An idea so potent that Edmonton’s former power play wizard didn’t need McDavid to recreate the magic in Dallas.
In a domain filled with dogma, Glen Gulutzan completed a transformation few thought possible: Unshackling himself from his “chess-piecing” ways, he turned the Oilers into the most potent power play in NHL history (32.4% in 2022-23) and repeated his feat in Dallas, lifting the Stars’ conversion from 22.0% to 28.6% (2nd in the NHL). The mastermind approach? Leaving the fellas alone. How can you not be romantic about hockey?
What it means on the ice.
The Idea: Create road hockey conditions in a 1-3-1. For Gulutzan, road hockey means unleashing unpredictability and solving it with instincts. Just like on the street, there’s no go-to play to his team’s man-advantage. Instead, high shot volume, lots of puck retrievals and continuous motion are the basis of a hard-to-defend (and hard-to-scout) approach.
On the play below, the textbook setup: The point-man Heiskanen facilitates play by getting the puck in the right hands instead of “quarterbacking”; the F3 at the half-wall acts as the main playmaker and has plenty of options in the 1-3-1: going down low goal line extended, setting up the bumper, going cross-seam backdoor, or dishing back to the point. For Gulutzan, it’s all of the above when in motion.
The Challenge: Solutions against disciplined structures. The downside is that the Stars’ reliance on bump-set plays down low essentially creates a 4-on-4 against disciplined PKs with good gap control. With no set plays or more rigid structures to fall back on, the expectation of players to “rely on their instincts” gets challenged in situations where there is nothing available.
In the play below, note how unlike in the previous play where the F3 was drawing out two opponents, there’s no real option other than extending the play around the perimeter. The man-advantage only manifests itself in going back to the point, but the Stars seem reluctant to do so and often force the issue cross-seam, leading to easy clears.
The Potential: Unlearning habits reactivates instincts. Gulutzan irons out the “overthinking”. In 5-on-5 situations, you wouldn’t pass on taking the puck to the net in favor of setting up your whiteboard-mandated formation. So why do so many players throw snow on a rush chance at 5-on-4 just to park at the half-wall? In this sense, coaching special teams is not about learning systems but unlearning habits picked up during a lifetime of over-engineering.
Two examples below:
On the left, OZ possession.
Situation is: Lane opens as the D lost his stick.
Structure says: Set up at the point.
Instinct means: Step in and shoot.
On the right, zone entry.
Situation is: 3-on-2 off the rush.
Structure says: Pull up and set up formation.
Instinct means: Take it to the net.
The Risk: Trusting the wrong instinct. The F3 giveth, the F3 taketh away. A reliance on instincts to problem-solve also means an increased exposure to individual mistakes, especially when stretched wide and forced into risky passes or misguided 1-on-1s. A calculated trade-off, no doubt, but more broadly a good explanation for why Dallas can look stale on nights when it just “doesn’t click” (the Stars also gave up 7 shorthanded goals in 2025-26, not great but not terrible).
On the play below, with the 5-man unit stretched wide, a particularly unfortunate turnover as the last man back Heiskanen had just moved away from the strong-side to open up and receive a pass that never came.
Key Takeaways.
If you’re a coach: Diagnose real skill profiles before assigning roles: who actually shoots and who distributes, independent of position or reputation. Build a second point guard so the system never depends on one player’s reads. And invest in the relationship with your best players—this only works with buy-in, not compliance.
If you’re a player: Know whether you’re the release or the relay, and commit to that role over your title. Stay in constant motion off the puck, support has to arrive before it’s needed. Communicate constantly with whoever runs the unit, so either of you is a real option. And accept the unglamorous job when it’s what actually creates the cleanest chance for someone else—that’s the role, not a demotion.