from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

With the help of statistician Andrew Bailey, we mined NHL game sheets for the 2013-14 season to follow up on our study of goals in 2011-12 — the last two non-lockout campaigns. Goals increased by nearly 100 — to 7,051 — from 6,949 two years before. Only slapshots and backhanders proved less successful from one season to the next.

Three seasons ago, 892 slapshots went in, compared to 859 last year for roughly a four per cent drop. The slapshot was responsible for 12.8 per cent of goals in 2011-12, 12.2 per cent last season — when only 5.4 per cent of all slapshot attempts led directly to goals.

Scoring via the backhander was also down — 695 last season, compared to 776 in 2011-12 — but the success rate was greater, with 10.5 per cent winding up in the net.

By comparison, the success rate for deflected shots was 20.6 per cent. Others: tip-ins (19.3), snapshots (9.1 per cent), wrist shots (8.6 per cent) and wraparounds (6.7 per cent).

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