It is still early in the season, but Andy Greene and Damon Severson have been very, very good together this year.
Despite that, this pairing seems to get very little recognition league-wide as anything more than an average defense pairing.
With the Devils in the midst of a couple days off, I thought it'd be fun to take the pairing's goals for% (the percentage of all goals that are scored by New Jersey when they're on the ice) and add it to their Corsi% (the percentage of shot attempts taken by New Jersey when they're on the ice) and compare the combined number to the pairings regularly mentioned as one of the league's best, as well as some underrated pairings that have been exceptional to date.
I figured the Greene - Severson pairing would hold their own, but it turns out they've been one of the very best pairings in the league this season.
Note: minimum 175 minutes together. Believe all but one or two pairings have played 200+ minutes this year.
Though several pairings have done better in possession, the 52.63% Greene - Severson own is quite respectable, especially given all the big named offensive players in the Eastern Conference that they go up against on a nightly basis.
They also own the 4th best goals for%, which is somewhat remarkable when you compare the offensive players they have to work with compared to some of the forwards these other pairings have to move the puck up to.
It's time to start giving the Greene - Severson pairing the recognition they deserve. If they continue to play at this level they could get a Devils team with a mediocre roster - one that has been banged up quite a bit - into the playoffs.
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