News Article: Reasons for scoring decline and the best way to increase scoring

[Appleyard]

http://alongtheboards.com/2015/10/nhl-scoring-decline-power-play/

Article by me.

Not specifically Flyers related (though semi-relevant to our top players like Giroux and Voracek) but hopefully people enjoy reading it... should help you burn some time before the game tonight!

Basically a look at the main reason that scoring has fell in the league (lack of PPs), examining how much of the scoring drop is related to this.

Click to read more...

 

[deadhead]

Well, I'd rather not call more penalties just to boost scoring, I'd prefer to call penalties merely to cut back on the marginal behavior like hooking to slow down an opponent because you can't skate fast enough, in order to keep the flow of the game at a high level.

I think they do need to look at goalie equipment, when you have a 6'5 goalie with oversized pads it does get a tad bit ridiculous. And as players get faster, there's some merit to adding a couple feet to the width of the ice (basically take out one row of seats).

However, very good work, noticing an interesting development.

 

[YEM]

It is now once again a common sight in the NHL for defensemen to stand up to forwards at the blue line and effectively initiate contact with non-puck carriers, for the defensive players to use their free hand to help tie up forwards, especially near the boards and to throw pick plays all over the rink.

I don't agree with this at all
I think that the interference, if any, is extremely subtle now-defenders have basically adapted to a point where they know how much they can get away with
I don't want to see more PPs called on borderline calls

 

[BillDineen]

We have seen periods in the past where officials have been directed to call things more tightly and inevitably it doesn't last throughout an entire season and it will never in the playoffs.

To me, returning goalies equipment to 80s size is a no-brainer. Restrict everything from shoulder pads to jersey size. The equipment evolved during the 90s and was never policed. They even penalize overly curved sticks and they did absolutely nothing meaningful while the goalie equipment transition occurred. It is a joke.

 

[Appleyard]

We have seen periods in the past where officials have been directed to call things more tightly and inevitably it doesn't last throughout an entire season and it will never in the playoffs.

To me, returning goalies equipment to 80s size is a no-brainer. Restrict everything from shoulder pads to jersey size. The equipment evolved during the 90s and was never policed. They even penalize overly curved sticks and they did absolutely nothing meaningful while the goalie equipment transition occurred. It is a joke.

I do agree that equipment needs to be clamped down on.

However, 5v5 sv% has not actually increased that much since the higher scoring years. 2007-10 5v5 sv% was actually almost exactly the same each year at .920, even though scoring went up every single year. Even now 5v5 sv% is 'only' at .922-.923. Yet while 5v5 sv% has not increased overall (.002-.003) very much sv% as a whole has gone up by .007-.008... the other .005-.006% is quite easy to isolate and is virtually entirely due to a lack of PPs.

To contextualize it I would roughly (but logically) estimate that the lack of PPs are costing top players in the league ~10 points each a season... while larger equipment is more like ~5 each.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Let's do both.

 

[PALE PWNR]

Interference needs to be called. If a guy dumps the puck and the defensemen stay skating backwards staring at the guy without the puck then move in their way as he attempts to go around them. Thats interference and it happens 100 times a game.

Meanwhile the league still calls stick infractions like hooking even if the hook doesn't affect the play at all just because the stick is near a guys stomach or the blade is turned upwards. Or slashing because sticks that break multiple times per game just happen to break on that one simple routine play that happens 100 times a game. Or delay of game which is the same thing as icing just the penalized version even when you don't intend to do it.

 

[Funf]

I don't agree with this at all
I think that the interference, if any, is extremely subtle now-defenders have basically adapted to a point where they know how much they can get away with
I don't want to see more PPs called on borderline calls

I think that there would be a short period where lots of penalties were being called, yeah, but the players would adjust, the penalties would taper off, and then there would just be more room for offense at even strength.

 

[Curufinwe]

Interference needs to be called. If a guy dumps the puck and the defensemen stay skating backwards staring at the guy without the puck then move in their way as he attempts to go around them. Thats interference and it happens 100 times a game.

I hate that so much.

 

[hckyplayer8]

Game is fine the way it is sans the rulebook which needs more consistent calling of penalties that can actually hurt people and less calling of nit picking obstruction.

More goals will never equal more excitement.

 

[Fragmuffin]

Let's do both.

Sometimes the best answer is the simplest one

Call the penalties, defenders will have to adapt so that we will see more creative plays from the forwards. Otherwise there will just be more penalties i.e. offensive opportunities.

And definitely reduce the size of goalie equipment. People preaching some fantastic goalie duels are just fooling themselves. Spectacular saves are a rare sight in today's game. Who really enjoys 6'4'' giants with their silhouettes doubled, stopping pucks with their over sized armor not having to move a whole lot.

 

[FlyersFan61290]

It's all Snow's fault

 

[ApeZilla]

The league should test different things in separate AHL arenas.

I've actually always been a fan of making the ice wider.
All the rules in the world won't change the players from being bigger and faster than ever. The neutral zone is a mess, but it doesn't have to be made any longer to give players more open ice. It seems like a less gimmicky way of increasing scoring opportunities, if teams have a few more feet to gain the offensive zone you should get that. Also, casual home viewers are used to seeing Olympic hockey, but it doesn't need to be that much larger.

I do not like goalie equipment restrictions. We will have players pointing at a pad - no one wants that.

this is if they do anything. I prefer they let the game settle for a while.

 

[PALE PWNR]

I hate that so much.

It infuriates me. The game would open up so so much if that were just called correctly. Because as soon as they started calling it teams would stop doing it.

 

[FlyersFanz]

Best way to increase scoring is by getting G and Jake a better winger. Raffl is ok but he's a 2nd liner at best. Flyers need a guy like Simmer( wish Simmer was a LW) who can park himself in front of the net. Hartnell used to do such a thing and he was a good mesh with G until Hartnell's game went for ***** and he started falling all the time.Flyers need a strong LW period.

 

[Cyborg LeClair]

Thanks for the research Appleyard. I personally didn't like the high power play years. Until that point, hockey history had always had to put up with bear hugs on the boards, picks, hooks and slashes, interference, etc. At this point, I think hockey is at a decent balance. They want to take out the parts of the game that lead to injuries, like all extreme forms of what I listed previously, but leave in just enough that players still feel like they can defend with their body and not just the stick. Idk, might be rambling at this point, but my belief is that the game is okay right now and we've just had less talent. I think the past couple drafts have been filled with more players that are fully integrated with the new NHL since they were first skating practically. Lets see how the new talent effects league scoring numbers for a few years then revisit this. Maybe next CBA

 

[Rebels57]

Another great read. I personally would prefer that the league comes up with a different solution, such as a wider rink or larger net, but the refs calling it tighter would absolutely do the trick. I just don't like seeing a game decided by an odd-man situation, especially if it's a lame call like the delay of game call on Simmonds last night or when Read knocked the stick out of a Dallas players hands on Tuesday.