The Pittsburgh Penguins finished 2nd in the East, racking up 111 points en route to their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Many had doubts about the Penguins’ ability to repeat as champs given the injury to top blue liner Kris Letang. Who stepped up in his absence? Let’s check it out. Rapid fire observations + … More Puck moving defensemen series: Pittsburgh Penguins
Jeff Petry has been the Montreal Canadiens’ best puck moving defenseman in his two full years with the club (2015/16 and 2016/17). Marc Bergevin acquired Petry at the 2014/15 trade deadline for a 2nd and conditional 5th (a great deal in hindsight). Why would Edmonton – with their weak blue line at the time – … More What Bergevin saw in 2014/15 when he acquired Jeff Petry
Karl Alzner (28, UFA) is an intriguing name to watch in free agency. He comes with the reputation of being a top-4, minute eating d-man and benefits from the luxury of having played for a top team throughout his career. He’s sure to attract interest from several teams come July 1 – but how much … More Free Agent Primer: Caps smart to move on from Alzner
The Boston Bruins racked up 95 points in 2016/17, finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins are strong on offense with depth up the middle (Bergeron, Krejci) and a pair of dynamic scoring wingers (Marchand, Pastrnak). That said, they find themselves in a transition period on the blue line. Let’s explore. ***Note: For further … More Puck moving defensemen series: Boston Bruins
Introduction to Corsi Corsi is a basic, yet highly known, advanced statistic in hockey. It measures the number of shots taken (on goal + missed + blocked) and compares that with the number of shots given up (on goal + missed + blocked) when a player is on the ice. Corsi is often expressed in … More Improving Corsi: a detailed comparison with our methodology for puck movement
Yes. Let’s look at his PMF (puck-moving factor) since 2010. ***Note: for methodology on how we calculate PMF, please refer to the first installment of the puck-moving defensemen series (link here) The y-axis (puck movement) is PK Subban’s PMF score in each season (x-axis). The comparable measures (e.g., elite puck mover, top pairing puck mover, … More PK Subban: Is he an elite puck-moving defenseman?
The Flames had a successful season in 2016/17, reaching 94 points and securing a spot in the post-season. In addition to strong talent up front in Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, and Bennett, the flames boast a solid back-end led by two studs in Giordano and Hamilton. While it’s been Giordano’s blueline over the past couple seasons, … More Puck moving defensemen series: Calgary Flames
The New Jersey Devils are in a rebuild. They finished last in the east and won the lottery, nabbing Nico Hischier with the first overall pick. Despite a down year, they have some solid pieces to build around going forward (including one on the back-end). ***Note: For further detail on methodology and explanation of the … More Puck moving defensemen series: New Jersey Devils
The Minnesota Wild had an outstanding regular season, securing 49 wins and 106 points (good for second highest in the Western Conference behind only the Chicago Blackhawks). A big driver of their success was a deep blueline. Let’s explore. ***Note: For further detail on methodology and explanation of the chart, please refer to the first … More Puck moving defensemen series: Minnesota Wild
Led by strong offensive talent, the Leafs are trending in the right direction. Let’s take a look at their defense group. ***Note: for further detail on methodology and explanation of the chart, please refer to the first installment of this series (Montreal Canadiens) There are a couple interesting takeaways. Gardiner appears to have been the … More Puck moving defensemen series: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cerebral Puck 