Oilers vs Avalanche: Tracking Stats

The following stats were tracked during manually during the game. The raw totals for the tracking stats and the glossary are at the end.

At some point I’ll write up a detailed description of each category and my specific rules for each. You can find more information on Zone Exits here. I’m working on writing up the other stats and will a link to them once they’re up. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments or on Twitter (@wheatnoil).

I’ve highlighted some of the better (blue) and worse (red) performances in each category. All time on ice stats are from www.naturalstattrick.com . I’ve provided some commentary after each section and at the end. Feel free to fire me a question or comment if you have one about the numbers.

Game: 21

Opponent: Colorado Avalanche

Score: 6-3 Good Guys!

Zone Exits

Not the most amazing game for zone exits, but not the worst either. The most surprising results here is just how often Larsson moved the puck out compared to Klefbom (though Larsson’s percentage is pretty close to bang-on his season average). The Oilers appeared to be moving out from the right side more often today than typical.

Zone Defence

Colorado really pushed for the controlled zone entries and Nurse / Benning got run over with those. Both of them are much higher than typical, which brought up the team average. Benning actually had a strong first period before struggling to hold the line after that.

Puck Retrievals

Ouch. That’s highly unusual and easily the worst game for the Oilers. Now, the total numbers aren’t high here for anyone other than Klefbom. The third pairing particularly had low numbers because they forced very few dump-ins. Meanwhile, Larsson was most effective at forcing dump-ins and so Klefbom was tasked with puck retrievals, which he uncharacteristically struggled with today, getting beat out often. Still, these numbers are strangely low. I wonder if I was being unusually harsh.

Defensive Zone Passing

Tough game for Klefbom in some ways with his high rate of turnovers to go along with the poor puck retrievals. Larsson used Klefbom much less than typical this game, opting for the zone exits instead. Benning and Nurse touched the puck much less than usual in this game, even accounting for their low 5×5 minutes. I wouldn’t read too much into Benning’s no turnovers… he only made 10 touches of the puck in the defensive zone.

Raw Total Tracking Stats:

(click to enlarge)

Summary:

It was a strange game by these tracking stats. The Oilers did not do particularly well in any category, yet they won the game and controlled the shot attempts. The Avalanche were successful in getting the puck into the Oilers zone with possession as well as retrieving the puck when they dumped it in, but yet they couldn’t do anything with the puck when they had it. Part of that was likely positioning and work by the D to keep Colorado from having too much to work with once in the defensive zone. However, the other way to look at this is that a lot of credit has to go to the forwards. I’d say it was likely the Oilers forward that won them this game… both in terms of keeping the puck in the offensive zone and creating pressure as well as their work moving the puck out themselves and getting it up the ice.

Definitions:

Zone Exit

Controlled Zone Exit: Getting the puck out of the zone maintaining possession

Carry: Skating the puck out of the zone, the defenceman keeps possession himself

Pass: Passing the puck out of the zone, the team maintains possession

Uncontrolled Zone Exit: Getting the puck out of the zone but losing possession to the other team

Dump: No clear target when getting the puck out

Missed Pass: Appears to have a clear target but pass is not complete

Zone Defence

Times Targeted: Number of times a defenceman was specifically targeted by the opposing player on a zone entry against

Denied Entry: Defenceman prevents the opposing team from entering the zone, forcing them to regroup or causing them to lose possession in the neutral zone

Controlled Entry Against: Opposing team is able to enter the zone with possession of the puck (maintained for at least one second)

Dump In Against: Opposing team is gets the puck into the zone but without possession of the puck

Untargeted: Controlled and Uncontrolled Entries against where either a defenceman was not the primary player targeted on entry OR an odd man rush not directly caused by one of the defencemen

Defensive Zone Passing

Total Touches: Number of the times the defenceman clearly has the puck on his stick in the defensive zone

To D-Partner: Successful defensive zone pass to another defenceman within the defensive zone

To Forward: Successful defensive zone pass to a forward within the defensive zone

Turnover: Other team gains possession of the puck after the defenceman clearly had possession of it

Puck Retrieval

Total: Number of times the defenceman is the closest to the puck off of an uncontrolled entry to the zone

Successful: Defenceman retrieves the puck and successfully either gets it out of the zone or passes it a teammate, retaining possession

Failed: Defenceman either turns the puck over after retrieving it or the other team gets possession off the uncontrolled entry