The Numbers Game: Chicago Blackhawks Edition
By Ger Devine
May 9, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Blackhawks shake hands with the Minnesota Wild after eliminating them in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Wild 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
In a new feature that I’ll be running here on Gone Puck Wild throughout the season, before each game, I will be analysing the underlying numbers for both the Wild and their next opponent to see how they match-up. Tonight’s opponent is the Chicago Blackhawks.
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-Here are the underlying numbers for both teams so far this year at 5v5 Close, along with some general statistics:
|
WILD
BLACKHAWKS
LEAGUE POSITION
13th 5th
HOME RECORD
4-0-2 4-0-2
ROAD RECORD
1-3-1 2-1-1
PP%
26.7%4th21.0%11th
PK%
75.0%27th71.0%30th
-5v5 CLOSE-
WILD
BLACKHAWKS
GF%
63.6%7th73.9%3rd
CF%
58.5%2nd60.0%1st
FF%
59.3%2nd60.9%1st
SF%
59.9%3rd60.7%2nd
Sh%
4.9%27th8.9%12th
Sv%
95.8%3rd95.1%4th
PDO
100.714th104.13rd
(GF%=Goals For %, CF%=Corsi For %, FF%=Fenwick For %, SF%=Shots For Percentage, Sh%=
Shooting Percentage, Sv%=Save Percentage)
This game should be a great contest between the #1 and #2 puck possession teams in the league so far this year. Both sides have posted great numbers, with the Blackhawks narrowly ahead. The Wild’s shooting percentage is slowly improving but is still a long way from average. The Hawks have been shooting and stopping pucks at very high rates, resulting in a PDO of 104.1, which means they’re percentages will likely regress to the mean over the course of the season.
Both teams have awful penalty-killing numbers and have been solid on the powerplay. The Hawks are yet to lose at home in regulation, while the Wild only have 1 win on the road.
-Here are the Best 3 and Worst 3 players for each team in various statistical categories. This only counts players who have played 50% of their team’s games so far:
| 5v5 CLOSE | PLAYER #1 |
PLAYER #2
PLAYER #3
Wild CF% Top 3
BALLARD (67.7%)
STONER (66.9%)
PARISE (65.9%)
Wild CF% Worst 3
BRODIN (50.5%)
SCANDELLA (51.9%)
COOKE (52.4%)
Hawks CF% Top 3
KEITH (65.4%)
SAAD (64.1%)
SEABROOK (63.7%)
Hawks CF% Worst 3
LEDDY (54.8%)
HANDZUS (55.0%)
SHARP (56.0%)
Wild FF% Top 3
BALLARD (71.1%)
STONER (70.5%)
KOIVU (67.5%)
Wild FF% Worst 3
GRANLUND (48.2%)
HEATLEY (50.0%)
BRODIN (51.4%)
Hawks FF% Top 3
SMITH (73.8%)
KEITH (66.1%)
SEABROOK (65.4%)
Hawks FF% Worst 3
LEDDY (53.3%)
SHAW (55.4%)
PIRRI (57.1%)
Wild PDO Top 3
FONTAINE (116.0)
COOKE (111.9)
BRODZIAK (110.7)
Wild PDO Worst 3
VEILLEUX (87.5)
NIEDERREITER (91.7)
KONOPKA (92.9)
Hawks PDO Top 3
PIRRI (125.0)
BOLLIG (112.9)
NORDSTROM (111.1)
Hawks PDO Worst 3
HANDZUS (93.7)
KANE (94.9)
KEITH (99.4)
Keith Ballard hasn’t featured for the Wild in a while, and as a result, he is 1st in Fenwick and Corsi, as Clayton Stoner begins to regress to more normal puck possession numbers. Granlund is the only player South of 50% in Fenwick.
Keith and Seabrook are playing at an elite level right now on the Blackhawks top pairing. Youngsters Ben Smith and Brandon Saad also have nice numbers so far this year. Nick Leddy has been the worst Hawks player in terms of Corsi and Fenwick.
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-Here are the Player Usage Charts for both teams to illustrate which players are getting tough minutes and which players are being sheltered:
Minnesota Wild
Chicago Blackhawks
(Click To Enlarge) (Bubble Size=Corsi On Rating. Blue Bubble=Postive. Red Bubble=Negative)
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Okay, that’s all from me. Make sure you check-out Scott’s official Gone Puck Wild Game Preview before puck-drop where you’ll get his insight along with all the information you need about the game.
Follow me on Twitter for more hockey views/analysis.
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*Numbers in this article courtesy of: