Luck is a controversial term in hockey, but it does exist. Goalies get hot, shooters get cold, refs miss calls, players get hurt and close games are lost when posts are hit.
Hockey is a game of tremendous skill, but it's also one with a lot of bounces and breaks that don't always cut in both directions. Which teams were most frequently on the wrong side of fortune's good graces this year?
We have recently found a way to use analytics to at least partially estimate the effect luck has had on each team. It involves measuring several distinct areas, each of which involve varying degrees of luck.
Impact of injuries, including the number, the severities and the durations
Unusually low shooting percentages and/or save percentages
Particularly ineffective power plays or penalty killing
Weaker record in one-goal regulation-time games
Sub-.500 record in overtime and/or shootouts
It is yet to become an exact science, so analysts often come to their own conclusion by using the luck tool that is available over at Hockey Abstract. What follows is my personal interpretation.
Obviously the league's unluckiest teams all had ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Rob Vollman
Ranking the 10 Unluckiest Teams in the 2013-14 NHL Season
March 29th, 2014 by Rob Vollman Leave a reply »
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