Colorado stars close to shattering the empty net points record

[CantHaveTkachev]

Im jealous you were a fan during the Gretzky years, but obv a big zero for the McDavid years.

dude shows up in 2024 to flex on Championships his "team" won 2 years ago LOL

 

[Nogatco Rd]

HWen McDrai were racking up PP points everyone was criticizing them for easy point. MacKinnon getting EN goals gets handclaps and "its part of the game"

I shudder to think about i'd read on here if McDavid or Draisaitl had 11 EN goals/points. I really do.

Do the oilers typically put McDrai out to defend leads in those 5 v 6 situations?

 

[Aashir Mallik]

That year where they "got lucky once" was better and more impressive than Tampa's mickey mouse COVID cups. What has Tampa done since then? Oh right, lose to the f***ing Maple Leafs of all teams in the playoffs.

what did we do…Why are we catching strays

 

[Oilslick941611]

Do the oilers typically put McDrai out to defend leads in those 5 v 6 situations?

yes, he is on the ice, they just cant score on the empty, they chew the clock now, I truly believe McDrai are over individual accolades though. They have been playing defence these past 2 years, Drai especially.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Teams are pulling the goalie earlier and down by more now. Teams will pull the goalie down by two with like three minutes left these days so makes sense we're seeing these records. At the end of the day they get empty net points because as a team they're in a position to.

 

[Toby91ca]

I think we all now that "empty-net scoring culture" (thank you) has changed in pro-hockey over the past 5 or 10 years. As someone noted, it used to be that coaches would only pull the goalie with maybe 90 seconds or less to play, and then usually only if down by maybe one goal.

Also, it used to be that players were generally frowned upon for trying to score into the empty-net unless it was a total 'gimme' (because missing would result in icing).

These factors have changed, maybe due to analytics or whatever, but nowadays coaches pull the goalies way earlier and they seem to encourage players to shoot on the empty-net, as obviously scoring an insurance goal pretty much seals a win. And if you have your top players on, the odds of them completing passes and scoring on the empty-net are higher than if your grinders are on.

So, the fact that empty-net scoring has gone up doesn't surprise me at all, given these factors.

However, what does surprise me a bit about Kucherov last year and Rantanen / MacKinnon (so far) this year is that they're putting up these record empty-net point totals... and their respective teams aren't that good.

That is, I would have thought that in order to score a record point total on empty nets, you would have to face a relatively huge number of empty nets compared to other clubs. Thus, I would have thought only top players on the top 3 or 4 teams would even have the possibility of setting those records. But last year, the Lightning were just 'good' (bad-ish in the first half) and this year the Avalance are likewise just 'good'. So, presumably, there are several clubs who have faced empty nets more often than the Lightning last year or the Avs this year, yet nobody has come close to Kuch's "record" or the Avs' stars pace this season.

So... what I'd like to know is: How many times did the Lightning face an empty net last season in total, and how many times have the Avs faced an empty net so far this season?

Teams are definitely pulling their goalies earlier than before. Kucherov set the record last year with 14 empty net points. This year there are 6 guys pacing to match or break that.

Anyway, I'm actually not surprised that it's not guys on powerhouse teams. The way I look at it is that the games need to be close enough where pulling the goalie will make sense. I think that happens more with middle of the pack teams than with powerhouse teams (i.e. the powerhouse teams are up by more goals more often where pulling the goalie doesn't make sense?)

 

[thefutures]

Kinda funny considering how much crying there was here last year. Multiple threads etc

 

[benfranklin]

im not. Its okay. Im just point out being up rings is a stupid argument or point to make.

You, like me, had zero to do with the team winning. So it holding it over fans is just juvenile.

Completely disagree. I was right behind the bench and was in the hotel lobby watching Landy bring the Cup in. It was one of the best nights of my life and I can die happy now in my sports fandom. I might have given .000001% of my cheering to help them win.

So yes, until McDavid, Draisaitl, Hughes or whoever else wants to talk shit about MacKinnon/Makar get a cup, I have that to hold over them. And it wasnt 40 years ago.

 

[Horvat1C]

Kucherov does it last year and people use it against him.

MacKinnon does it this year and now it's a credit to his game that he's out there.

 

[Eltuna]

You do know he lost the Art Ross right? And has 1 less cup. The Avs are just perennial 2nd round losers who got lucky once.

That Avs team was far from lucky, I think the late 2000’s Red Wings are the only modern team that has a claim of being more dominant. The Avs went 16-4 with downright mediocre goaltending which is unheard of and also manhandled a two time Stanley cup winning team in the finals that year.

