Kings v. Red Wings - Scoring Chances

Hockey is a strange game, and this particular game is an excellent reminder of some of the reasons why. The Red Wings dominated the first period, but they couldn't get much past Jonathan Quick, and yet the only goal they did score came on a shot from outside the scoring chance area, and thus wasn't counted as a scoring chance. The first period ended with the Wings up 1-0 on the scoreboard, and 8-1 in scoring chances. It wasn't enough. As so often happens, the game changed drastically over the next two periods - it was like there were two completely different teams on the ice over the last two periods.

One thing that stayed pretty consistent throughout was the play of Jack Johnson and Rob Scuderi... and that's not a compliment. You'll see the numbers after the jump, but yowka, they were awful. Ryan Smyth was also taken off the power play in this game, which with the acquisition of Penner, I thought might happen eventually. It's fun having both of them take turns blocking out in front of the net, but the PP hadn't looked good since Penner arrived, so making that change seems somewhat sensible. The scoring chance summaries are after the jump.

For those who'd like a definition: a scoring chance is defined as a clear play directed toward the opposing net from a dangerous scoring area - loosely defined as the top of the circle in and inside the faceoff dots, though sometimes slightly more generous than that depending on the amount of immediately-preceding puck movement or screens in front of the net. Blocked shots are generally not included but missed shots are. A player is awarded a scoring chance anytime he is on the ice and someone from either team has a chance to score. He is awarded a "chance for" if someone on his team has a chance to score and a "chance against" if the opposing team has a chance to score. Finally, a big thanks to Vic Ferrari for making the whole damn thing possible with his awesome scripts.

Scoring Chances for NHL Game Number 21003