from Carol Schram of The Hockey News,
As we marvel at the speed and skill in today's NHL, teams are resorting to an old-fashioned strategy to try to keep goals off the board.
Believe it or not, shot-blocking has reached its highest level since the NHL started tracking the data following the 2004-05 lockout.
With these numbers, we can see that eight of the 12 busiest shot-blocking seasons in the last 19 years are happening this year. Even though it's only halfway through the season, these rates aren't expected to move much based on comparisons with mid-season numbers from past years.
Here's the list of the most blocks per 60 minutes of play in a single season. The eight entries from 2023-24 are highlighted.
The Isles near the lead in shots blocked - notice that CBJ and SJS are too? That means you don't have the puck. Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck led the league in hits a few times due to the stat keepers at the Coli and that the Isles never had the puck. Can't make a hit if you have the puck. I don't think the article takes into account injuries incurred from blocked shots. I believe that most of the injuries the team has had is due to blocked shots. Scott Mayfield, Casey Cizikas, Robert Bortuzzo and Ryan Pulock if I am not mistaken have missed time with blocked shot injuries. I am not sure about the regular season blocked shots that injury causes - playoffs I would be more inclined to have my team block shots.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.