Behind the Numbers

Depending on how closely you follow the Blues, you likely know the team currently sits in 13th place with 59 points through 61 games coming into tonight’s tilt with Edmonton. You also probably know the club has been much better at home (18-10-4) than on the road (9-14-5). However, when you look deeper into the statistics from the 2010-11 season so far, what you find might surprise you – or confirm the frustrations you’ve had all year.

0

The number of times the Blues have been shutout this season. Currently, the Blues are the lone team that hasn’t been shutout this year – a pretty incredible feat, especially considering how much they have struggled with offense. By comparison, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been held scoreless 10 times this year, leading the NHL in the category. And yes, I obviously did just jinx the team. You should plan on the Blues being shutout in their next three games thanks to this paragraph.

41.4%

The team’s win percentage in one-goal games. The Blues mark of just over 40% ranks 26th in the NHL, just above the Chicago Blackhawks. Too often the Blues have either A) given up early goals just to climb back and fall one short or B) taken a lead before letting off the gas late in the game. Combine A and B and you get a lousy winning percentage in close games.

62

Number of goals the Blues have allowed in the second period. The second period is where we often see this team collapse after a strong start – think to the previous Chicago contest. Their 62 goals allowed ranks tied for 7th worst in the NHL. By comparison, the Blues have allowed 50 first period goals and 58 third period goals.

1,692

The number of shots allowed by the Blues – tied for 2nd most in the NHL. Is it really that surprising the Blues are where they are in the playoff picture given the amount of rubber flying towards our net? Combine lousy save percentages from the netminders with the pure quantity of shots and you’re bound to be left with plenty of losses at year’s end.

11-17-6

The team’s overall record when outshooting their opponent. Boy is that a frustrating stat. Simplified, the Blues win 32.4% of the time when collecting more shots than the opposing team.

16-7-2

Playing off the previous stat, this is the Blues overall record when they are outshot. When they allow more shots than they generate, they win 64% of the time – good for 4th best in the league. It’s enough to make a fan pull out their hair.

5.6%

The percentage of times the Blues pull out a comeback victory when trailing after two periods. These percentages are usually pretty low around the league, but the Blues poor effort in completing a comeback ranks them 25th. When trailing after two, the team’s overall record is 1-15-2. Long story short, you may be better off not skipping any sleep to watch the third period on a West Coast telecast if the Blues are behind.