Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Hockey Thoughts On A Thursday Morning

11/12/2015 at 11:16am EST

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Here’s a question about decreasing goal totals: what if the problem is not goalies? Thanks to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, you can make an argument the real issue is where the shots come from (or who is taking them). At five-on-five so far in 2015-16, the league-wide save percentage is .928. Eight seasons ago, it was .920. If you break it down even further, goalies are at .913 when a forward is shooting and a ridiculous .966 against defencemen. The way the game is played now, we are seeing more shots from defenders every year (just under 28 per cent of all taken to this point). Maybe the question is, does the NHL have to go back to the old, smaller offensive-zone so teams must cover the points? Will that loosen up the forwards?

The second part of the equation is, which forwards are doing the shooting? The speed and pace of the game means ice-time is being distributed more evenly than ever. The best forwards aren’t on the ice as much as fifteen years ago, which leads to fewer chances to impact the outcome. The NHL’s most prolific shooter, Alexander Ovechkin, averaged 448 shots during his first four seasons. He hasn’t been higher than 395 since. Everyone who makes the NHL is talented. But, some are more talented than others.

There is another possible solution: calling more penalties. (Or as one executive regularly texts, “just call the &$%#@* rulebook.”) This is more of a battle than you’d think. There are some GMs who hated the loosened standards from 2005-06, and don’t want to go back. I remember Steve Yzerman calling it “unrealistic.” He’s definitely someone who prefers the players, not the referees, decide games. Team power-plays have dropped from six to three per game in the last 10 years. But, more man advantages do lead to more goals.

much more

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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