A seasoned Stanley Cup contender does not necessarily need a potent power play unit.
During their ascent to hockey immortality, the 2011 Boston Bruins rebutted such a claim.
With a power play that finished the regular season in 20th place (16.2 percent), that team defeated the Canadiens, Flyers, Lightning, and Canucks while only winning 10 of their 88 postseason opportunities.
The Bruins of 2022–23 are made of a new material. Both rosters feature strong goaltending and stacked, stingy defences.
When a player like David Pastrnak, who has 60 goals, is a permanent fixture on the power play, Jim Montgomery's club has the ability to consistently disassemble PK units.
This is why a power play unit that has established itself around the top of the league in terms of success rate over the last five years found an 11-for-92 decline over the course of 27 games to be perplexing.
Even if Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand are still firmly established in that 5v4 squad, in recent months, Boston's ability to take advantage in the offensive zone has been hampered by predictable puck movement and sluggish entrances.
But one of the few unresolved issues with this squad appears to be disappearing with the Stanley Cup Playoffs just a few days away.
It was the first time since Dec. 19 that Boston scored two power-play goals in a single game when it defeated the Capitals on Tuesday. Boston also scored once with the man advantage.
The Bruins have taken advantage of six of their last 13 opportunities on the power play, operating at a rate of 46.2% since the beginning of April.