Crazy rise in scoring the last three years
- Thread starter daver
- Start date
- Aug 24, 2011
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Worse goaltending and expansion teams diluting the league's talent
- Sep 28, 2014
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This..combined with one other factor, the younger generation of players are more offensive-minded than the previous, including the defensemen.
Goaltenders are abysmal now. Shesterskin is considered the best but he wouldn't even sniff the top 10 a decade ago.
Uncle Scrooge
Hockey Bettor
Aside from the game changing, there was a lot of rules changed over the last half a decade plus. Smaller goalie equipment, less stick infractions allowed, offensive zone draws after puck goes out of play off the iron, and so on. Alone they're not huge, but it all adds up.
But also if you look at teams around the League these days, a lot of 3rd lines have decent offensive potential. This used to be a bit of a luxury. Now it's expected.
Oh, and 3 on 3 OT's. More games end in overtimes rather than the shootout, and those points count just the same. This particularly works in favor of the star players who usually score those goals.
But also if you look at teams around the League these days, a lot of 3rd lines have decent offensive potential. This used to be a bit of a luxury. Now it's expected.
Oh, and 3 on 3 OT's. More games end in overtimes rather than the shootout, and those points count just the same. This particularly works in favor of the star players who usually score those goals.
- Jun 22, 2018
- 8,953
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It’s more to do with the reduced size of goalie equipment I’d say. That combined with expansion and the league trending towards a more offensive style because of it (and to a lesser extent more empty net goals).
- Oct 9, 2012
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Goalie equipment size changes, and the league pivoting to a higher scoring league. It has nothing to do with diluted talent
No more Michelin men goaltenders is going a long way.
Matty Sundin
Registered User
- Jul 18, 2006
- 4,222
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- More teams means more bad teams and the bad teams get lit up like a Christmas tree due to talent being diluted
- Goalie equipment has been shrinking. Lots of goalies are still trying to adapt to a different style, instead of just covering as much net.
- The league has always been copy cats of teams that found recent successes. Tampa bay and Colorado were high flying offensive teams. You can’t just win by being a pure defensive trap team. Look at LA last year…
- Back to goalies. Coaching is so more advanced now. Teams look for goalie weakness and try to expose them. It’s part of a reason why goalies are so crazy inconsistent in recent years and why you might get some unknown goalie be a brick wall because nobody knows anything about him and then gets exposed next year. Having a good goalie coach is more important then ever now to help a goalie change or adapt their style.
- PP opportunities are up and teams with high offensive talent like Oilers are weaponizing it.
- Although talent on teams is getting slightly diluted, players conditioning and talent has been better then ever. The days of being a pure grinder doesn’t cut it today. If you can’t skate or have no skill, you won’t last long.
Probably more I’m missing but it’s never just one reason and is multiple reasons combined. The league goes through phases of high scoring and low scoring where 90pts wins the art Ross. I do think low scoring will be back eventually when coaches find a way to adapt. Until then, were in a high scoring phase.
- Goalie equipment has been shrinking. Lots of goalies are still trying to adapt to a different style, instead of just covering as much net.
- The league has always been copy cats of teams that found recent successes. Tampa bay and Colorado were high flying offensive teams. You can’t just win by being a pure defensive trap team. Look at LA last year…
- Back to goalies. Coaching is so more advanced now. Teams look for goalie weakness and try to expose them. It’s part of a reason why goalies are so crazy inconsistent in recent years and why you might get some unknown goalie be a brick wall because nobody knows anything about him and then gets exposed next year. Having a good goalie coach is more important then ever now to help a goalie change or adapt their style.
- PP opportunities are up and teams with high offensive talent like Oilers are weaponizing it.
- Although talent on teams is getting slightly diluted, players conditioning and talent has been better then ever. The days of being a pure grinder doesn’t cut it today. If you can’t skate or have no skill, you won’t last long.
Probably more I’m missing but it’s never just one reason and is multiple reasons combined. The league goes through phases of high scoring and low scoring where 90pts wins the art Ross. I do think low scoring will be back eventually when coaches find a way to adapt. Until then, were in a high scoring phase.
Teams relying more on their backups for load management has become a thing. In 2002-03, 14 goalies played in more than 60 games. That was down to 3 last season. Backups season more time would account for some of the increased scoring.
As others noted, expansion has diluted the goalie pool a bit more than it was previously. I'd have to look it up, but goalie injuries seem to be on the rise as well. 20 years ago you might have seen some guys like Sean Burke transition from being standup goalies to butterfly, but now this generation of goalies grew up playing that style at a young age. I've read articles about there being a noticeable level of attrition.
As others noted, expansion has diluted the goalie pool a bit more than it was previously. I'd have to look it up, but goalie injuries seem to be on the rise as well. 20 years ago you might have seen some guys like Sean Burke transition from being standup goalies to butterfly, but now this generation of goalies grew up playing that style at a young age. I've read articles about there being a noticeable level of attrition.
Killer Orcas
Registered User
Dman are like 4th forwards these days it's all about offence these days. Less hitting more PP's and smaller equipment are some things.
It's the Auston Matthews effect, all the kids who grew up wanting to be like Big Papi are entering the NHL. #TheAustonMatthewsEffect
I tend to agree with this. Since the late '90s to the late '10s, ES scoring was pretty much the same, scoring totals went up when they called way more PPs after the 2005 lockout. They added 4 teams over that time frame with no affects.
It is really the drop in sv% the last few years that is driving up scoring and a pivot to higher a scoring league which, in itself, leads to more scoring as teams open things up if they get down a goal or two early in games.
The average TOI by the elite forwards is much higher in the past few years vs. the mid-10s.
Luigi Lemieux
Registered User
- Sep 26, 2003
- 22,045
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It's the smaller goalie pads that went into affect in 2018. It's why power play efficiencies have sky rocketed as well. 20% used to be near the top of the league, now it's near the bottom.
Khelandros
Registered User
- Feb 12, 2019
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There are a whole 9 seasons missing in your splits. there were 26 hundred point scorers and 13 others that were at a 100 point pace.
2005-2013, but I guess that would mess with the arguement.
2005-2013, but I guess that would mess with the arguement.
PP opportunities artificially raised scoring levels after the lockout. There has been a fundamental change the last five, six years.
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In addition to the pads, I think the stick tech is a big factor as well. Not that it’s a recent development so much but we’re getting to the point where players grew up with them so a much larger portion of the league are dangerous shooters now. So you have both better shooters and more to shoot at. And since that increases the size of the dangerous areas of the zone, it means the defense has to be more active which in turn opens up more space. And a rise in offense leads to more offense because teams then have to open up more to try to come back.
Khelandros
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- Feb 12, 2019
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Well, in that case, from the very first NHL season in 1917 to this past season in 2024, there have been 15 players with even strength totals and 5 players on pace for 100 total even strength points.PP opportunities artificially raised scoring levels after the lockout. There has been a fundamental change the last five, six years.
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Khelandros
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- Feb 12, 2019
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Forwards are more skilled, for sure. But they aren't better shooters - they have better sticks, the great equalizers. Pettersson won hardest shot at like 170 pounds. That's impossible without modern tech, and it has raised the shooting floor beyond recognition.
I speak from experience: I moved to a "hard to find hockey state" from Canada and basically took 15 years off of playing the game, came back two years ago fatter, slower, and weaker and have a significantly better shot than when I left.
Still have no idea what you are saying.
Are you denying that scoring took a huge jump in the last 8 years?
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