Gotta call out Randy Russon's article about the Hounds' tenders in SaultThisWeek. Did anyone else read it, starting with his title:
NUMBERS DO NOT LIE ON HOUNDS GOALIES; BAILEY BRKIN'S ARE MUCH, MUCH BETTER
He continues by going on a rant about win-loss record for the goalies and how Brkin's are much better since Malik came (5-11-0 for Malik vs. 4-1-2 for Brkin). Doesn't he realize that win-loss doesn't tell the whole story? Let's dig in a little deeper and see what lies below the surface.
Let's look at goal support.
While Malik was in net, the Greyhounds scored the following:
Jan 17 - 2
Jan 18 - 1
Jan 22 - 3
Jan 25 - 2
Jan 26 - 6
Jan 30 - 2
Feb 2 - 2
Feb 5 - 4
Feb 7 - 1
Feb 12 - 5
Feb 14 - 1
Feb 15 - 2
Feb 23 - 2
Feb 28 - 2
Mar 6 - 7
Mar 11 - 4
Total Goals For: 46
Total Minutes Played: 891
Goals For Average: 46/(891/60) = 3.10
While Brkin was in net starting Jan 12, the Greyhounds scored the following:
Jan 12 - 1 - 60
Jan 22 - 1 - 8:13
Jan 31 - 5 - 60
Feb 8 - 10 - 60
Feb 14 - 5 - 46:08
Feb 17 - 2 - 64:16
Feb 21 - 4 - 61:04
Feb 27 - 2 - 62:54
Mar 1 - 3 - 57:22
Mar 7 - 5 - 60
Total Goals For: 38
Total Minutes Played: 540
Goals For Average: 38/(540/60) = 4.22
For whatever reason, the Greyhounds are scoring way more goals when Brkin is in net. This obviously translates into more wins for Brkin. Can we give Brkin credit for these goals? The truth is, Goals Against Average is a terrible way to compare goalies, it's more of a team stat. (see
It's Time to Scrap Goals Against Average - InGoal Magazine)
There is no holy grail of goaltending statistics. All of these stats tell a part of the story of how a goaltender is performing, and, when forming an opinion, it’s important to look at all of them.
All of them except for goals against average. It’s a team stat, and it’s time to scrap it from the goalie conversation.
Save percentage is generally considered better, although still flawed. Unfortunately, it's the best that we have. Did anybody notice that Malik's .886 is now better than Brkin's .885? Randy, numbers do not lie. As long as you are looking at the right numbers.