Article ESPN: Are the Rangers Stanley Cup Contenders? What the Stats Say

[Valriera]

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39114670/nhl-new-york-rangers-playoffs-standings-stats-cup-contender

 

Nothing we haven't written about before but two negatives and a positive about this article:

 

- This was written, imo, two weeks too late. The stats are inflated by a stretch of games where we've been objectively terrible, so it misses the sample size when the Rangers were the best team in the league. I wrote earlier on the board that the two categories that jumped out were Faceoffs and chances allowed. We're still doing well in the faceoff dot but obviously allowing too many chances in front.

 

- The point about 1-goal games is interesting. We're 9-0-1 in one goal games, which imo is something to be happy about because it shows that we're competitive in close games which will be important come playoff time. It matches my eye test at least which is that when we're losing it's mostly due to large blowouts, which I think are more easily fixed than your team not having the stomach to win a nail biter. IDK. 

[Sharpshooter]

Are they? Yes. Are they playing their best right now? Definitely not.

[Br4d]

37 minutes ago, Valriera said:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39114670/nhl-new-york-rangers-playoffs-standings-stats-cup-contender

 

- The point about 1-goal games is interesting. We're 9-0-1 in one goal games, which imo is something to be happy about because it shows that we're competitive in close games which will be important come playoff time. It matches my eye test at least which is that when we're losing it's mostly due to large blowouts, which I think are more easily fixed than your team not having the stomach to win a nail biter. IDK. 

 

The 1 goal win stat is an RNG stat.  It means we're probably 4 wins and 8 points better than we ought to be at this point.  Maybe 3 wins and 6 points better.  That fits the eye test at this point.

[Ozzy]

I have a hard time picking a Cup winner in December.  There's way too much ground to cover, and way too many variables that come into play.  Florida wasn't even on the map last season, and I don't think anyone had them to even make the playoffs, no less go to the SCF.

 

It makes a nice article, but it's too soon for me to pick a serious contender yet.