Top Five Powerplay Teams: #5 Vancouver Canucks

#5 -- Vancouver Canucks

Even though Vancouver had a quick exit in the playoffs, their powerplay in the videogame world remains a threat. Ranked fourth overall in the 2011-2012 season, Vancouver features a puck possession attack that differs from some of the pure sniping ability of other teams, but they find ways to put the puck in the net.

Looking at the their top unit, Vancouver is going to mainly feature a trio of Daniel and Henrik Sedin along with Ryan Kesler's rugged presence. Kesler's shooting ability has improved drastically in recent years, and his NHL 12 rating in this area is 87 for power and 88 for accuracy. When you add to that the 92 and 94 passing ratings for Daniel and Henrik respectively, the puck is going to find its way around the ice. Vancouver's chief defensive pair these days usually involves Alexander Edler and Sami Salo, with a respectable 85 passing rating for Edler and a still usable slapshot of 90 from the aging Salo. Losing Christian Ehrhoff in the off-season hurt this aspect of the Canucks powerplay, but these two still can get it done.

As for goaltending, Luongo — as long as he stays on the team this year — can be a bit dodgy with some of his rebound control, but his breakaway rating of 90 will help on any shorthanded chances the opposition might get.