GDT: flaming

[AhosDatsyukian]

Tripp has been mentioning it. Apparently in camp this year, Svech was #1, Burns 2, and Staal 3.

Look I love me some Burns and Staal but all those young guys that are behind those 2 should be kicking themselves for being behind the geriatrics lol

 

[WreckingCrew]

Went to sleep after the second. Canes looked amazing in the first two periods. We honestly could have scored 7 goals. Vladar was sensational and our finishing wasn't great. Biggest concern for me was not the occasional defensive lapses (honestly Calgary's were 5x worse), but the finishing. It's looking like we will need to generate 2x more scoring chances than opponents to eek out more goals, but maybe it's temporary. A little Debbie downer of me considering we are winning on a tough road trip. Overall we had a really great 1st and 2nd.

I also think Slavin seems off.

We're definitely struggling a bit in that department as usual, hovering around our average of about 9% (25th in the league)

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I know statistically, it's been proven that winning/losing faceoffs doesn't make a major difference when it comes to wins and losses over the course of a season.

That being said, I love that a clean KK win led to Necas' 100th and I love that Drury absolutely HATED that he lost the faceoff leading to the Bean goal

 

[AD Skinner]

Call me crazy but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that faceoffs are important to the head coach

 

[MinJaBen]

I know statistically, it's been proven that winning/losing faceoffs doesn't make a major difference when it comes to wins and losses over the course of a season.

That being said, I love that a clean KK win led to Necas' 100th and I love that Drury absolutely HATED that he lost the faceoff leading to the Bean goal

I wonder if the "proven" would look different if you got rid of all the faceoffs between the blue lines.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I know statistically, it's been proven that winning/losing faceoffs doesn't make a major difference when it comes to wins and losses over the course of a season.

That being said, I love that a clean KK win led to Necas' 100th and I love that Drury absolutely HATED that he lost the faceoff leading to the Bean goal

I know a certain head coach that would fight you to the death over this argument.

 

[chaz4hockey]

This team is certainly pleasing to the eye versus previous years & their team speed is a big part of it.

Sure, the team could deliver more capable finishing, the top line to get more untracked and the 4th line to up their play but......winning 3 of four on this road trip so far (plus, deserved a win in St. L too) is pretty darn good.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I wonder if the "proven" would look different if you got rid of all the faceoffs between the blue lines.

Possibly, but the whole argument is that winning faceoffs should lead to more possession time, which should, in turn, lead to more goals and more wins. So removing the faceoffs from a certain portion of the ice shouldn't make a difference.

 

[MinJaBen]

Possibly, but the whole argument is that winning faceoffs should lead to more possession time, which should, in turn, lead to more goals and more wins. So removing the faceoffs from a certain portion of the ice shouldn't make a difference.

Yeah, but I think that hypothesis is flawed as more possession time in the neutral zone probably doesn't corelate to more scoring with a dump and chase team like we have, and with a team as good as defending the blue line as we are. Now, if we have possession on the faceoff in the offensive zone or the defensive zone, I think that would change the calculus.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Yeah, but I think that hypothesis is flawed as more possession time in the neutral zone probably doesn't corelate to more scoring with a dump and chase team like we have, and with a team as good as defending the blue line as we are. Now, if we have possession on the faceoff in the offensive zone or the defensive zone, I think that would change the calculus.

I also think part of the argument is that, since the majority of shifts are on the fly (and not directly after a faceoff), faceoff wins/losses don't affect possession as much as initially believed. And then there's the fact that the difference between a "good" faceoff guy and a "bad" faceoff guy is only about 8%, or around 20 faceoff wins a season.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

I also think part of the argument is that, since the majority of shifts are on the fly (and not directly after a faceoff), faceoff wins/losses don't affect possession as much as initially believed. And then there's the fact that the difference between a "good" faceoff guy and a "bad" faceoff guy is only about 8%, or around 20 faceoff wins a season.

I think it's more that faceoffs can situationally have an outsized effect on the final score.

For example, tied game in the 1st, you get the first powerplay. You win it cleanly and set it up in their zone probably increases the chance of scoring on that powerplay by as much as 20%. First goal of the game is massive. Conversely, if you have a kill, say in the 3rd, and you're nursing a one goal lead, getting possession in your zone and teeing it to the other end is a huge momentum builder to start that important PK. The opening faceoff to a period is usually a lot less important, unless that faceoff is for 3v3 overtime.

Also another huge game from Necas. He looks like a man possessed out there sometimes, and with great scoring to boot. Looks like we might get 72 point Necas this year, and I'd bet a lot of that increased production will come from the powerplay.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I think it's more that faceoffs can situationally have an outsized effect on the final score.

For example, tied game in the 1st, you get the first powerplay. You win it cleanly and set it up in their zone probably increases the chance of scoring on that powerplay by as much as 20%. First goal of the game is massive. Conversely, if you have a kill, say in the 3rd, and you're nursing a one goal lead, getting possession in your zone and teeing it to the other end is a huge momentum builder to start that important PK. The opening faceoff to a period is usually a lot less important, unless that faceoff is for 3v3 overtime.

While it's true that faceoffs can be situationally beneficial, we're usually talking about 4-5 important faceoffs over the course of the game. Statistically, a small amount of faceoffs compared to the total amount in the game. Winning those 4-5 faceoffs is probably better than not winning them, but it doesn't appear to have a statistical affect on a team's chances of winning. At least, not one that's been greatly researched.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

too much stats and data in sports these days