The four-forward power play can turn a loose puck at the blue line into the most expensive footrace of the night. One second, the goalie fights to see through a screen. A stick interrupts the next pass, and the only defenseman starts skating backward. Behind him, open ice stretches toward his own net. The forwards who wanted the puck now need to catch it.
In the Oilers’ account of Game 6 against the Los Angeles Kings in 2023, Stuart Skinner stopped Adrian Kempe on a shorthanded two-on-one. A power play can demand exactly that kind of rescue. The extra skater gives an attack more options, but possession never guarantees protection.
Coaches accept that tension when they replace a second defenseman with another forward. The newcomer must move defenders, recover pucks and offer something the other attackers cannot. Talent alone does not finish the assignment. Someone still has to recognize trouble before the puck escapes. That makes the four-forward power play a test of shared responsibility: can five players keep creating chances without leaving their goalie to clean up the mistakes?
An extra forward has to change the penalty kill’s choices
The personnel decision comes first. A four-forward power play puts four forwards and one defenseman on the ice at five-on-four. Its formation can change with the puck, the pressure and the available shooting lanes. The familiar 1-3-1 gives the unit a point quarterback, two flank options, a bumper in the slot and a net-front presence.
The coaching guide from Ice Hockey Systems explains the appeal of that arrangement: spread the attack, maintain a screen and position players to shoot off passes. In practice, those responsibilities should force a penalty killer to defend two threats at once. If the bumper can shoot, the defender cannot chase the wall without checking the middle. A dangerous player near the crease gives the lower defenders another reason to stay home.
Those conflicts create the opening. Merely adding a fourth forward does not. Five talented players standing still can move the puck around the perimeter while the penalty kill barely moves its feet. The attack needs someone to change an angle, arrive behind a stick or make a short pass that opens a longer one.
Brayden Point makes the middle matter
Watch the sequence behind Nikita Kucherov’s 100th assist of the 2023-24 season. The NHL’s official highlight account follows the puck from the point to Kucherov on the half-wall, then straight into the middle. Brayden Point finishes from the bumper against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 17, 2024. The puck changes direction before the defense can settle.
That route exposes the problem facing the penalty kill. A defender watching the puck outside must also account for a shooter inside. Take away the middle, and the flank player has another option to examine. Step toward the wall, and the bumper can become available behind the pressure.
Point gives the role a recognizable face. Within a four-forward power play, the bumper cannot wait for the puck before deciding what comes next. The window can last a fraction of a second. His blade needs to arrive ready for a shot, a return pass or a touch toward the opposite side. An extra stickhandle can give the defender time to recover.
The job demands more than standing between the circles. A bumper must move enough to escape a defender’s stick without crowding the teammate near the crease. Small adjustments matter: a step toward the puck, a turn of the hips, a blade presented through an opening.
The lone defenseman must make the whole zone dangerous
Running four forwards gives the only defenseman a demanding assignment. He must keep pucks inside the blue line, manage pressure and offer an attacking threat of his own. A point player who only returns passes to the wall lets the penalty kill concentrate lower in the zone.
With Evan Bouchard running the point, Edmonton went 9-for-16 on the power play against Los Angeles in the 2023 first round, according to NHL reporter Derek Van Diest. Later that year, Leon Draisaitl explained in the Oilers’ club coverage how Bouchard’s shooting threat opened passing seams for the forwards.
That is the tactical value of a heavy point shot. A compact penalty kill wants to protect the slot and make the attack work outside. Give the quarterback a credible shooting lane, and staying compact carries a cost. Send a defender higher to challenge him, and space can open behind that defender.
The four-forward power play needs both sides of that choice. Its quarterback should recognize when to shoot and when pressure has created a better pass. Hammering every puck into a shin pad only starts another retrieval. A hard shot helps most when the defense must respect the alternatives, too.
The crease remains a workplace
At the other end of the formation, someone must stand where the sticks hurt. A net-front forward fights for position while tracking the shooter and the goalie’s sightline. His work connects the point threat to the scoring chance. As NHL reporter Adam Kimelman detailed, Brock Boeser supplied a screen and a deflection on Vancouver’s two power-play goals against Nashville in Game 3 of their 2024 series.
Those contributions explain why a scoring unit needs more than elegant passing. A goalie who sees a long shot early has time to set his feet. Traffic complicates that read; a deflection changes the puck’s path after the shot leaves the blade. The net-front player creates value by making the save harder, even when he never touches the puck.
