We are often asked about the meaning of “p” in our fantasy hockey analysis, particularly whether it stands for points or for goals. Let’s take a quick look at the history of this unique scoring system and its place in fantasy hockey.
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Points And Goals Have Been Used Together Before
Goaltenders always had a difficult time keeping goals out of their net. Through the years, several goaltending statistics were used to assess a goaltenders’ performance. The most prominent of these were the goals against average (GAA) and the save percentage (for more on these stats, check out our glossary).
These numbers were always somewhat arbitrary, so in 1974, two Canadian statisticians, Peter Martin and Harry Brack, came up with a better alternative. Rather than using average goals against or saves percentage, they decided to assign numerical values to goals based on their distance from the net. The closer the puck was to the goal line, the more points the team would score. Teams would need to pass the puck in order to score, so the defending team didn’t get any credit for preventing the goal.
Their new system was dubbed the “plus-minus” system, and it was implemented by the NHL the following year. This new method of accounting for goaltending was easier for statistics hounds like us to keep track of.
What Is The “Power Play”?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how “p” works in fantasy hockey, it is important to understand the concept of the “power play”. As the name implies, this is a period of the game when a team that is attempting to score is on the power play. During this time, the team is allowed to strike at will rather than having to pass the puck and wait for the other team to catch up. A player on the power play can also use his or her speed advantage to dart past defenders and into the net for a goal.
The power play was first implemented in the American Hockey League (AHL) back in the 1940s. The NHL adopted it shortly thereafter, and it has since become one of the staples of the game.
It should be noted that NHL teams have different names for their power plays. In the NHL, you will see the abbreviations of the four corners of the ice (such as the “CT” for the Chicago Blackhawks), instead of the full names of the teams (such as the “Chicago Blackhawks”). The CT stands for “Chicago Thunder,” the name of one of the teams that played in the 1904 season, which was the first NHL season. The reason for this is that the NHL did not start keeping official statistics until the following season, so the CT did not have a numerical value assigned to it yet.
What Is A Goal?
A goal is worth three points in our fantasy hockey scores. This is because the short-handed team is awarded one point for each empty net the tallies come through. This effectively gives them a one-point advantage. When a goal is scored, the players on the ice are given an opportunity to spin a cylinder in which a white circle with a red line going through it is displayed. The first person to score five or more goals wins the fantasy game.
This is a rather unique system in that it not only rewards offense, but it also gives special attention to defensemen who contribute significantly to their teams’ success on the blueline. The system also lists the shot distance of the shot that led up to the goal, so statistics hounds like us can keep track of the shots that were attempted and the efficiency of the shot-blocking efforts of each defender on the team.
What Is The Best Way To Measure Defensemen’s Efficiency?
Different people measure the efficiency of defensemen in various ways. One of the more popular statistics is the score-adjusted plus-minus (SAPM), which was first implemented by Rob Vollman. This system lists each player’s total point contributions (goals and assists) per 60 minutes of ice time. This is then averaged out over the course of the season, and a player’s “SAPM” is the result. This number essentially measures a players’ overall contribution to their team’s success, not just their offense or defense.
Another way to look at defensemen’s efficiency is by using differentials. These statistics are more useful when comparing one player’s performance to that of another. The most prominent of these differentials is the Corsi percentage, which was developed by Svante Arrondelle and is often presented alongside a goaltender’s Corsi percentage. This number stands for shots on goal that the player being analyzed attempted, versus shots that were actually on goal that the player created. A team’s Corsi percentage is a combination of the goaltenders’ save percentage and the defensemen’s shooting percentage.
As you can see, there is a lot of overlap between these three statistics (goals, assists, and power play shots on goal). This makes them all viable candidates for measuring a defenseman’s effectiveness, particularly if you want to use them all in a single formula.
In the end, it really depends on what stats you want to watch out for and what system you want to use to track them. If you are looking for the overall picture as to how well a player is doing, then you can’t go wrong with any of the three statistics we discussed. It just depends on what system you want to use to analyze them.