Oilers vs Rangers: 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. The full post-game recap was written by Kjell Iverson.

At some point I’ll write up a detailed description of each category and my specific rules for each. Once I do, I will provide a link to it in this summary. 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 . There’s a summary at the end running through each defenceman.

Game: 16

Opponent: New York Rangers

Score: 3-1 Bad Guys!

Zone Exits

This improved after a poor first period. The total numbers are quite low here because I don’t record zone exits when there’s absolutely no forechecking pressure (literally no opposing players in the zone). With the Rangers leading, they mostly sat back in the neutral zone, letting the Oiler D carry the puck out in the 3rd period.

Zone Defence

The team looked pretty good here, just like in the Dallas game. However, in both situations, the opposing team was on a back-to-back. It was brought up to me that this might be correlated. It’s worth keeping track of / looking into later in the season.

Puck Retrievals

Defensive Zone Passing

Unless I missed one, Klefbom had no defensive-zone turnovers in this game at 5-on-5. Meanwhile, Gryba and Benning turned the puck over the most. It looks like Sekera deferred to this partner a lot here, but that’s not true. It’s just a funny swing of the numbers on account of him having a few shifts where he played pitch-and-catch with different defensive partners other than Benning.

Summary:

Klefbom: His shot attempt numbers were poor in this game, but I saw him great. He and Larsson did get caught running around in their own zone a couple times though.

Larsson: Okay game but not his best. He’s had a couple rough ones recently in the games I’ve tracked so this might be him turning it back around.

Sekera: I loved his game today. Activating in the offensive zone, moving the puck up often. The Benning-Sekera pairing is mostly dependent on Andrej. When he has a good game, the pairing has a good game (as opposed to, say, Klefbom-Larsson where Larsson can stumble and Klefbom holds it together).

Benning: He still doesn’t move the puck incredibly well from the defensive zone, but his defensive positioning is pretty reasonable. I still think he should be sent down when Davidson gets back, but there’s potential in Benning. Maybe a bit more AHL time to get his puck movement going.

Nurse: A less than perfect first period, followed by a much better game.

Gryba: He got exposed a bit on controlled zone entries against. The Rangers are a fast team. They also were on him fast and probably led to a couple of his turnovers.

Raw Total Tracking Stats:

(click to enlarge)

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