The team has converted at an extremely high-rate going back to a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on February 15th when both Vancouver goals were scored with the man-advantage. Starting with that night, the Canucks have generated 34 shots on their past 26 opportunities. With face-off issues and trouble gaining the zone effectively to set up on the power play, the Canucks haven’t exactly been peppering opposing goaltenders with shots.  Obviously, though, with nine goals to show for their efforts, not all of those power plays are lasting the full two minutes.

Sven Baertschi leads the Canucks with seven power play shots during this recent run. He’s followed by Hamhuis and Henrik Sedin with five shots apiece. Daniel Sedin and Radim Vrbata have four shots each while Linden Vey has scored on each of his two power play shots over the past nine games. Jake Virtanen, Ben Hutton, Bo Horvat and Jared McCann have the other shots on goal.

Interestingly, Vey is the only player with multiple power play goals over the past nine games. So the Canucks are doing a nice job spreading the offensive wealth. Vey, Hamhuis and Daniel Sedin – with his first power play goal since January 11th and first regulation PPG since December 1st – did the scoring against the Sharks. Others to score with the man-advantage over the past nine games include Vrbata, Virtanen, Baertschi, Henrik Sedin and even Chris Tanev got in on the act.

As for scoring leaders over that time, Ben Hutton is taking advantage of the opportunity he’s been given to man the point on the first unit and the rookie leads the Canucks with 0+5 over the past nine games followed by Henrik 1+3, Vey 2+1, Baertschi and Daniel each have 1+2 while Horvat and McCann have each chipped in with a pair of assists.

The injuries to key players have certainly played a role in the lack of overall success the Canucks have had this season, however it seems like those same injuries have had a different impact on the power play. With fresh faces working the man-advantage, it appears to have added some new wrinkles to the way the Canucks operate on the power play and perhaps makes them less predictable and more challenging to defend. Rather than everything running through a static Henrik Sedin on the right sideboards, the Canucks have utilized different looks whether it’s the back-door play that resulted in the Hamhuis goal against the Sharks, a Tanev centre-drive off the rush against Minnesota or Baertschi tipping home a power play marker against San Jose on home ice last week.

The success can’t and won’t last at the conversion rate it has been at over the past three weeks for the Canucks. However, for a fan base looking for positives in a season that is slipping away, the power play and the players driving it these days have certainly been a bright spot of late and perhaps that offers a glimmer of hope for the power play in the years ahead.