GordieHoweHatTrick
Registered User
According to James Mirtle the Maple Leafs have an unsustainable shooting percentage because they shot at 11.5% last season, and are at 12.3% to start this season, but the NHL average has been 9.2% in recent years. He cites the 2009/10 Washington Capitals, who shot 11.7% that season but dropped down to 8.5% the following season, as a comparable to the Leafs' imminent collapse. What he ignores is that those Capitals teams peppered the opposition with 32 shot on average those two seasons.
The Leafs got 26.3 shots on average last season and 26.6 to start this season and are currently on pace to score 260 goals shooting at a 12.3% clip. If that shooting percentage dropped down even the 9.2% Mirtle suggests but the Leafs increased their shot totals to the league average (~30.4) they would score ~234 goals this season (not a devastating number). Also, I wonder what the correlation between teams with low Shots For totals and their shooting % to teams with high Shots For totals and their shooting % is like. I'm guessing the teams who shoot more have lower %s and teams which shoot less have higher %, which digs a little deeper into the opportunistic nature of NHL offenses.
There are so many variables I think its too simplistic to say the Leafs shooting % is this but its unsustainable and if it falls down to this, this will be the ultimate outcome. Its also gotten a little boring.
The Leafs got 26.3 shots on average last season and 26.6 to start this season and are currently on pace to score 260 goals shooting at a 12.3% clip. If that shooting percentage dropped down even the 9.2% Mirtle suggests but the Leafs increased their shot totals to the league average (~30.4) they would score ~234 goals this season (not a devastating number). Also, I wonder what the correlation between teams with low Shots For totals and their shooting % to teams with high Shots For totals and their shooting % is like. I'm guessing the teams who shoot more have lower %s and teams which shoot less have higher %, which digs a little deeper into the opportunistic nature of NHL offenses.
There are so many variables I think its too simplistic to say the Leafs shooting % is this but its unsustainable and if it falls down to this, this will be the ultimate outcome. Its also gotten a little boring.