So here’s the thing: the Jets have been pretty average all year. At 5v5 (80+% of the game) they rank 22nd in Expected Goals For percentage and 16th in Corsi For % (shot attempts). Overall, their offense has been middling while their team defense has been bottom ten in the league by those metrics mentioned above. Last…

5v5 rankings:

I agree with you - my description probably was over-the-top because it’s Tortorella behind the bench. He’s always coached teams in an aggressive/open-play style which typically ends up with team numbers that are below-average on the defensive end (because they end up taking risks and trading chances on defense).

NYR would be serious contenders for him as an UFA so I’d rather trade one of the two you mentioned for other assets and get Panarin for “free” as he’s going to get paid either way.

I think the only way Panarin is traded is if CBJ has a bad-luck season in terms of shot or save %. They were 10th in the league at 5v5 Corsi % and Expected Goals % last season, led by a very good offense and a defense that was below average but, ultimately, negated by one of the better goaltenders in Bobrovsky.…

I’m sorry but as a Bills fan I have to ask: how is this column not just a weekly update regarding Buffalo?

I went to Clarkson with Borowiecki and helped him a bit in a statistics class (books weren’t his strong suit). I still can’t tell if he just put up with this because he’s the local Ottawa boy, or if he genuinely thought this was a good idea.

Roman Polak has somehow made over $30 million in his NHL career because he’s ... big? He’s never once been a positive shot share player relative to his teammates and has barely broken 1 shot on goal per game in less than half his seasons. It will be addition by subtraction with him gone (Carrick should slot into his…

“The Knights will be favored, whichever California team they play next. As they very much should be.”

Bruins are definitely legit, especially battling through injuries. I’m still regretting not grabbing them when they were up towards 12 or 15-1 back in December. That being said, Tampa has woken up after a slow JAN/FEB. Should be fun.

This is all well and good as the Knights have been a most legitimate team all year, but they’ve been trending the wrong way for 2 months. They probably still win round one, but I wouldn’t take them to beat SJS or ANA right now.

A big part of the problem with Dallas lately is that they’ve stopped limiting the shots against, which is the key to any Hitchcock-led team.

Mrazek had a brutal 16-17, yes, but he’s bounced back to pretty much being league average this year. His EV save% is back up to 0.924 while he’s just getting torched on the PK (Wings are ranked 24th in the league), which can swing wildly for goaltenders in the NHL from year to year.

James should probably worry about his own game... “plenty there to keep you busy.”

The Oilers have made some brutal personnel moves, no one is denying that, but what is being slightly overlooked even by the analytics community is that their numbers aren’t horrible. 2nd in expected Goals For/60 minutes, 15th in expected Goals Against. They’ve gotten bit by their shooting and save % more than anything.

Vegas currently ranks 25th in expected Goals For percentage at 5on5. Their offense is below average (but not horrid) while their defense is firmly middle of the pack. About one or two teams make the playoffs each year with an xGF% below 50, but as you alluded to it’s mostly PDO driven in the end. I could see their…

Stepan is a 1B center, I’ll give you that, but the issue is the Rangers went from 4 good centers to three in a league where the best teams have shot-driving centers flanked by wingers who can chip in goals. NYR was a solid team last year because their F depth was so good that it masked the absolute putrid performance…

Just came down here quickly to say ... hey, I’ll be one of those guys watching* Watford games on Saturday mornings. I’ve been “following” them since the moment Jay DeMerit put them back into the EPL (for a moment) with his playoff header in 2006. Was hooked on the feeling of that atmosphere watching that. Now, back up…

Who is ready for actual (probably, maybe, potentially, jesus who knows) NHL drama with the expansion draft stuff all starting this weekend?

I’d go further and say that outside of his 10-11 and 14-15 years (0.933 at evens) he has never been truly elite - just an average to above average goaltender who finds a hot streak once and a while. Saros absolutely deserves a chance to save the Preds now, with his Finnish, AHL, and NHL numebrs all firmly above 0.922…