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Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.comNov 19, 2024, 01:00 PM ET
CloseSean Allen is a fantasy analyst for ESPN.com. He was the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hockey Writer of the Year. You can tweet him @seanard.
As most teams crack the 20-game threshold this week, we are getting to a place where in-season team statistics have a large enough sample to have some meaning. That means we can start to give some real consideration to the fantasy points against per game (FPAPG) record, especially when looking at matchups.
For example, a team’s goals-for-per-game or win-loss record doesn’t paint quite the same picture as FPAPG, which offers a more direct measure of how a team impacts opposing goaltender performance for our fantasy leagues.
The Nashville Predators are 31st in the overall standings and also happen to be the No. 1 team giving out fantasy points to opposing goaltenders. But the New York Islanders are 19th overall and rank second; the Edmonton Oilers are 15th and rank third; and the Boston Bruins rank in playoff position and rank seventh in allowing the most points to opposing goaltenders.
Jump ahead: Goalies | Power Play | Droppables
These discrepancies arise from various factors.
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If a team has a tendency to get themselves shut out, it can inflate the team’s FPAPG for opposing goalies. That’s the case with the New York Islanders, who tie for the NHL lead by allowing four shutouts this season. Or the opposite can be true. The St. Louis Blues haven’t allowed a shutout against them this season and, while they have scored the eighth-fewest goals against opposing goaltenders, they rank only 12th for FPAPG.
Or a team can be good at winning close, low-scoring games. The Bruins have scored the second-fewest goals against opposing goalies, but rank only seventh for FPAPG for goalies. Why? They’ve managed to stay middle of the pack…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/fantasy/hockey/story/_/id/42487113/nhl-fantasy-hockey-adds-drops-goalies-power-play-matchups-exploit
Author : Sean Allen
Publish date : 2024-11-19 18:11:00
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