Playing By the Numbers???

“Play the hot hand….You have to win to play.”

These are common phrases heard from coaches in today’s NHL to motivate healthy competition with their goaltenders, but does it work?

I was lead to ask myself this after hearing the Jaroslav Halak vs. Carey Price debate for the bulk of the 2009-2010 season. Personally, I am a huge fan of Price. So, I thought this might be affecting my opinion. I therefore decided to take a closer look at the numbers.

Comparing the obvious stats, Halak looks to be the odds on favourite. He’s 26-13-5 in his 45 starts compared to Carey Price, who went 13-20-5. Halak’s 2.40 GAA, .924 sv % and 105 GA give him a slight edge to Price’s 2.77 GAA, .914 sv % and 109 GA.

But, after that the stats get interesting.

Of Price’s 42 starts, 66 percent of them are against teams that made the post season, compared to 44 percent of Halak’s. Of the playoff teams played, 42 percent of Halak’s games were played against teams that finished in the top four of the conferences, while 59 percent of Price’s games were played against teams that finished in the top four spots. Therefore, Halak’s record should be better, considering the fact that he played against lesser opponents.

Sure, Halak put up slightly better numbers; four less goals and a few more saves. Not bad for someone who played only six out of a possible seventeen games against the top five goal scorers in the league.

But, this is all for not.

Canadiens’ coach Jacques Martin has chosen to ride Halak into the post season on a three game losing streak. The Habs are set to face the number one offence in the league, the Washington Capitals. Oh, and for interest’s sake, this is a team that Halak did not play once in the regular season – go figure.

But, what do I know? I am just a crazy Price fan.

Remember, the numbers don’t lie.

Go Habs Go.

The Crazy Habs Guy