The NHL isn’t as metrics-heavy as other spots like baseball. In baseball, just about every measurable aspect of the game gets a numerical valuation.
However, that’s not quite the case with hockey. Hockey, like other possession-driven sports, has a certain element of randomness that makes it virtually impossible to track every minutiae. But then again, the numbers that we do get often tell a compelling story.
A December 23 piece by Sean McIndoe in The Athletic highlighted an obscure stat that encapsulates just how strangely the St. Louis Blues’ season has gone. Actually, it’s two numbers that highlight why the Blues have found it tough to gain momentum this season.
McIndoe pointed out that the Blues have had eight of their games this season go into overtime. Unfortunately, the club has not scored a goal during overtime or shootout.
Ouch.
That situation underscores just how challenging it’s been for the Blues to get points. That’s 0-8 in post-regulation games. Those are crucial points the Blues could certainly use in the standings.
Entering Tuesday’s action, the Blues have 36 points. That’s three points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Now, let’s assume that the Blues could have won half of those eight post-regulation games. Those four wins would give the Blues four extra points. All of a sudden, the Blues would be in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.
That’s how much today’s NHL has become a game of inches.
While we could nitpick about why the Blues could not capitalize on their overtime games and so on, the fact is that missing points in October and November can come back to bite you in March and April.
If the Blues fail to make the playoffs this season, they could look back to those overtime numbers to get a sense of why games matter so much in the first two months of the season. Sure, there’s no sense in crying over spilled milk. The path forward is to win as many games before time runs out.