Sheldon Keefe makes a surprising remark about Marner's lengthy power play scoring drought
The date February 1st 2020 has some significant for Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. It was a day where he notched a power play goal in overtime to sink the Ottawa Senators. It was also the last time he scored on the power play. That was 99 games ago, and it has become a popular topic among Leafs fans and hockey pundits. However, it is not an issue for Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, at least not a public one.
Keefe discussed the subject with the media on Saturday, following the Leafs' morning skate, and while he and the coaching staff have certainly taken note of it, it's not something they're overly worried about.
"I find it odd and we're aware of it," said Keefe on Saturday. "We're trying to do different things to help something to fall for him. This season, our PP has been as good as anyone in the league. I'm not too concerned about it.»
The Leafs' power play is converting at 29.6%, which is good enough for a tie with the St. Louis Blues (the Leafs' Saturday night opponent) for 2nd in the league. You'd have to imagine that the unlucky streak is not going to last that much longer for Mitch.
For all the negative attention Marner draws, he has proven to be a fantastic offensive contributor on the power play during his young NHL career. He led the team in power play points in the 56-game schedule last season, and while he accomplished this with zero goals, it's not insignificant. He's producing, but he's just not the one pulling the trigger. Frankly, with Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander on the power play, why would he?
Marner is set to make his return to the lineup tonight after a bout with COVID-19 last week. If his energy during practice over the last few days is any indication, Marner is going to be flying tonight - and who knows.. maybe he'll even end that PP scoring drought.
