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Oilers » Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)

Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14) [message #746022 is a reply to message #746014 ]	Thu, 31 October 2019 09:35

RDOilerfan
Messages: 3737
Registered: January 2016

3 Cups

Adam wrote on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:23

RDOilerfan wrote on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:52

Adam wrote on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:34

RDOilerfan wrote on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:17

Sheahan is over 50% on faceoffs, he's good on the PK. Gets a heck of a lot of d-zone starts. I don't see how anyone can say it isn't a bit of a loss to the Oilers.

Faceoffs are badly overrated. If you win faceoffs, but bleed goals against, then the extra few faceoff wins don't mean a whole lot.

Sheahan has yet to be on the ice when the Oilers score a goal. He's been on for lots against. There's evidence to suggest the PK has been more lucky than good so far this year too.

I think we should be asking more of our fourth liners than 12 GP, 0-0-0, 9 shots, -8, 50.7% FOW.

I have heard this argument before and I flat out think it's a silly. Are faceoffs the end all be all? No. But they very much help.

In order to score goals, you have to have the puck. If you win the faceoff, you get possession of the puck, if you lose the faceoff, you have to spend time and energy trying to get the puck back. Faceoffs are very important for special teams. When on a PP, the new rules bring the puck into the offensive zone. If you win the faceoff, you get possession of the puck. The more time you are in the offensive zone with the puck, the better your chances to score. When you lose the faceoff, you instantly lose 15-20 seconds of your PP. The reverse for the PK is if you win it, you instantly take away 15-20 seconds from that team.

If faceoffs are truly overrated, why bother doing them at all? As an example, if you are in your own zone defending, why hasn't there been a team who tries a new tactic where they let the opposing team win the draw. While the defending team is letting them win the draw, they can all line up into the exact defensive position they want to be in to defend. Don't even have the center line up for the face off. Just have him stand there ready to defend.

I know what you will say, you will come at me with "hockey coaches and people are traditionalists and don't change" which is a load of BS because coaches and teams want to win. Their jobs depend on them winning as many games as possible. So if faceoffs where truly overrated as you say and there was a strategic advantage, some team would do it. Yet game after game, shift after shift, teams battle, scheme and fight to try to win a faceoff.

Like any individual battle in the game, winning them is better than losing them. However, hockey isn't like football - there's a lot more changes in possession between scoring plays. The idea of intentionally losing them is ridiculous, but it is possible to over-value their importance, and to especially over-value whether the number for a player is above or below 50%.

Some faceoffs are important - but not that important - the number of scoring plays immediately off faceoffs is very low. Obviously, it's nice to win the shorthanded ones when you can, and a last minute faceoff win can be helpful too (although Tippett doesn't seem to believe Sheahan gives him the best chance defending a lead late - he's not who has been used).

On top of that, consider the difference between McDavid (49.3%) and Sheahan (51.5%):

McDavid - 72-74
Sheahan - 69-65

The difference is incredibly thin. That's less than 2 faceoffs every 100. Given the chance of those leading to a scoring chance is low, the chance that those 2 faceoffs are difference makers is incredibly tiny.

See my post above. If it's not as important as you say, then why would a team throw out a poor offensive center strictly to win a faceoff in an offensive situation? It happens frequently.

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Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: OilFans on Wed, 30 October 2019 20:00
IseeRe: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Ragnarok73 on Wed, 30 October 2019 20:06
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: PlusOne on Wed, 30 October 2019 20:18
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Kr55 on Wed, 30 October 2019 20:24
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Wed, 30 October 2019 23:52
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Kr55 on Wed, 30 October 2019 23:54
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 00:02
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Kr55 on Thu, 31 October 2019 07:45
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:09
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:14
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:30
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:37
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:50
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:57
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:26
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: CrudeRemarks on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:28
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: PlusOne on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:32
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:17
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:34
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:52
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: CrudeRemarks on Thu, 31 October 2019 08:59
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:29
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:23
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:35
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Adam on Thu, 31 October 2019 11:39
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: PlusOne on Thu, 31 October 2019 12:51
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Kr55 on Thu, 31 October 2019 13:02
Re: Review: Edmonton @ Columbus (Game #14)	By: Kr55 on Thu, 31 October 2019 09:26

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