Are we entering a new, high scoring era?

DFC

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Sep 26, 2013
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We are, and the proof is in how willing GMs now are to draft small, skilled players. There's a momentum to it. More scoring leads to more scoring, because teams are buying into it more and more every year.

It's only a matter of time before the next Jacques Lemaire comes along and ****s with the program though.
 

blankall

Registered User
Jul 4, 2007
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It will take goalies a long time to "adjust" to the new pads. With the huge pads, a taller goalie who wore oversized pads had a huge advantage. They could just stand there and point their wall of pad at the opposing team. Now goalies have to be far more mobile, better positionally, and require much more active gloves and blockers. In many cases, you actually need to bring in new goalies. That's not a quick process.

We're at a point now, where you don't have to basically make a goalie blind to a play to score. Nicely placed shots above the shoulder and between the body and arms will go in again. It's much more exciting.

I'd like the NHL to continue this trend and make the leg pads slightly smaller. Hopefully, the NHL keeps this up and also continues to crack down on the other major issue, obstruction.
 

supsens

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Oct 6, 2013
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I feel like the number of PPG players this season is making people think scoring is more "up" this season than it is. Total goals/game is only up .16 (both teams) compared to last season and that number often goes down as the season progresses and goalies get more locked in.

I've been beating this drum for a while, but it's not scoring as a whole that's up that much. It's the ongoing trend of top offensive forwards being paired with other top offensive forwards rather than being split up. Great players make other players more productive, and 2 great players make each other a lot more productive.

-Look at the top 20 in points this year and how many of those guys have another player on their own line that is way up the list as well. 10 years ago or even 5 years ago, guys like rantanen and Mackinnon would have been on separate lines to try to "balance" them. Many other teams like Buffalo, Boston, and Dallas all have their 3 best offensive F's on their top line.

-It's the same on the power play. Last year Toronto was splitting up their best players on 2 units, with Matthews leading the 2nd with Nylander. Now they added John Tavares, put him on the 1st unit with Marner and still moved Matthews to the 1st unit. Winnipeg uses Wheeler/Scheifele/Laine all on the 1st unit.

The top players are all inflating the scoring of the other top players on their teams' now, rather than the 2nd tier players.

It shows how worthless adjusted points totals are when people use them to prove anything.
 

mphmiles

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Jan 1, 2017
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it's what happens when players aren't allowed to hit anyone under 6' because they'll get a penalty but those smaller players can do whatever they want.

Only sport I can think of that does everything it can to take away the advantage of size, strength and height and makes rules to benefit the smaller weaker players whom fall over in a light breeze. Not even Italian soccer does this. joy. - because I was getting tired of there only being one rule book in the league.

This season, games have an average of half a minute less PIM than last. I feel like every time these threads pop up people just come in here to voice preconceived notions of what's happening and don't look at any of the numbers.

Guys, it's not the new goalie pads or the league getting "softer" that's leading to more guys scoring at an elite pace. The answer is much more boring than that.
 

tarapoto2006

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Mar 2, 2018
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It was just a few seasons ago where players were winning Art Ross trophies with point totals in the high 80's. This season already has 1 player with 70+ points, 5 players with 60 + points, and 17 players with 50+ points, and we just passed the half way point of the season.

According to NHL League Averages | Hockey-Reference.com, the 2018-2019 season is on pace to be the highest scoring season since the 2005-2006 season, and besides that you would have to go back all the way to the mid 90's to find a season that high scoring.

With players such as Rantanen and Kucherov on pace for 130+ points this season, could we see a generational talent like McDavid score 150+ in a few seasons with Seattle entering the league, assuming he actually has some legitimate linemates by then?

This seems to be a really unique era, as games are becoming higher scoring again, but goaltenders are still putting up respectable numbers. There is also less hitting and fighting than there has been for many years, as the game continues to focus more on speed and skill.

Is this the beginning of a new era in the NHL and is the "post lockout era" officially over?

Some goalies have already adjusted quickly and are standing out but obviously most of them have not, or there wouldn't be so many goals going in. It does seem like there are a lot more shots on goal though, even for those goalie with high save percentages so that could mark an increase in offense. The reason there is a similarity between this season and 2005-06 is that goalie equipment size was reduced prior to that season (along with a bunch of other rule changes intended to stimulate offense), but after some time the goalies adjusted and the offensive numbers started to get lower. However, it could be possible that we've hit a size of goalie equipment where they simply can't adjust to stop as many pucks. The fact that there weren't a multitude of rule changes aimed at increasing offense along with this reduction in the size of the equipment like there were in 2005-06 and yet there are multiple players poised to eclipse the point totals of Jagr/Thornton that season makes me wonder if this might be a permanent increase. Not to say that every season will be as extreme as this one, but yes, I think it is possible that in the next 13 seasons, more goals will be scored on average than in the previous 13 seasons. But this is purely conjecture on my part.
 

b in vancouver

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Jul 28, 2005
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This season, games have an average of half a minute less PIM than last. I feel like every time these threads pop up people just come in here to voice preconceived notions of what's happening and don't look at any of the numbers.