Nukes addiction issues, the Landeskog injury, and the salary cap squeezing out some good players meant it was a short peak but for that one year they would have needed insane bad luck to not win it all.

 

[McShogun99]

I've always loved the empty net point. It helps secure the win and take pressure off the team.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I’ve always wondered how it would be perceived if there was an EN specialist. Say his team won 50 games and he’d get a point or 2 on empty netters every win and he ended up with 80 empty net points. If he only got 20 PP, ES, SH points he’d end up with 100. Kind of a drastic far fetched scenario but I wonder what his reputation would be

 

[wayninja]

I'm sure all the MacKinnon fans who were bitching about Kuch's EN points last year have no problem with it this time.

No, it's terrible and something needs to be done about it. Oh well, nevertheless...

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Lol now that Mack and Rantanen are doing it, it's suddenly fine by the majority of HF. Never change you hypocrites.

 

[Midnight Judges]

What’s really interesting IMO is that coaches didn’t realize - until recently - that pulling the goalie sooner in the game results in a mathematically higher likelihood of winning. (Similar to how coaches in the nfl recently realized they should be going for it on 4th down more often).

There is nothing particularly new or different about the rules or the scoring environment that would cause this strategy change, right?

 

[Oilslick941611]

Completely disagree. I was right behind the bench and was in the hotel lobby watching Landy bring the Cup in. It was one of the best nights of my life and I can die happy now in my sports fandom. I might have given .000001% of my cheering to help them win.

So yes, until McDavid, Draisaitl, Hughes or whoever else wants to talk shit about MacKinnon/Makar get a cup, I have that to hold over them. And it wasnt 40 years ago.

you do you but thats sad. You thinking you can "hold" someone else's victory over the head of another fan because you cheered for the right team is crazy. Are you 12? I bet your dad could beat up my dad as well, well, i know he can because my dad died 2 years ago, so it wouldn't be much of a fight.

 

[The Panther]

Anyway, I'm actually not surprised that it's not guys on powerhouse teams. The way I look at it is that the games need to be close enough where pulling the goalie will make sense. I think that happens more with middle of the pack teams than with powerhouse teams (i.e. the powerhouse teams are up by more goals more often where pulling the goalie doesn't make sense?)

Yes, I had the same thought today, so I think you are right.

 

[Sol]

Record means nothing. It’s only very recent when dumb coaches realized it’s better to shoot down the ice versus just dumping it in from the red line

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Wish anyone on the Bruins could get empty net points
Usually ends up in the back of their net

No issue with guys putting up these points. They’re out there to protect a lead and usually finish the game off.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

I heard the Refalanche spend half their practice just trying to shoot from their own zone into an empty net.

Pathetic.

Just let the other team score and tie the game up. We want ratings.

 

[SladeWilson23]

I mean in order to be put in a scenario where your opponent has to pull their goalie, that means they had to score normal goals in the earlier parts of the game.

 

[Neil Racki]

They're EN merchants. Go absolutely insane when they see an empty net.

Everyone is an empty net merchant

 

[PuckG]

Any other year and the whining from Avs fans on players being “EN merchants” would be non-stop. How the tables have turned..

 

[HockeyFan100]

Any other year and the whining from Avs fans on players being “EN merchants” would be non-stop. How the tables have turned..

lol this isn't the gotcha like you think it is. MacKinnon has absoulutely been a EN merchant this year. Kucherov was one last season. It's not hard to understand. What I find funny is that all of a sudden Lightning fans hate EN points now. Also lots of Oilers fans 'whined' about his EN points last season too so I don't think you should be pointing fingers

Kucherov does it last year and people use it against him.

MacKinnon does it this year and now it's a credit to his game that he's out there.

???

Nikita Kucherov sets NHL record for most empty-net points in a season

Kucherov recorded his 13th empty net point of the season today, breaking the NHL record. Neat accomplishment in what has been a fantastic season for the Russian.

forums.hfboards.com

Don't even have to go past the first 5 posts

 

[PuckG]

lol this isn't the gotcha like you think it is. MacKinnon has absoulutely been a EN merchant this year. Kucherov was one last season. It's not hard to understand. What I find funny is that all of a sudden Lightning fans hate EN points now. Also lots of Oilers fans 'whined' about his EN points last season too so I don't think you should be pointing fingers


???

Nikita Kucherov sets NHL record for most empty-net points in a season

Kucherov recorded his 13th empty net point of the season today, breaking the NHL record. Neat accomplishment in what has been a fantastic season for the Russian.

forums.hfboards.com

Don't even have to go past the first 5 posts

Avs fans changed their tune because it benefits them now.