Pre-Game Talk: Southern Conference Finals

[Nikishin Go Boom]

uhh, what? eye test is that our 3rd pair this year is notably better than last year. I'm not great with advanced stats but a quick look at xG% and actual goal% supports that.

NHL Lines Advanced Stats

The Best Offensive and Defensive Lines in the NHL

moneypuck.com

xG%:

Cole-Smith
Regular season: 60.3%
Playoffs: 45.7%

Ghost-Chat
Regular season: 67.5%
Playoffs: 50.5%

actual goal%:

Cole-Smith
Regular season: 55%
Playoffs: 40%

Ghost-Chat
Regular season: 57.1%
Playoffs: 44.4%

And that doesn't even take into account the significant amount of boneheaded penalties Cole and Smith took...

Lets look at. Boston and Ranger were a lot better than Isles and Devils.

C-S had a better goals against / 60 by a .65 goal.
Ghost-Chat- had a better xGA by .37 / 60
C-S had a better HDCF / 60 by 4.4 and a lower HDCA / 60 by 3.91
C-S played harder matchups and had half the O zone starts per 60, and almost twice the D zone starts per 60.
Chat and Ghost have a 73.8 % o zone start percentage in 5v5 play.
C-S was 48%.

The difference in the 2 pairs in xG%/60 is only 2.55 percentage points. in Ghost/Chat's favor. Not as big of a number as the count data suggests.

Despite Chat and Ghost being heavily protected against weaker competition, Cole and Smith still allowed less HD chances per 60 and allowed less goals per 60. Probably add in Raanta had a lower save percentage last playoffs than Andersen does now which would help boost Ghost's and Chat's on ice numbers too.

Chat and Ghost have been Hankappa/Bean or Gardiner/Fluery levels of meh looking at the rates, starting positions, and level of competition.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

watch out you can get reported and banned for posting about getting reported and limited!

Totally didn’t happen to me in 2019.

 

[MinJaBen]

Lets look at. Boston and Ranger were a ton better than Isles and Devils.

C-S had a better goals against / 60 by a .65 goal.
Ghost-Chat- had a better xGA by .37 / 60
C-S had a better HDCF / 60 by 4.4 and a lower HDCA / 60 by 3.91
C-S played harder matchups and had half the O zone starts per 60, and almost twice the D zone starts per 60.
Chat and Ghost have a 73.8 % o zone start percentage in 5v5 play.
C-S was 48%.

The difference in the 2 pairs in xG%/60 is only 2.55 percentage points. in Ghost/Chat's favor. Not as big of a number as the count data suggests.

Despite Chat and Ghost being heavily protected against weaker competition, Cole and Smith still allowed less HD chances per 60 and allowed less goals per 60. Probably add in Raanta had a lower save percentage last playoffs than Andersen does now which would help boost Ghost's and Chat's on ice numbers too.

Chat and Ghost have been Hankappa/Bean or Gardiner/Fluery levels of meh looking at the rates, starting positions, and level of competition.

Interesting. Any numbers on zone exits for the two pairings? My memory/eye test says Chat and Ghost get the puck back out fairly quickly, thus less D-zone time, while Cole and Smith were often hemmed in and had more icings per 60, so a rise in D zone starts would be expected.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Cole and smith both kinda sucked

Stats aside, Chatfield's speed has bailed the Canes out time and again over the course of the season + in the playoffs against the Devils. I like this pair much more than LY's Smith-Cole group.

My only worry this series is whether Ghost will be muscled out by the aggressive Panther forecheck.

 

[hblueridgegal]

DW on Sirius today..
-said he speaks to TD 8-10 times per day
-said Svechy is around the team all the time but Pacioretty is currently rehabbing in NY with some specialists
-hasn't spoken with Gardiner in a while - just a few times this season
-discussed the magic of the mock necks

 

[hblueridgegal]

 

[Navin R Slavin]

So far, poets have nothing to fear from ChatGPT. Absolute doggerel.

 

[LostInaLostWorld]

So far, poets have nothing to fear from ChatGPT. Absolute doggerel.

I think you meant hoggeral.

 

[AD Skinner]

Cole had game. He was a playa.

It just wasn’t hockey

 

[Bunch of Jurcos]

I've heard from people smarter than I that practicing gratitude is a key to happiness. So here's one for today.

