With the Rangers and Devils battling for first
place, it seems a good time to dispel some of
the myths that breed like Martin Brodeur at a
family picnic.
Myth Number 1: The Rangers Over Rely on their
Top Scorers, and Should Have Balance Like the
Devils if They Want to be Successful in the Playoffs
The Rangers top 4 goal scorers - Shanahan, Jagr,
Straka, and Nylander - have combined for 63 of the
team's 96 goals. That is a 65% mark.
The Devils' top 4 goal scorers - Elias, Gionta,
Langenbrunner, and Parise - have combined for 42
of the team's 71 goals. That's a 59% mark.
So this leaves us with a few new facts:
The top 4 scorers on each team account for a
fairly equitable percentage of the team's total
goal output.
The Rangers top-4 outscores the Devils top-4 by
21 goals, 63 to 42.
The rest of the Rangers team has outscored the
rest of the Devils team 33 to 29.
Now, here is where you might make an assumption that
brings us to the second myth ...
Myth Number 2: The Devils Play a Better Even
Strength Game than the Rangers
Scoring is meaningless if the other team scores more
often, and as a team, the Rangers are a minus-5. One
might think this exposes a weakness in the Rangers-
Devils comparison.
But as a team, the Devils are -12. That is 24th
in the league, and contradictory to their reputation
as a cohesive unit.
So surely that means the Devils are more efficient
at the man advantage, right?
Myth Number 3: The Devils are Better at Special Teams
than the Rangers
Well, ok, this isn't really a myth but it keeps the
format going, so work with me ...
The Rangers are scoring at a 20% clip on the power
play, compared to the Devils' 17%. This is an
advantage most would expect.
On the penalty kill, the Devils clock in at an
impressive 88%, while the Rangers are at an above
average 84%. But the Rangers have scored
3 SHG to the Devils' 1.
So let's review ... the Rangers outscore the Devils,
are better at even strength, are better on the power
play, but lag behind on the penalty kill. What am I
missing?
New Fact: Guess Where the Devils Have Their Most
Important Advantage?
Oh yes, how about that the Devils have only been called
for 98 penalties this season, while being granted
144 power plays.
Not a typo - the Devils have been granted 46 more
power plays than their opponents over the season's
first 28 games.
To put this in a league perspective, there are only
three teams that have a positive differential of
20 power plays or more (NJ, Tampa Bay, Colorado).
Wow.
If anyone thinks this statistic is representative
of disciplined play, it means you have a mullet, a ripped
Bon Jovi tank top on, and you celebrate in parking lots.
Because the officiating this season has been, at best,
inconsistent and there has been a concerted effort to try
and even out power play opportunities.
So for Ranger fans, this comparison should be a
refreshing bit of statistical information. And who knows,
if the league stops giving the Devils the officating cushion,
the numbers may slide even more in the Rangers' favor.
-Gabe
Posted by Gabe at December 12, 2006 11:24 PMeMail this entry!
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