we are not a strong defensive team. This was not a secret heading into the season.
We needed toughness and defensive ability this offseason and we got quality offensive D (and Gravel). So, heading in the season, we knew we'd score more than most but had huge question marks over how well Babcock could coach us to make up for poor D. Through ~15 games, our defensive statistics are atrocious. We are
bottom 5 in shots allowed
bottom 5 in goals allowed/against
bottom 5 in giveaways
bottom 5 in goals against in 3rd period
bottom 5 in HDCF/60
bottom 10 in SVP%
top 5 in goals for
top 5 in shots for
We're in the bottom 3rd of the league in both PP% and PK%.
Had Freddie been able to play at a 920 clip instead of a 904, we would probably have a couple more wins. That doesn't disguise the fact that defensively, we are porous. Teams like playing us because we are both easy to play against physically, and easier to score against than other teams. The gamble of running a defensive core of Rielly, Muzzin, and Barrie supplemented with Holl, Marincin, Gravel has yielded bottom-5 results thus far. Babcock hasn't been able to make up for the lack of quality defensive depth.