-AJ- Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice very extreme offensive numbers this year. I looked into it and through 31% of the season, the NHL is averaging 3.00 goals-per-team per game, the highest since 2005-06. The average save percentage is .911, where it hasn't been since 2009-10, and the average powerplay percentage is at 19.76% a level that hasn't been reached since 1989-90. Three players are on pace for 110+ points, three players are on pace for 50+ goals, and Stamkos remains on pace for over 120 points. Now, any seasoned fan knows that the league always starts off offensively and then cools off as the season goes on, but maybe it's just me, but it seems like this offense has lasted a little longer this year. Any thoughts? Is this just another ol' normal season or have things changed at all? I suspect things will cool off, but I'm betting that we'll still average around 2.80 goals-per-game per team by the end of the year, higher than the last 7 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 This is just a theory, but maybe this is partially a result of the Pen's Stanley Cup wins. This is a copy-cat league. The Pens have largely won the past two years due to speed and skill. So maybe teams are turning away from beating their opponent into submission and simply trying to outscore them. I agree with your end prediction. I think as the season goes that average will come down, but it will still be above the average from the past 7 or 8 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 The focus on slashing, on the hands, has helped a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kloubek Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 17 minutes ago, gurn said: The focus on slashing, on the hands, has helped a bit. I'd say it has helped a lot - along with the other changes which basically cater to speed, mobility, and sticking to the rules or you get a penalty. 16-17 being an actual anomaly of the trend, if you look at the power play opportunities verses the goals per game historically, the trend is pretty obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
250Integra Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 28 minutes ago, gurn said: The focus on tapping, on the hands, has helped a bit. FTFY.. at least in the case for the Canucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV's Coin Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 I noticed looking at points/game. there are around 27 players over 1 pt/gm so far. Last year there were 9 players over 1 pt/gm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Canucks are currently at 2.81 GF this year, compared to 2.22 last year -- over a half goal per game increase. Their GA is down just slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastal.view Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 i'm gonna go with things always tighten up as the year goes on and things will look closer to normal.. or last year. when all is said and done and remember this has been an odd year some huge blow outs against top teams.. example. = pittsburgh that is just weird and not repeatable or reliable in terms of trends i think scoring will be up just a bit this year but nothing major Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 It's long-winded, & ultra-complicated for lazier minds..but it's ultimately connected to the sudden breakthrough of bitcoin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Are goalies now wearing smaller equipment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Been noticing it in the hockey pool. October is normally a high point month, but it has carried into November for longer than usual. I agree with @goalie13, the pace won't keep up as teams will tighten up but it'll probably be a higher scoring year and I think too, the replacing of some big (perhaps slower) shot blocking defencemen with smaller puckmovers is starting to play out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Midway through January and we're still at 2.95. Hasn't dropped by much yet, but we'll see how things change come February and post-trade deadline hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podz92 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 There is still 31 players at a PPG or higher...amazing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekker Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Skill and speed are all the rage at the moment. Only a matter of time before a big, skilled, fast team wins a cup and size will matter again. It's always cyclical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted April 8, 2018 Author Share Posted April 8, 2018 Amazingly, with just one game left, we're at 2.97 goals-per-game. We haven't seen more offense in the NHL since 2005-06. Despite not having any 50-goal scorers, there are a lot of players who are capable of scoring a lot of points these days. The average powerplay percentage was over 20% and higher that it's been since 1989-90. Gotta say, I really like how the league looked this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Zepp Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 On 4/9/2018 at 4:05 AM, -AJ- said: Amazingly, with just one game left, we're at 2.97 goals-per-game. We haven't seen more offense in the NHL since 2005-06. Despite not having any 50-goal scorers, there are a lot of players who are capable of scoring a lot of points these days. The average powerplay percentage was over 20% and higher that it's been since 1989-90. Gotta say, I really like how the league looked this year. Take away first shots against the Canucks, and scoring average back down to normal of past decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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