Panthers Army Postgame #1: Hockey Experts
7 years ago
Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell – USA TODAY Sports
So much has been made about how the Panthers are an “analytics team” now that the club has parted ways with Gerard Gallant, but tonight they passed the eye test through the first two periods. They looked like a sound hockey club, in the most traditional sense. The Panthers set the tone early, turning the game into a track meet, and the Canucks just couldn’t keep up.
Even teams run by computer boys appear to fall victim to score effects, though, as the Panthers let the Canucks back in the game in the third, allowing two quick goals and a flurry of scoring chances. In the end, it wasn’t enough, however, and the Canucks fell, 4-2.
STATS
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME NOTES
- This was the first time Alex Biega’s played in consecutive games this season, and he made it count. Playing primarily on the third pairing with Nikita Tryamkin, the pair made for an entertaining size mismatch, but they also played well at both ends of the ice. Biega was on the ice for 20 shot attempts at evens, while only allowing 13, leading all Canucks defensemen in shot-share differential.
- The Baertschi-Horvat-Burrows line had an uncharacteristically poor night tonight. They were on the ice for three of the Panthers’ four goals and got their teeth kicked in by shot metrics, controlling only a third of the shot attempts at even strength. Henrik and Daniel weren’t much better, controlling just 39 and 43 percent of the even-strength shot attempts respectively, although Daniel was able to tip in a point shot on the power play to put the Canucks within one.
- Complaints about Sutter playing with the twins have run rampant through this market over the past week or so, and tonight gave us a perfect example of why the move has been so criticized. The Sedins looked to be having their worst game of the season through much of the game until they were reunited with Loui Eriksson to start the third. From that point onward, not only did the Sedins’ play show marked improvement, but Sutter looked more comfortable as well. Nobody saw this coming.
- Markus Granlund has been one of the Canucks’ biggest success stories this season. He’s excessively boring to watch, but it’s paid off, as he’s been one of the team’s best two-way forwards over the past stretch, and the Canucks’ single best penalty killing forward by shot metrics. Granlund had another quietly strong game tonight, finishing with the team’s best shot-attempt differential. Who knew Markus Granlund would be a fancy stats wunderkind?
- Jacob Markstrom probably won’t get the credit he deserves for keeping the Canucks in this one, mainly because of the ugly rebound that lead to the Panthers’ third goal. Make no mistake, though; the Canucks don’t even come close if Markstrom doesn’t stand on his head. The Panthers had numerous ten-bell chances throughout all three periods, and Markstrom weathered the storm, finishing with a .927 save percentage.
- Seth Griffith had an assist tonight and finished the game with a 76% share of the shot attempts at evens. The Canucks could have had him for free. Instead, they elected to keep career fourth-liner Jack Skille on the roster. Normally, that would upset me, but Skille has three goals in his past two games, so the Giant slumbers… for now.