Leaving that position too early can undo the work elsewhere. The point player may find a shooting lane, only for the goalie to gain an unobstructed view. Staying near the crease requires patience as well as strength. Some shifts demand a battle for position without the reward of a pass.
The old numbers explain the bargain rather than settle it
When analyst Matt Cane examined six years of power-play data for Hockey Graphs in September 2015, the offensive case looked strong. Four-forward units generated 101.7 shot attempts per 60 minutes, compared with 91.3 for three-forward units. Their net goal differential also led, 6.1 per 60 minutes against 4.9.
The defensive results supplied the warning. Opposing attempt rates changed little, but save percentage dropped from 92.5 percent behind three-forward units to 89.5 percent behind four-forward units. Cane also acknowledged that personnel differences between first and second units could influence the comparison.
More than a decade separates that study from today’s game. Its figures cannot predict how a particular 2026 roster should perform. They do, however, explain why evaluating a four-forward power play requires more than counting goals scored. The extra offense matters alongside the chances surrendered and the players handling each assignment.
A short playoff surge cannot resolve that calculation either. Bouchard’s 2023 first-round example demonstrates a successful unit, not proof that swapping any defenseman for any forward improves an attack. Coaches still need to judge the replacement’s skill, the quarterback’s decisions and the recovery habits around them.
The replay can distort that judgment. A goalie’s spectacular save may erase a mistake from the scoreboard without fixing the underlying problem. One ugly turnover can also overshadow several dangerous chances at the other end. Neither moment alone tells a coach whether the gamble paid off.
The danger starts before anyone loses the puck
Consider the point player moving down the wall to retrieve a rebound. If every forward watches the puck, the highest protective position empties. A penalty killer needs only a clean outlet to attack the space behind them. The mistake starts with the missing support, before the turnover ever appears on the replay.
A four-forward power play therefore needs explicit recovery assignments. When the defenseman moves lower, a forward should fill above him. The nearest attacker can pressure a loose puck while another protects the route through the middle. Chasing together leaves too much ice for the first opponent who escapes.
Roope Hintz offers a reminder of the finishing threat. NHL coverage of Dallas’s 2023 series against Minnesota records his shorthanded breakaway goal in Game 2. An attacking unit cannot expect its goalie to erase that sort of chance whenever its spacing breaks down.
Fatigue makes the decision harsher. A tired player reaching for one last keep-in may struggle to turn and recover. Sometimes the useful play is a reset or a change that lets fresh legs sustain the attack. Protecting possession includes knowing when a shift has run its course.
The next improvement comes after the pass
The best review of a power play should include the frames nobody puts in the highlight package. Stop the video as the quarterback steps down the wall. Find the forward who notices. Then follow the first strides after a blocked shot and check who takes the inside route toward the defending net.
Those moments show whether the unit has built recovery into its attack. A coach can practice them by introducing a contested entry, an awkward rebound or a puck that skips over a blade. The players must make another decision while their planned sequence falls apart. Clean passing drills alone cannot reproduce that demand.
Deployment should reflect the available players and the game in front of them. Chasing a late goal can justify accepting more exposure for another scoring threat. Protecting a narrow lead may favor a second defenseman who handles pressure better than the next forward. The lineup card should serve the situation rather than dictate it.
For the four-forward power play, the useful question reaches beyond who owns the hardest shot or the quickest hands. Who notices the teammate moving out of position? Which attacker can challenge the loose puck without opening the middle?
The goal horn rewards the finish. A quiet turn back toward the blue line may keep the next chance alive. When possession breaks, who has already started covering?
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FAQs
What is a four-forward power play?
A four-forward power play uses four forwards and one defenseman at five-on-four. Teams choose that lineup to add another attacking skill set.
Why do NHL teams use four forwards on the power play?
An extra forward can create passing options, recover rebounds and draw defenders away from teammates. Those actions make the penalty kill defend competing threats.
What does the bumper do on a power play?
The bumper works in the slot. He offers a quick shooting option, returns passes and redirects the puck toward teammates.
What is the biggest risk of using four forwards?
A turnover can leave the lone defenseman facing a shorthanded rush. Poor spacing and slow recovery can give opponents a clear route toward goal.
How can a four-forward unit prevent shorthanded chances?
Players need clear recovery assignments. When the defenseman moves lower, a forward should cover above him while teammates pressure the puck and protect the middle.
