Based in St. Louis, James Giacin delivers a host of risk-based solutions in the private equity sphere. With a background as a professional hockey player as well as coach for the St. Louis Blues’ Junior B squad, James Giacin has in-depth knowledge of strategy on the ice. One of the key scoring opportunities in any game is the power play, or a situation where one team has a numerical advantage in players over the other.

This happens after one or more players on the opposing team commit an infraction that sends them to the penalty box. With that team not able to call in a substitute for an allotted period of time (either two or five minutes), the team shifts to a defensive strategy.

There are numerous tactics designed to take advantage of power play scenarios. These include the 1-3-1 lineup consisting of one defenseman and four forwards. Among the forwards, one player covers the area directly in front of the goalie, setting screens and obscuring the location of the puck. Two players set up in the wings and another in the slot, but farther from the goal. To counter this, the short-handed team often utilizes a box defense designed to allow minimal penetration. Because guarding the slot and shutting down opportunities in front of the goal is critical, opportunities for shots from the perimeter often emerge.

The team with a player in the penalty does have one small compensation: it is allowed to hit, shoot, or deflect the puck from behind the center line all the way across the ice to the other team’s end of the rink, without any forward players touching it. This avoids the infraction of “icing” that would otherwise be called, and allows the team to eat up precious seconds as the puck is retrieved, hopefully until their player is out of the penalty box and back on the ice.