Except the odd man rush don't translate into such a difference.
It's really simple and logical. You will shoot more when you keep the puck rather than give it to the opponent and try to get it back. You don't need a PHD to figure that out.
Made me think about why NFL teams
ever punt. I mean, you need to run plays to score touchdowns, so why waste so many 4th downs by kicking, yielding possession, instead of just trying, right?
Reality is that there's an element of "field position" in hockey, and that it's more tiring (and prone to error/interception) to start each breakout from the farthest spot away from your target. But (and this is the problem) that study only correlates zone entries to shots, with the implied understanding that more shots (regardless of "type") should produce more goals. Problem is, what kind of shots are being produced by carrying the puck over the blueline as opposed to dumping it in? Is it a higher percentage play to carry it over the blueline and try to beat goalies or create rebounds off long shots as opposed to getting the puck as close to the scoring area as possible and trying to generate scrums from there?
Seems to me that goalies are most affected by moving laterally, reading and reacting, and traffic. Both of these are encouraged to a larger degree by the dump and chase... IF you can dump the puck properly and ONLY if you have success retrieving the puck at least X% of the time. If you can't maintain a certainly level of success maintaining/gaining possession off the dump-in (such is the struggle of our team), then either get better at dump-ins (don't dump it to the side of the puck mover of a pairing, for example), or try different ones (if speed is an asset, why not slow lob dumps to corners, away from goalies, pretty much like we do most often to get OUT of our zone, to put more defensemen under pressure to get those pucks. And when they start cheating by hanging back closer to where they expect you to dump it, then take the space instead, and look to make a play exploiting their poor gap control.
For me it comes down to having a group of players with enough hockey I.Q. to take what the opponent gives them (take space ANYWHERE, not just straight ahead, if they give it to you, dump it to open space and chase it if you
have to), as opposed to insanely repeating a pattern regardless, waiting for it to yield results under favourable conditions or lucky bounces. I don't think
enough of our players are good enough at coming up with alternative solutions at game speed, stifling creativity, making us predictable at times, and preventing us from hanging with the
really good teams who have players on multiple lines changing games with plays like this just about every shift of every night.
Also, I think teams are too infatuated with getting the breakout from blueline to blueline as quickly as possible. It makes breakouts predictable in most cases, and defensive formations (especially those with 5 guys standing on one half of ice) have to move relatively little to choke off access and force the chip/dump. A little more patience and creativity in the neutral zone (still need to incorporate speed and circling, as standing around is what the defense is probably doing, too) should be able to draw just one defender at least slightly out of place and forwards should be able to recognize the space opening up and get there as a passing option.