Forget about the puck. Who needs the puck? It's overrated.
As October reaches its conclusion, it's always fun - depending on what your definition of "fun" is, of course - to look at some early season puck-possession numbers. And through almost 10 percent of the schedule, some first-place clubs are winning despite playing without the rubber.
Shall we?
| Team | Corsi For | League Rank | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadiens | 49.39% | 16th | 1st (Atlantic) |
| Oilers | 47.51% | 22nd | 1st (Pacific) |
| Senators | 47.35% | 24th | 3rd (Atlantic) |
| Canucks | 47.03% | 25th | 3rd (Pacific) |
| Wild | 46.55% | 26th | 1st (Central) |
| Red Wings | 44.71% | 29th | 2nd (Atlantic) |
(All statistics are at five-on-five and courtesy of Corsica Hockey)
Goaltending matters
To no surprise, goaltending is playing a huge part in the early success of a number of teams. The dudes in the crease can and are stealing games.
| Team | Save% | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Canadiens | .951 | 1st |
| Red Wings | .932 | 3rd |
| Oilers | .927 | 4th |
| Wild | .921 | 5th |
| Canucks | .918 | 6th |
The Ottawa Senators are the outliers. They're a poor possession team and are getting zero from their goalies (.888 save percentage as a team, 24th in the NHL).
Waves
As in any sport, luck is involved, and teams atop the standings at the moment are riding the PDO wave. For the innocent, PDO is the sum total of a team's five-on-five shooting and save percentages, and most teams ultimately regress to 100.
| Team | PDO | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Canadiens | 105.76 | 2nd |
| Wild | 105.68 | 3rd |
| Red Wings | 105.26 | 4th |
| Oilers | 103.48 | 5th |
Enjoy the calm waters. They don't always last.
Puck me
The top possession teams, meanwhile, are the usual suspects, and some of the NHL's best.
| Rank | Team | Corsi For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kings | 58.14% |
| 2 | Sharks | 55.08% |
| 3 | Hurricanes | 56.36% |
| 4 | Capitals | 53.40% |
| 5 | Bruins | 53.24% |
| 6 | Panthers | 52.95% |
| 7 | Blues | 52.90% |
| 8 | Maple Leafs | 52.62% |
| 9 | Blackhawks | 52.22% |
| 10 | Penguins | 52.09% |
| 11 | Lightning | 52.01% |
Some takeaways:
- Though both missed the playoffs, the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes were positive possession teams last season.
- L.A. was the league's best possession team last season - that's Darryl Sutter hockey. When you have the puck as much as the Kings do, you can get by with average goaltending.
- Pittsburgh ranked second in 2015-16. The Penguins remain a formidable squad.
- They're not in any of the tables, but the Nashville Predators finished fourth in the NHL at 52.47 percent last season, but are fourth-worst so far in 2016-17 at 46.41 percent. P.K. Subban's fault, obviously.
That was fun, right?
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