PaulThology

Since the NHL Owners are meeting this week, I thought I’d review why the league seems so boring to me this year, yet my team (Atlanta) is tied for first in their division.

Are teams stalling in OT to get to the shootout? Yes, as 60% of games tied in regulation now end in a shootout. Last year it was 52%.

Is the flow of the game worse due to more penalties? Not really, in fact Power Play opportunities are down to 10.0 per game from 11.7. And this year more than 60% of all goals are scored at 5-on-5, and last year it was 55%.

Is total scoring down? Barely, at 5.8 goals per game from 6.0 last year.

Are goalies better? They’re a 1/2 percent better in Shootouts (over 75% Sv. % this year, just under it last year), and up a bit in overall Save % (90.5 from 90.1).

At this point, maybe it’s just that I don’t get enough TV coverage of Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Stastny, Forsberg, Lecavalier, Briere, and others, and ESPN doesn’t help much. The NFL still gets about 15 minutes worth of SportsCenter airtime, and it’s the OFFSEASON! I don’t care who the offensive coordinator for the Chargers will be. Thanks to Comcast for their Hockey Live package, or I may not be alive at this point.

I may also have OD’d on my Thrashers, who, though exciting, are not the most dynamic team.