Taylor left the arena in a walking boot

Posted in IYH Forums by fangxu0220 at 06:42, Jul 09 2015

Im going to write in defence of Capitals RW Alex Ovechkin, if only because there have been some recent attacks and, while I can certainly live with them being directed at Ovechkin, the analytical process ought to be better, particularly if its going to be a hit piece on the leagues leading goal-scorer. Yes, Im writing to defend a player that is on pace for a 59-goal season, when the second-best goal-scorer in the NHL this season, Torontos Phil Kessel, is on pace for 43. Naturally, I didnt think that Ovechkin would be a player that needed much defending, but hes taken some hits lately. Im going to largely ignore his contributions on the power play because its not in any dispute that Ovechkin is great with the man advantage and can make a difference even when he doesnt score. On one side of the discussion, we have the Toronto Star, with their Department of Hockey Analytics, and while there are plenty of flaws in Ovechkins game, they somehow determined that his goals-for/against percentage was the way to illustrate the problem. Never mind that goals for/against percentage is essentially measuring plus-minus. Ill get to that in a moment but, first, also peruse the Hockey News piece by Ken Campbell who, after Ovechkin was minus-5 against Columbus, decided that Ovechkin has to decide what kind of player he is. After all, Ovechkin was minus-17 on the season after that game. Whats odd about using plus-minus to denigrate Ovechkins contributions is that anyone doing serious analytical work in hockey has been against using plus-minus because it involves so many factors beyond an individual players control (not least of which are the contributions of nine other skaters and two goaltenders when the game is 5-on-5) and, generally, involves small samples because goals are relatively rare events. Its funny to find myself in this position, because I can be a bit of an apologist for plus-minus. You spend enough time around the game and that thinking can be pretty common, and when the sample is large enough, you can get a pretty decent list of players at both ends of the spectrum. (For example, heres the list of players with the best cumulative plus-minus since 2000, and here are the worst.) But, Ive at least learned that there are many other factors that go into whether a player is a plus or minus player, and they must be considered if youre going to attempt to pass judgment on a single season or, especially, a portion of a season. So, lets take a look at some factors that are at play to make Alex Ovechkin a minus-17. First off, the shooting percentage of others on the ice with Ovechkin at 5-on-5 is ridiculously low. His 6.3% is only ahead of fourth-liners Aaron Volpatti and Jay Beagle among Capitals forwards. The suggestion could be made -- and of course it has been -- that Ovechkin isnt making those around him better, but here are the 5-on-5 on-ice shooting percentages when Ovechkin has been on the ice for the past five seasons: 10.36%, 8.62%, 8.05%, 11.76%, 9.09%. Youre really going to have to dig for reasons, other than poor luck and ineffective shooters, to explain even-strength shooting effectiveness declining by 40% over last season, especially when Ovechkin himself is shooting 10.6% (18 goals, 170 shots) at 5-on-5. Taking away Ovechkins 18 goals on 170 shots, leaves the other Capitals to score eight goals on 242 shots (3.3%) with Ovechkin on the ice. Marcus Johansson, his most common left winger, has one goal on 51 shots. This undeniably effects plus-minus, right? Of course it does. Give Ovechkin an average on-ice shooting percentage (say, 8%) and that is a difference of about seven goals. At the other end of the rink, Ovechkin is getting burned with a .909 save percentage at 5-on-5. Naturally, the argument will be that Ovechkins defensive play is what leads to that low percentage. Keep in mind, that percentage is well below career norms for him (.922 over the past five seasons, including this one) and ranks near the bottom on the Capitals roster. Use that typical save percentage, on 439 shots against, and that becomes a difference of 5-6 goals. So, why not take a look at where the shots are coming from with Ovechkin on the ice? According to Some Kind of Ninjas Shot Tracker, shots against the Capitals with Ovechkin on the ice at even strength, come from an average distance of 34.5 feet. In the previous five seasons, it has been 34.2, 36.6, 35.8, 34.6 and 35.9 feet on average. There can be an argument made, based on those average shot distances, that Ovechkins most effective defensive performances were in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 (the Dale Hunter season), but there really isnt a huge difference; goaltenders arent suddenly flummoxed by 34-foot shots when 36-footers are easy pickings. On top of that, best of luck trying to identify those particular seasons as anything close to Ovechkins best. Why? Because he scored 70 goals and 150 points in 157 games over those two seasons, producing the two lowest point scoring rates of his career. Yes, even lower than this season, when virtually no one else puts the puck in the net with him on the ice. Of course Ovechkin is not a defensive whiz, but that shouldnt stand as an indictment any more than it has for elite offensive players throughout the history of the game. Seriously, take a look at the Top 10 goal-scorers in the league, none of whom put the puck in the net like Ovechkin, and identify the ones that are notably strong backcheckers. Some are: Joe Pavelski, Alexander Steen, Patrick Sharp, but theres no reason to believe that right wingers