from Kevin McGran and Andrew Bailey of the Toronto Star,

The slapshot is not going the way of the dodo bird yet but it is continuing a downward spiral as an effective scoring tool in the NHL.

The Star analyzed all 828,620 shots attempted and 39,434 goals scored in the NHL since the 2010-11 season, with the slapshot’s decline and the rise of the snapshot emerging as the most notable trends.

In 2010-11, 960 goals were scored by slapshots — the most of any season in that stretch. Last season, that figure hit a new low of 822, a drop of 138. Players scored 7,192 times in 2010-11, but just 7,026 last season — down by 166.

“It’s the way the game is going,” said Sheldon Keefe, coach of the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. “Shot blocking is one reason. Very rarely can you get set, get in your stance and blast the puck by the goaltender.

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