ANAHEIM, Calif. — There is no reaction quite like an overreaction. Particularly, in small sample sizes.
Exhibit 1a. The Anaheim Ducks powerplay has scored four times in their first three games, compared to four times in nine games to start last season.
Exhibit 1b. The New York Rangers have not scored in 180 minutes on home ice. Chris Kreider scored 2 minutes and 58 seconds into his time on home ice.
Exhibit 2a. Chris Kreider has changed the Anaheim Ducks powerplay, which in turn, will change the Anaheim Ducks season.
It’s too small a sample to glorify a powerplay messiah for the Ducks 2025/26 campaign. That said, visual, statistical and analytical data will prove the early returns of Chris Kreider being on the Ducks roster has altered the powerplay.
With two goals on Tuesday, both during five-on-four hockey and the second coming as a game-winner in the final 87 seconds, Kreider has been the staple of the Ducks offense to kick start the season. Four goals through three games, with three coming with the man-advantage which has helped Anaheim to an NHL second-best 36.4 powerplay percentage.
Chris Kreider, his second powerplay goal of the night (and back-to-back games with that same stat) gives Ducks 4-3 lead with 1:27 left in third — Kreider has two goals in 15 minutes of home ice time, NY Rangers have zero in 180 minutes pic.twitter.com/pDf8xXRZyp
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) October 15, 2025
For comparison, the Ducks didn’t score their third (or fourth) powerplay goals until their ninth game last season. It took Kreider and the Ducks 11 powerplays to get him his third goal. It took the Ducks 27 powerplays last year to get their team’s third powerplay goal.
“(Chris) wants to help out in any way he can and the area we needed some production, and net front presence, and our powerplay to be better at — that’s the kind of something he specializes in,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “I know it’s early and everything like that but when you get that kind of production right out of the gate — I think he’s gotta be pretty happy with the whole thing and the line mates are having fun as well.”
So, the question lingers: Does Chris Kreider really make a difference on the powerplay, and if so, how?
Some credit needs to be given to the coaching staff — Jay Woodcroft in particular — who has altered the cyclical movement of the units to create better shooting lanes. Again, however, Kreider’s goals have come off of net front presence shots and greasy crease battles.
“I think there’s different plays you can design with (Chris) but I think it’s getting inside that powerplay where he’s a presence whether he’s playing goal or whether he pops out,” Quenneville said. “Visits different looks and I think everyone else seems pretty handy with the pucks as well and it’s been effective in a short amount of time, but his production is reflecting how important he’s been.”
During this systematic change, and again, small sample, the team has increased its expected goals shared (xGF%) from 89.72% last season to 98.47% this season (Note: xGF% is a play driving metric using formulaic measures to get a statistic regarding scoring chances and goal opportunities; league-average simmers around 90%). A team’s xGF% will increase rapidly while on the powerplay but seeing a near ten-percent increase is a dramatic overhaul even in the short term.
The metric increases with in-zone offense, which has also seen an increase from season-to-season in the nascent stages. The Ducks sat nearly square at league-average (58.7%) in offensive zone time during the powerplay last year at 58.8%. Jump ahead to the trio of games this season, and they jump to 60.5% offensive zone time during the powerplay (league-average also up to 59.1% in early part of season). Whether by small metric shift, or by Kreider’s effect, the Ducks have that much more time in the offensive zone to create scoring opportunities.
“He wins puck battles,” Ducks forward Troy Terry said. “When we had shots, we got more pucks back because he’s winning them.”
The one consistent item, for Kreider, is the quartet he shares the powerplay unit with: Terry, Jackson LaCombe, Mikael Granlund and Leo Carlsson. Of course, Granlund adds a veteran presence to the powerplay, but Kreider continues to be the beneficiary of the rest of the quartet working Woodcroft’s cyclical movement system.
“I think (Tuesday) was the best it looked in terms of flowing off of each other,” Kreider said. “Interchangeable pieces. At least with those four guys, I try not to move too much, but they’re just zipping around and it’s just fun to watch, honestly… It makes my job easy.”
“He’s a premier powerplay guy,” Terry said. “It’s been that way for years now. He just gives us a sense of confidence and is kind of that anchor at the net.”
The metrics and data will show you one side of the story in small sample, but there are unquantifiable metrics in place here. Human element cannot be put on paper, no matter how hard anyone tries. It’s just a fact or fiction item that you have to trust based on instinct or comment from others. When it comes to the Ducks top powerplay unit, though, the human element can be put into words by its members.
“We talk a lot more as a unit and (Chris) has initiated a lot of that,” Terry said. “He’s obviously been on some high-end powerplays. Just a lot of open dialogue and you see it.”
Everything at this stage of the year comes in small sample, and as stated, no reaction hits quite like an overreaction. Whether by clarity, or early force of nature measures, overreaction indicates that the Ducks powerplay has altered, and Chris Kreider is the reason.