Below you will find a compendium of interesting stats. Take from them what you will. Or, if you're feeling particularly sluggish, take from them what I have taken from them. Whatever.
188 - The Canucks are on pace for just 188 goals this season. That’s three fewer than last season, which was a franchise low. I’ve got to say, back-to-back franchise records for fewest goals is slightly less compelling than back-to-back Art Ross trophies for the Sedins. This gritty reboot is way too grimdark.
2.30 - Incredibly, the Canucks are not the worst in the league at scoring goals despite their franchise record pace. They are averaging just 2.30 goals per game this season, but that’s better than both the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. Just think about that. Think about how frustrating it’s been to watch the Canucks fail to score goals this season, then imagine them scoring 20 fewer goals. That’s the Avalanche.
27 - A big reason for the lack of goals is that the Sedins are no longer the consistent force they once were. Daniel’s two-point game against the Blue Jackets was his first multi-point game in over two months. He went 27 games without a multi-point game and has just 11 points in that time.
2.81 - Despite attempting to play a stifling style and getting good goaltending from Ryan Miller, the Canucks are middle of the pack when it comes to goals against, tied for 18th in the NHL at 2.81 goals against per game. Bottom of the league goals for and middle of the league goals against is a recipe for basement dwelling.
6 - And yet, the Canucks aren’t entirely out of the playoff hunt. They are currently six games back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot, with one game in hand. They’ll need to pick up wins in bunches, but hope is not lost for those aiming for the playoffs.
22 - Hope is definitely lost for Team Tank, however. At 54 points, the Canucks are tied with the three teams in last place in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Buffalo Sabres. But they’re 22 points up on the last place team in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche. Seriously, they are so bad.
64.0% - One of the reasons the Canucks are clear of the basement is how they’ve kept games close and pulled out points from one-goal games. They have a 16-3-6 record in one-goal games, a winning percentage of 64.0%, good for fourth in the NHL. That’s a point percentage of 76.0%. It’s truly stunning that they have only lost three one-goal games in regulation.
47.5% - One-goal games aren’t truly random like has been suggested in the past, but it’s a rickety foundation for future success. In general, teams that are lousy at overall puck possession, like the Canucks with their 26th-ranked 47.5% fenwick, are going to lose more of those one-goal games.
58.7 - One of the unexpected and pleasant surprises of this season is just how solid the fourth line of Brendan Gaunce, Michael Chaput, and Jack Skille has been, making it a real shame that Gaunce got sent down when Ben Hutton returned from injury. That line had a 58.7% corsi together, which is outstanding, even if you consider that they were mainly playing against other fourth lines.
35.9 - Without Gaunce, however, Chaput and Skille haven’t been anywhere near as effective. The two together without Gaunce have posted a 35.9% corsi, which is about as ugly as it gets.
15:23 - With defencemen returning from injury and perhaps some questions concerning conditioning, Nikita Tryamkin’s average ice time has hit a new low. Over the last ten games, Tryamkin is averaging 15:23 in ice time, his lowest of the season over a ten-game stretch. Earlier in the season he was averaging over 18 minutes per game.
34.30 - Guess which player on the Canucks allows the most shots on goal per hour of ice time? If you guessed Philip Larsen, then the question was probably too easy. Allowing a lot of shots on goal isn’t necessarily terrible, as long as you’re giving as good as you get in the offensive zone, but Larsen hasn’t been able to do that. It makes me wonder if he’s quite as adequate as J.D. Burke thinks.
*Stats via NHL.com, corsica.hockey, and stats.hockeyanalysis.com.
