Not sure if anyone has done this yet, but I wanted to see how much the lack of powerplays has been hurting the team. I tried to see how many more goals they'd have with an average number of opportunities.
Teams right in the middle of the pack have about 143 powerplay opps - 44 more than the Isles. Isles are averaging goals on 19.2% of PPs - 44 x .192 = 8.4 goals. While that doesn't do much in terms of moving them up the team leaderboard (from 22nd in goals to 20th), given all of the tightly contested games they play, you gotta think another 8 goals is worth 4, maybe 5 points. Of course, this is all conjecture - but interesting (depressing) to think about
Yes, this is a good analysis and shows the impact. Consider the Isles have been involved in 10 one goal game losses (6 in OT/SO and 4 in regulation). Just one additional powerplay in those games could certainly result in 3-4 points which could be huge at the end of the season.
But, I don't think there is an overall planned bias against the Islanders. There has to be a team with the lowest amount of power plays. This year it is us. Put an asterisk as it is the lowest in decades.
That said, I do believe there is added pressure on the refs to keep nationally televised games on NBC Sports close. The Isles jumped out to big leads in consecutive NBC games and that added pressure. No doubt.
1) How much would the league have loved for NBC to televise Ovechkins 700th goal in DC. Instead fans were sitting on their hands most of the game.
2) The resurgence of Philadelphia into a playoff chase and their following in the US and Canada surely contributed to 10’s of thousands of viewers on NBC that would have dwindled had the Islanders blew them out after going up 3-0. Power plays change momentum and so the non calls and then those calls in the third period were clearly to make it a close/exciting finish in my opinion.
I know I was on the edge of my seat in the third period during both those games be it I preferred to relax.
If you don’t think money talks in this league, you are naive. I have to think you will see it with the Rangers emergence in the coming years. It is about the money.
My only wish is that league officials recognize players like Matt Barzal whose skating is elite albeit his hands are not.
Barzals smaller frame, speed, and his riding his skate edges unlike 98% of the other players in the league makes him susceptible to trips that may not look like much when the foul occurs. It is that perception and Barzals reactions that are the problem here.
When it happens during scoring chances, players like Barzal should be protected just like other elite players who when touched are protected.
Again, I do not think it is an Islander thing, but seeing that trip being called a penalty on Barzal for diving (while also calling the trip) the other night and the trip on Barzal with 5 minutes left in the second period vs the Caps not being called is bad for the league.
I cannot for the life of me understand those calls/non calls there. There should be an awareness with Barzal, as there is with Matthews and Eichel and others, when they are creating scoring chances.
Clearly the league is trying to showcase elite players and scoring and clearly Barzal is not getting the same treatment as other elite players in the league IMO. If Barzal said something, get over it already, as Trotz has clearly done his part to tell the kid to zip it and he has.