Guys, it's not the new goalie pads or the league getting "softer" that's leading to more guys scoring at an elite pace. The answer is much more boring than that.

You're missing my point (I probably stated it poorly) but it's not increased power plays that I think are increasing scoring, it's that over the past half decade every clampdown or rule change has been to the benefit of smaller shiftier players to show off their puck skills, while bigger guys are still playing by the old rules where guys can run then from behind because 'they can take it'.

Players have adjusted so aren't taking a tonne of penalties but it's much easier for some of these players to just dance around because d-men and forwards aren't allowed to tie them up or lay the body or touch their sticks because if they drop them it's two minutes.

Johnny Hockey and Marner are two of my favourite players to watch - but compare them to Sergei Samsonov and Gaborik and the hacks and slashes and hits the latter two had to deal with. It ain't that long ago. Samsonov and Gabs would've been dismantling this league also as compared to having their careers constantly interrupted.

It's opened up a lot of scoring. These smaller players can get to the danger areas with the puck without worrying about getting killed.
 

TheGuiminator

I’ll be damned King, I’ll be damned
Oct 23, 2018
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Hope it stays that way, but at the same time I hope it’s not gonna be a 1992-93 type of season where there’s like 20 players with +100 points. If so, the milestone doesn’t look that special.
A 2005-06 type of season is the best IMO
 

pabst blue ribbon

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Oct 26, 2015
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You're missing my point (I probably stated it poorly) but it's not increased power plays that I think are increasing scoring, it's that over the past half decade every clampdown or rule change has been to the benefit of smaller shiftier players to show off their puck skills, while bigger guys are still playing by the old rules where guys can run then from behind because 'they can take it'.

Players have adjusted so aren't taking a tonne of penalties but it's much easier for some of these players to just dance around because d-men and forwards aren't allowed to tie them up or lay the body or touch their sticks because if they drop them it's two minutes.

Johnny Hockey and Marner are two of my favourite players to watch - but compare them to Sergei Samsonov and Gaborik and the hacks and slashes and hits the latter two had to deal with. It ain't that long ago. Samsonov and Gabs would've been dismantling this league also as compared to having their careers constantly interrupted.

It's opened up a lot of scoring. These smaller players can get to the danger areas with the puck without worrying about getting killed.
Powerplays are getting called at an all time low
 

radapex

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Sep 21, 2012
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Canada, Eh
Could be but there were 3 shutouts in 5 games the other night so goalies could be getting used to the new changes.

It also seems to be pretty well recognized that they went too far with the C/A changes, leaving a lot of goalies playing battered and bruised this season. We're most likely going to see changes again this summer to make them a bit larger and more protective.
 

b in vancouver

Registered User
Jul 28, 2005
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Powerplays are getting called at an all time low

I know. Because players have adjusted and don't touch them and it gives them more room when they have the puck on their stick.
It's like going from competitive hockey to non-hitting beer league. Less penalties in beer league but a heckuva lot more room to make plays.
 

radapex

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Sep 21, 2012
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it's what happens when players aren't allowed to hit anyone under 6' because they'll get a penalty but those smaller players can do whatever they want.

Only sport I can think of that does everything it can to take away the advantage of size, strength and height and makes rules to benefit the smaller weaker players whom fall over in a light breeze. Not even Italian soccer does this. joy. - because I was getting tired of there only being one rule book in the league.

There was also the big crack down in obstructions and slashes last season that resulted in the quick jump in scoring from 2016-17 to 2017-18. Even though PPs have only increased a bit, the crack down has led to less of it occurring which, in turn, gives players more time and space to generate offense.
 
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b in vancouver

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Jul 28, 2005
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There was also the big crack down in obstructions and slashes last season that resulted in the quick jump in scoring from 2016-17 to 2017-18. Even though PPs have only increased a bit, the crack down has led to less of it occurring which, in turn, gives players more time and space to generate offense.

Thanks. A much more succinct way to say it as I tend to ramble.
Don't think it's hard to see that they've opened up a lot of room for smaller players.
 

cliffclaven

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Nov 29, 2018
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Lol, the biggest reason scoring is up is because you can’t play actual defense anymore, outside of a stick check or pinning someone to the boards in the corner, in hopes that one of your forwards will dig the puck out and skate the other way, to repeat the process in the other offensive zone.. until someone skates in between the dots unimpeded and scores. Surrounded by 3 “defenders”, that, if one of them would’ve done something like actually hit the puck carrier, would’ve resulted in no goal.

