Penalty minute differential

It seems like it can be hard for a player's game to be intense, physical, and dynamic enough to draw penalties, while also being disciplined and responsible enough to not take penalties. Turns out the #1 player in the whole NHL in this category last year was none other than our own Logan Stankoven! We also have two more players in the top 10 in this category, Ehlers and Jarvis.

If you take Stankoven's penalty minute differential of 40 minutes, divide by 2 minutes per power play, and multiply by a 20% PP success rate, this suggests that his play style on its own could be responsible for at least 4 additional Canes goals that would never otherwise show up on the scoresheet.

As we know, a well-timed penalty drawn (e.g. Kotkaniemi vs NJD, Game 5 to set up Aho's series winning PP goal) or a poorly-timed penalty taken (e.g. Kotkaniemi vs FLA, Game 5 to flip the momentum of the game and series) can have a massive impact on a game, especially in the playoffs. Look out for these guys to play an outsized role on that front this year.