Kessel or Corey Perry or Patrick Kane are doing brilliant work in the defensive end. Heres the thing: theyre all great players! Part of the trouble for Ovechkin is that the Capitals havent been able to win in the postseason, so he gets painted with the brush of failure for a whole host of team shortcomings. Thats what comes with being a superstar. This Capitals team is flawed. They rank in the bottom third of the league in Fenwick Close (measuring shot attempts, not including blocks, at even strength, with the score close), which is a good indication of team puck possession, yet Ovechkin has relatively solid possession numbers. If you want to break down a players overall contribution, and feel that you must use one statistic in order to do so (better yet, dont), then at least reduce the impact of others on the ice and look at the possession stats, because it wont matter that linemates arent finishing or that, for whatever reason, goaltenders arent stopping the puck. Shooting and save percentages fluctuate and while they affect perception -- just ask Tyler Bozak -- they dont get to the bottom of a players on-ice contribution, and so it is with Ovechkin this year, who is having a fine season, no matter what his plus-minus says. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Nike Air Max 90 Heren . Murray was selected to the British team by captain Leon Smith on Tuesday, along with Kyle Edmund, James Ward and doubles specialist Colin Fleming. Murray may be asked to play both singles and doubles for Britain. Isner was named to the U.S. team, despite retiring from his first-round match at the Australian Open because of an injured right ankle. Nike Air Max Thea Sale .com) - Six years ago, Danny Briere spurned the Montreal Canadiens in favor of signing with the Philadelphia Flyers. http://www.nl21schoenen.nl/nike-air-max-90/nike-air-max-90-dames-schoenen.html . But otherwise the Toronto Raptors players and staff are standing behind their starting centre after he was charged with drunk driving. Adidas Zx Flux Dames . -- Kyle Okposo scored the tying goal with 1:37 left in regulation and got the game-winner in the fourth round of a shootout to help the New York Islanders snap a 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Nike Air Max 90 Dames Outlet . "Im going to go out there and just keep trying to get better," he said Wednesday, a day after his $135 million, eight-year deal was finalized.NEW YORK -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets are still trying to mesh on the court. Especially on defence. Garnett and former Boston Celtics teammate Pierce had their first Brooklyn home game spoiled Saturday night as Andre Drummond 15 scored points and first-round pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 12 for the Detroit Pistons in a 99-88 victory on Saturday night. For the second straight game, Brooklyn had some defensive lapses inside the paint and couldnt stop the lobs that Drummond was getting at the rim. The Nets gave up 32 points in the paint after allowing 46 against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. "What everybody has to understand still is we are obviously still a work in progress," Garnett said. "...Great game for us to learn from. We didnt pack the paint in as well as I think we can. We will get better." Kyle Singler had 11 points and rookie Tony Mitchell had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons. Most of the upper bowl seats were filled, while there were plenty of empty seats in the lower level empty as 16,331 attended the game, giving Garnett and Pierce a nice ovation when the starters were introduced. All that did was motivate Drummond and the Pistons. "We punched them in the mouth first. We didnt let them jump on us first," Drummond said. "We did our best to get after them first, try to run the floor on them, try to make them run after us." New Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks was impressed with the way his centre was active on the court, pointing out his work first-time coach Rasheed WWallace, who retired last season.dddddddddddd "Andre Drummond, in the third quarter, was running on the floor and getting those lobs," Cheeks said. "He had one or two post moves, but it wasnt something we ran for him. . Just the way he plays is amazing to watch. I think Rasheed Wallace has been doing a good job working with him." Andray Blatche led the Nets with 15 points. Nets point guard Deron Williams participated in pregame shooting drills but did not play in the teams second preseason game. He watched from the bench because of a right ankle he sprained during off-season workouts. Its the same injury that hampered him last season. After committing 24 turnovers in their preseason opener, Brooklyn had 21 against the Pistons. Nets backup point guard Tyshawn Taylor left the arena in a walking boot after he sprained his right foot, leaving Brooklyn with one healthy player at the point, the inexperienced Jorge Gutierrez, to backup Shaun Livingston while Williams heals up. "I mean hes going to be the engine thats going to drive this team at both ends of the court before we could really see how were going to reach our full potential," Pierce said of Williams. "So you know, its up to us with the guys that we have out there to continue to get better, to continue to understand what were trying to accomplish each and every night." Livingston started in Williams place, finishing with two points and seven assists. Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez played into the third quarter, while Garnett and Pierce sat out the second half. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys Danny Rose Jersey ' ' '