The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, with a few big moves that were made. You are probably adjusting those rosters, or waiting for EA to update them for you (keep waiting ha), as your favorite team prepares for the playoff push. Now is the perfect time to discuss who is quarterbacking your power play in NHL 08.

If you have played NHL much this season you have probably come to the realization that the game is a pretty good representation of real life hockey. One of the areas that are not so true to form in a few ways is the point play on the power play. So who should you have growing their playoff beard at the point when your team has the man advantage?

When it comes time for that all important man up for your team you usually want to have your 5 best players, or as close as possible, on the ice. Your 1st power play unit generally consists of the 3 best forwards and 2 best offensive defensemen controlling the blue line. However, much like the NHL there is a few things to consider when choosing a point man.

In my time with the game I have definitely come to the conclusion that having at least one speedy puck retriever is key at all times. This opens the door a bit for interpretation in the game, allowing you to even move a speedy forward back to the point on the PP. The reason this is so important is for when the other team actually manages to clear the puck you need someone with speed to retrieve it back to the attacking zone. If you play periods in length of 10 minutes or less, you’ll see that clearing the puck past center untouched, on a penalty kill, results in a speed up in the clock until the possession of the puck is regained. Those precious seconds can really add up, especially when you are trying to get a goal late with the advantage.

Another thing to generally look for in the position is a good powerful shot. However, this is an aspect that is more prevalent in the real NHL than in the game. Sure you can sometimes snipe one from the blue line, but in real life several teams set up to shoot primarily from the point. This is something much harder to do in the game unless you really have the mindset that you are going to do it come hell or high water.

Sometimes, in fact, it is just as important to get the puck near the net on a point shot as it is to get it on net. Rebounds and tips are always dangerous with a man advantage. Rebounds in the game though aren’t as easy to put home as in 3 dimensional version either. This is another reason why I would put more emphasis on a great skater and puck carrier back there, rather than a big d-man.

So who specifically are we looking at? Well, that is a tough question because every team has a different make up. The Capitals have put Ovechkin on the point at times for the 2 minutes. In the game it works for the retrieving the clears, but not so much for sniping from long distance. Plus it takes a powerful player away from down low for that one timer. Maybe with the addition of Federov you can make him the man to get the puck when the other team gains possession and dumps it out.

Defensemen like Lidstrom, Niedermayer, Gonchar, Zubov and Markov are pretty great in the game at doing the job just as in real life. These guys are great skaters, nice passers and can lug a puck like nobodies business. They can also absolutely fire a biscuit from deep downtown. The only problem, not many of these types of defensemen are out there. So look at their ratings in those key areas and try to find other players that are comparable for your power play point man.

Now on the ice players like Phaneuf, Pronger, Jovanowski and Chara can take over a game. In NHL 08, not so much, they are just too slow to go back and get a puck when time is of the essence. They are still great to have on your team for their defensive play and shots, but not the guy you want going back to their own end when it takes them an extra 5 seconds just to get the thing in the first place. Probably EA’s way of evening things out, and not making these players unstoppable, is my best guess at the reasoning here.

Some teams are lucky to not have to worry about making team’s point men come the whole way back to gather a puck on a clear. Teams with great puck moving goaltenders are a blessing to a power play. Dipietro is the "be all end all", and is pretty good on the game too at being aggressive and controlling a loose puck on the clear. You can just try for the long breakout pass to center with a goalie like him, saving plenty of time on your power play attack.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when choosing a quarterback on your teams’ power play. It is something that can save you valuable time though, so be sure to consider a speedy point player next time you are in your franchise and see how it goes.

Well, it is time to see how Marian Hossa looks in a Penguin uniform now. And while I don’t expect him to play the point tonight against the Bruins when we draw a penalty, this is something you can expect to see when you play all the bandwagon fans online. Just know that now you can have an idea of what kind of players can help you be deadly on the power play too. Start growing that playoff beard, because Cup time is coming, we’ll see you out there.