Normally by this time of the season, we'd be pages deep into a draft thread. Remember when the draft lottery was a big deal for us? It's a strange feeling to know that whoever we pick at 32 will have no impact for several years. But this is what it's like to be successful and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

[chaz4hockey]

DW on Sirius today..
-said he speaks to TD 8-10 times per day
-said Svechy is around the team all the time but Pacioretty is currently rehabbing in NY with some specialists
-hasn't spoken with Gardiner in a while - just a few times this season
-discussed the magic of the mock necks

Thx...which show?

 

[Stickpucker]

Cole had game. He was a playa.

It sounds like his measurables just aren't good enough. Why he can't stick in one place for too long.

 

[VAcaniac]

I've heard from people smarter than I that practicing gratitude is a key to happiness. So here's one for today.

Normally by this time of the season, we'd be pages deep into a draft thread. Remember when the draft lottery was a big deal for us? It's a strange feeling to know that whoever we pick at 32 will have no impact for several years. But this is what it's like to be successful and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I was thinking about how lucky we are to have a team that competes literally every single playoffs.

I was looking through Capitals playoff history and forgot they only made the ECF once in the Ovechkin era in like 15 tries. We’ve never had an epic implosion like 2019 Tampa or 2022 Bruins either.

 

[Rad ChaLose]

Hamilton the pig was fun for like 2 weeks in 2019. Owners have now been trying way, way too hard for a few years now.

He needs to die a slow death…maybe over the course of 8-12 hours over coals/low heat.

 

[Svechhammer]

Hamilton the pig was fun for like 2 weeks in 2019. Owners have now been trying way, way too hard for a few years now.

He needs to die a slow death…maybe over the course of 8-12 hours over coals/low heat.

I mean Dougie got cooked last round, so its only fitting

 

[cptjeff]

That is not a serious opinion held by serious people. Bojangles is the best fried chicken here, period. Popeyes is fine, Church's is gross, Zaxby's isn't chicken.

Stefan Johnson knows what's up.

Best fast food fried chicken. For those in Cary or Greensboro, hit up Lucky 32 sometime. Absolute best chicken I've ever had. Not the same price point, however.

 

[cptjeff]

I got reported and limited account for saying, "so this is what they meant when they said the south will rise again." in the thread about a southern conference final.

LOL wut?

The main boards are being moderated quite aggressively, and some would say, nonsensically right now. It is what it is.

 

[hblueridgegal]

Thx...which show?

The Morning Skate

 

[NotOpie]

At least they were fighting in the right place... Bojangles parking lot is the place to "settle" all disputes

So where would arbitration take place? The drive-thru?

I was thinking about how lucky we are to have a team that competes literally every single playoffs.

I was looking through Capitals playoff history and forgot they only made the ECF once in the Ovechkin era in like 15 tries. We’ve never had an epic implosion like 2019 Tampa or 2022 Bruins either.

Hush yo mouf!!!!

 

[Svechhammer]

The main boards are being moderated quite aggressively, and some would say, nonsensically right now. It is what it is.

Its almost like there are some very influential people who are bitter about how their seasons ended and are taking it out in the only ways they know how.

 

[ndp]

Best fast food fried chicken. For those in Cary or Greensboro, hit up Lucky 32 sometime. Absolute best chicken I've ever had. Not the same price point, however.

Absolutely! And for those in Charlotte now that the coupe is closed, Cajun Yard Dog has some of the best fried chicken around, or at least they did a few years ago the last time I ate there.

 

[hockeynjune]

Best fast food fried chicken. For those in Cary or Greensboro, hit up Lucky 32 sometime. Absolute best chicken I've ever had. Not the same price point, however.

Truth. Very good everything else as well

 

[hblueridgegal]

 

[cptjeff]

Truth. Very good everything else as well

Any restaurant Dennis Quaintance runs, really. Green Valley Grill and the resturant at the Proximity are also stupidly good. Don't know if he's got anything in the Raleigh area other than that second Lucky 32 in Cary, but if you're in Greensboro do give the others a try!

 

[hockeynjune]

Any restaurant Dennis Quaintance runs, really. Green Valley Grill and the resturant at the Proximity are also stupidly good. Don't know if he's got anything in the Raleigh area other than that second Lucky 32 in Cary, but if you're in Greensboro do give the others a try!

Ty will do. L32 has been a go to place for us since it opened . I thought the Cary store was the original?