourage plenty of shots from range to hope for a bit of puck luck through traffic.

Use of Analytics in Modern Power Plays

Particularly when it comes to aspects like assessing high-value scoring areas and goaltender weaknesses, coaches are always looking to leverage analytics to get an edge.

Special Teams Synergy: PP and PK Interplay

Capitalizing on the man-advantage and stopping the opposition from doing so makes the interdependent units of the power play and penalty kill vital to a team’s success in each game.

Franchise Analysis: All-Time Power Play Rankings by Team

Teams with the Highest Career PP Percentages

Discounting the NHL’s youngest teams – the Golden Knights, Kraken, and Utah – the team with the highest power play percentage is the Colorado Avalanche at 20.1 percent, followed by the 19.5 percent of the Edmonton Oilers.

Most Power Play Goals Scored by a Franchise

The most successful team in Stanley Cup history, unsurprisingly, boasts the most power play goals scored by a franchise, with the Montréal Canadiens having put away 4,749 goals on the man-advantage to date.

Longest Active Power Play Streaks in History

During the 2024-25 season, Patrik Laine hit a streak of scoring eight consecutive goals on the power play, which made him the first player in NHL history to do so.

Statistical Deep Dive

Best Single-Season Power Play Percentage

The 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers boast the best single-season power play percentage at 32.4 percent.

Most PP Goals in a Season (Team and Player)

In the 1988-89 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins set what is still the record for the most power play goals in a season at 119. Tim Kerr of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1985-86 has the record for the most PP goals in a season with 34.

Power Play Opportunities vs. Efficiency

Drawing penalties that get you on the power play is a useful tool and one that was utilized by the all-conquering 1980s Oilers to great effect, but making use of those opportunities is essential.

Playoffs vs. Regular Season Comparison

Notable Power Play Moments in NHL History (H2)

Record-Breaking Goals

When Alex Ovechkin broke Gretzky’s NHL goals record in 2025, he did so via a power play goal against the New York Islanders.

Iconic Game-Winning PPs

One of the greatest game-winning power plays of all-time came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in 2012. With a four-minute power play, the New York Rangers levelled it with seconds to go and then carried the power play into overtime to score again, winning game to go 3-2 up in the series.

Historic Streaks and Collapses

The record-holding 22-23 Oilers actually took their power play up a gear in the playoffs that year, hitting a 46.2 power play percentage. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough to get past the Golden Knights in the Second Round.

Power Plays that Changed a Series or Cup Run

Perhaps the most decisive power play of all-time came in Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. With the Kings 3-2 up in the series, the Devils went on the PK for five minutes. In that five-minute power play of the first period, the Kings scored three times to put the game and the series out of sight.

Impact of 3-on-3 Overtime and Shootouts

If a power play carries into overtime, there’s even more ice for skilled units to make space for goals now, but ultimately, they’re still up against the clock as shootouts come into play after five minutes.

Influence of Younger, Skill-Based Players

Not only have many power play units moved more towards having just one blueliner to maximize the attacking skill and speed on the ice, but with an even more offensive mindset in the 2025 playoffs, the LA Kings deployed a five-forward power play.

Use of Video Coaching and AI

The infusion of these technologies allows coaches to tweak their approach to the power play and will ultimately help to refine each unit.

Projected Evolution in the Next Decade

It’ll be a continual arms race of applying newer and better tech, finding new strategies, and leaning on particular player skill sets.

FAQs: NHL Power Play Rankings (All-Time)

What is a Good Power Play Percentage in the NHL?

A good power play percentage in the NHL has changed over the eras of the league, but generally, scoring on 22 percent or more of power play opportunities is a good mark.

Who has the Most Career Power Play Goals?

Alex Ovechkin has the most career power play goals in the NHL’s regular season, putting up 326 by the close of the 2024-25 season. In the playoffs, the record is held by Brett Hull and his 38 postseason power play goals.

Why Were the 2022-23 Oilers PP So Effective?

The 2022-23 Oilers rolled out a particularly offensively-stacked power play, but it all began in the faceoff circle. Leon Draisaitl winning 64.3 percent of his draws was huge, as was the team being keen to craft high-scoring opportunities in the slot.

Do Rule Changes Affect Power Play Effectiveness?

Over the decades of NHL action, rule changes have greatly affected the effectiveness of the power play. For example, the dominance of the 1950s Montréal Canadiens on the power play caused the league to change the rules from scoring as many as you can in two minutes to ending the power play once a goal is scored.

Which Franchise Has the Best All-Time Power Play Stats?

For overall playoff power play percentage, the Tampa Bay Lightning is on top at 21.2 percent.

Are Playoff Power Plays More Difficult to Score On?

While they’d presumably be more difficult, as a percentage of total goals in the modern game, power play goals tend to see a three or four percent uptick in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

How do Teams Prepare for Power Plays Analytically?

Special teams coaches will use all of the analytics available, including statistics to identify their own players’ strengths, their tendencies on the puck, and how the unit can be used to explore the opposition areas identified as weak by their analytics.

Has Any Team Ever had a Perfect Power Play Record in a Game or Series?

Several teams have finished a game with a perfect power play record. In a playoff series, fewer teams have ended with a perfect power play record.