The league is a joke now.
 
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JianYang

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Sep 29, 2017
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Lol, the biggest reason scoring is up is because you can’t play actual defense anymore, outside of a stick check or pinning someone to the boards in the corner, in hopes that one of your forwards will dig the puck out and skate the other way, to repeat the process in the other offensive zone.. until someone skates in between the dots unimpeded and scores. Surrounded by 3 “defenders”, that, if one of them would’ve done something like actually hit the puck carrier, would’ve resulted in no goal.

The league is a joke now.

You can hit as long as there is no headshot. Players are more careful not to hit the head these days, and that can explain some of the reason for the lack of hits, but you could also argue that players also shy away from delivering high impact hits, because the reaction by the other team is often over the top and you may end up in a face punching contest for it.

I don't think most players dont want to bother going through the consequences, because you'll have to answer whether its a clean check or not, and you get to miss as much as a quarter period for it.
 

cliffclaven

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Nov 29, 2018
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You can hit as long as there is no headshot. Players are more careful not to hit the head these days, and that can explain some of the reason for the lack of hits, but you could also argue that players also shy away from delivering high impact hits, because the reaction by the other team is often over the top and you may end up in a face punching contest for it.

I don't think most players dont want to bother going through the consequences, because you'll have to answer whether its a clean check or not, and you get to miss as much as a quarter period for it.
You absolutely cannot hit in open ice without the play being slo motioned to see if it’s .01 second late or you caught the puck carrier in the shoulder, but part of your jersey may have grazed their visor when they had their head at waist level skating past the opposing blue line. Since your jersey touched some part of their head, you get 5+ a game, and lose 1-2 games in salary.

The league is a joke.
 

b in vancouver

Registered User
Jul 28, 2005
7,840
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You can hit as long as there is no headshot. Players are more careful not to hit the head these days, and that can explain some of the reason for the lack of hits, but you could also argue that players also shy away from delivering high impact hits, because the reaction by the other team is often over the top and you may end up in a face punching contest for it.

I don't think most players dont want to bother going through the consequences, because you'll have to answer whether its a clean check or not, and you get to miss as much as a quarter period for it.

I don't want headshots. Never wanted (....) hitting Marc Savard. But it's way past that now.
Guys aren't allowed to tie up players, stick on stick infractions, some of the best skaters in the world dropping from something that wouldn't drop my 13 year-old daughter, hip-checks have become low-bridging, follow throughs, etc.

Watch hockey from 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years ago... they're not all dirty hits.

Nowadays how can you hit a 5' 10" player whom is bent over and you can't even poke-check him because he'll fall down. Meanwhile that same player can still launch himself into the numbers of a player that's 6' 2" and there's nothing.
 
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cliffclaven

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Nov 29, 2018
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I don't want headshots. Never wanted (....) hitting Marc Savard. But it's way past that now.
Guys aren't allowed to tie up players, stick on stick infractions, some of the best skaters in the world dropping from something that wouldn't drop my 13 year-old daughter, hip-checks have become low-bridging, follow throughs, etc.

Watch hockey from 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years ago... they're not all dirty hits.

Nowadays how can you hit a 5' 10" player whom is bent over and you can't even poke-check him because he'll fall down. Meanwhile that same player can still launch himself into the numbers of a player that's 6' 2" and there's nothing.
100% correct.
 

Just Linda

Registered User
Feb 24, 2018
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I think one contributing factor that doesn't get talked about as much is the fall of generational goaltending. We are coming out of one of the best eras of goaltending and the new generation isn't unseating the old.quite yet.
 

cliffclaven

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Nov 29, 2018
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I think one contributing factor that doesn't get talked about as much is the fall of generational goaltending. We are coming out of one of the best eras of goaltending and the new generation isn't unseating the old.quite yet.
It has nothing to do with goaltending.
 

nhlfan9191

Registered User
Aug 4, 2010
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It has nothing to do with goaltending.

It may not be the only reason, but they finally made adjustments that had an effect similar to 05. Saying it has nothing to do with goaltending is idiotic. You make the goalies smaller quickly with an object as small as puck and there’s an adjustment period. Scoring went up after the full lockout in 05 but teams and goalies adjusted. They will again.
 
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NeelyWasAWarrior

Don't Poke The Bear
Dec 23, 2006
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Lightning are on pace for well over 300 goals. There's plenty to talk about and get excited about that you just don't get with art ross winners scoring 85 points in a season. Laine, OV, Rants, Mackinnon, the Lightning, The Flames. It isn't just McDavid that's shining. That's a good thing for the NHL. Makes it more interesting.
 

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